Comments on: An American at Downton

By: David Cohen

David Cohen — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:42:36 +0000

Well, finally watched it and wasn’t a bit bothered by Ms. MacKaine. It is broad caricature to be sure, but she is both shrewd (in a broadly caricatured American way), aware of Maggie’s manipulation from the start and, is is true surprisingly often of tv villains, right about every particular.

By: Seonaidh Vander

Seonaidh Vander — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 01:41:54 +0000

Downton Abbey is filled with stereotypes and cliches, however those stereotypes are based on a degree of truth about human behaviour. Some people may be offended by the depiction of crass Americans and pompous British. It may be a consolation to know if you spend time both sides of the Atlantic you will find there are plenty of crass British & pompous Americans to even things out. DA has a good story line, great costumes and superior acting, making it more watchable than American daytime soap operas. But it is just a TV show.

BTW you guys are way off on your gender distribution estimates. Real men watch DA too!

By: Rita Byrne Tull

Rita Byrne Tull — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:37:11 +0000

“About the size of Maryland.”

By: Gaw

Gaw — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:31:40 +0000

I wonder what the American version of the ‘about the size of Wales’ geographic measurement might be?

By: Frank Key

Frank Key — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:10:35 +0000

The American view of Wales might be summed up by this recent correction in The Huffington Post : “An earlier version of this story mistakenly said that West Wales is located in England. In fact, it is located in Wales.”

By: Brit

Brit — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:20:55 +0000

I made it through series 1 thanks to Maggie Smith, but couldn’t get to the end of the first episode of series 2. It was the way Crawley kept ‘popping back for the weekend’ from the Somme….

By: sarah

sarah — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 03:59:03 +0000

Not a particular fan of Shirley MacLaine, I nonetheless hoped she would pull out all the stops and play the role as a sort of Auntie Mame character – flamboyant and funny and quite happily very very rich. Instead, she was just boring – no match for your magnificent Maggie. But it is a mere glitch in an otherwise divine, addictive series. One only wishes it would go on forever.

By: George

George — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 01:53:41 +0000

Never reluctant to make a sweeping statement, is he?

Wolfe published a short story in the mid-1980s with an England of the future as theme park, probably in Esquire, probably in 1984.

By: Hey Skipper

Hey Skipper — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 21:45:24 +0000

Male….36

Female…2900000

Transgender….7690

…

In my never ending, if not always successful, quest to be the perfect husband, I watched an episode or two.

Since then, nothing, not even Piers Morgan or a live grenade, will clear me from a room faster.

By: Gaw

Gaw — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:12:18 +0000

I’ve scrolled down the thread – America’s favourite Welshman is actually Piers Morgan. Thankfully, he’s deeply undercover (there is a limit to one’s desire to be noticed).