DOWNTON ABBEY Season 3 Discussion Thread - SPOILERS WITHIN- Page 14

[fflagg]

Posted: 2/17/13 at 11:02pm

Message to Dan Stevens: David Caruso is laughing his butt off right now. You just killed off your character and your career.

You are not that special an actor.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 12:16am

Actually, he is.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 12:48am

Oh he'll be fine. He's always gotten decent to good UK tv work, if he decides to leave New York, and decent theatre role. I don't get the attitude people have when an actor decides to leave a TV show (and in this case it wasn't about demanding more money or anything), at the end of their contract cycle. Back in Season 1 Fellowes told the press he had the show plotted to run just three years, anyway.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 12:53am

Did he do it to stricly work in the States or something? People on UK tv jump around from tv to show to tv show. I feel that that whole sourpuss thing fflagg is doing is more an American thing? I wonder if Scripps might be able to shed any insight. IS Dan Stevens leaving Downton the same EXACT SAME as Caruso leaving NYPD Blue?

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 1:07am

I think he didn't want to be tied down to a TV show any longer--that's the main reason I seem to get. That said, wanting to try out New York (it sounds like he wants to stick around) probably played a part, as he easily could have balanced the two, as you say.

Didn't Caruso leave due to money issues? At any rate, he did seem to think he'd be a big movie star--which I don't really get the impression Stevens thinks, unless he hides it well. It was probably short sighted, but nobody seemed to think Downton would run past the original three year contracts.

And frankly, maybe he felt there wasn't all that much for his character to do. As any soap opera fan knows, once a couple finally find happiness, stories start becoming scarce, unless they go for the obligatory seperation, or they're older and can be seen as a stable older couple, or they get sick and/or die. Though I think maybe killing two major characters in one season was a bit much, this way there's guaranteed to be more story.

*end rant* (In other words, I basically agree with you Phyllis. But regardless, I get that people get invested in shows and upset when a character they like is killed off, but it wasn't Dan's idea to kill the character. Rumour was he was willing to do a few episodes--which wouldn't have made much sense unless they had his character shipped off for some reason.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 1:13am

Even Maggie Smith acknowledged that Violet must be a jillion now. As I said a while back, this family is ALWAYS tempted the mortality gods, so whenever a family member dies, I think it's earned.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 2:13am

Completely agreed.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 4:15am

Violet? What about the golden retriever? The breed's life expectancy is 10-12 years.

By my count, Lord Grantham's dog must be at least 17 by now! And he's worried the poor thing won't get walked enough!

***

Personally and as much as I like the actor, I found Matthew Crawley's departure from Downton very satisfying. As Eric has pointed out, what was left for him to do now that he has won Mary, modernized the estate and provided an heir? I really didn't want to watch a season of contrived quarrels between Matthew and Mary.

I just hope the baby's survival will mean we won't have to spend another season talking about the "entail". Updated On: 2/18/13 at 04:15 AM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 8:26am

Note to fflag,

If you feel that Dan Stevens isn't that special of an actor why the heck do you even care if he stays on the show or not? Me thinks you do and you are chomping at the bit that next season you will turn on the telly to watch Downton and he won't be there...and it's secretly eating away at you.

But it's okay gurl...you will be fine!

[Miranda3]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 10:04am

Maybe in Season 4 Branson will become more prominent, as the modernizing of Downton is now all on his shoulders, with Matthew gone. I hope they don't go all soapy and have him hook up with Mary. I like the idea of her having a new suitor, as mentioned above.

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 10:22am

I do hope they make Tom more important, seeing as he was Matthew's ally in modernizing the estate. And I could see him and Mary bonding over their shared status as tragically single parents, but just as brother and sister. Although I know the show is about more than Matthew/Mary, I just can't help feeling less than enthusiastic about future seasons knowing that the original plan (Matthew and Mary as the future Earl and Countess) and the romance I admittedly got attached to is gone forever. I mean, I get it, Stevens wanted to leave (although I don't agree he absolutely had to die- if you had to go all soap-opera, why not go all out and do a kidnapping or something?) but emotionally, it's hard to watch when a show you like changes too much.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 11:49am

Violet? What about the golden retriever? The breed's life expectancy is 10-12 years.

By my count, Lord Grantham's dog must be at least 17 by now! And he's worried the poor thing won't get walked enough!

Actually, she's only between 5-7 years. During season one they had a male Golden named Pharoah, but when season two started in November of 1916 they had a female named Isis.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 12:09pm

^^^^^Ah, I see; I missed the dog's name until it had become Isis.

Is it only 1921 or 22? I thought sure we'd have the Great Depression to enjoy next season. Perhaps the family can visit Jay Gatsby instead!

***SPOILER ALERT***

I read somewhere that Mary gets a new suitor next year. If she loses a husband every few years the show can run forever, but won't she get a reputation for carelessness?

[supportivemom]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 4:18pm

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/02/17/downton-abbey-matthew-death/

This article explains a lot!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 4:29pm

"PBS is possibly considering airing the fourth season in the U.S. at the same time as it airs in the U.K...."

God, I hope they do.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 5:55pm

They really should. I was glad I watched the UK airing, especially this season, since the news of Matthew's death even made our local tiny paper after the UK airing... I wonder how many US fans were actually surprised.

I had no idea Sybil's death wasn't fully story dictated, but was partially (at least) a contract issue too.

That ew.com interview is brilliant--I love how the ew guy just keeps on asking these questions that clearly the producer has absolutely zero intention of answering. I know most shows try to keep some things quiet--some more than others--but it's like the interviewer just isn't used to having to deal with a British TV exec who has no vague but "satisfying" sound bite to feed such questions.

[fflagg]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 6:48pm

Dan is a bland actor. Period.
The only reason to watch the show is Maggie Smith. Everyone else is mediocre at best.
If you want the real thing then watch the 1970s "Upstairs Downstairs" to see how it is done.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 6:50pm

cool.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 7:09pm

Memorable Matthew and Mary moments...



Lovely

Updated On: 2/18/13 at 07:09 PM

[HoldThatThought]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 7:30pm

"...but emotionally, it's hard to watch when a show you like changes too much."

If you think they change characters frequently on this show, check out "MI-5" a.k.a. "Spooks." Great show, and they pretty much kill off at least one character every few episodes. It finally ended about a year ago, but it is entertaining to follow. I think Richard Armitage's character was the last main character to get killed off. Gandalf must have been calling!
Updated On: 2/18/13 at 07:30 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 9:14pm

I *LOVE* Upstairs Downstairs (the recent flop reboot didn't work IMHO). But I think nearly all of the acting on Downton is strong. *shrug*

So basically because you think Dan is "at best" a mediocre actor (one who has had a number of major stage and TV roles pre--and post Downton) he should have stuck with the show? *confused*

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 9:37pm

Fflagg, your period notwithstanding, Dan Matthews is a fine actor. He'll be missed at "Downton," and I look forward to what he does next. Ellipses . . .

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 9:39pm

I don't know his other work, but Stevens spent Seasons 1 and 2 as the "straight man" around whom all the other characters revolved. (Okay, he got to go to war briefly and come home crippled to spend two episodes in bed!)

Then he spent most of Season 3 talking about agricultural reform, while once again the other characters plotted and schemed and did interesting things.

And yet we have pages and pages here mourning his departure. Under the circumstances, I think he was a bloody wonder!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 10:36pm

Dan is a bland actor. Period.

By the way, comma, you are a nasty old crank; semicolon; you're also an idiot.

Period.

[supportivemom]

Posted: 2/18/13 at 10:58pm

^ Oh snap PJ! Love it!