Nothing Shabby About This "Abbey"

Maggie Smith in "Downton Abbey"  (thedelightedobservationist)

The great Maggie Smith is back in my living room, where she belongs. More specifically, the glorious historical drama "Downton Abbey" from Masterpiece Classic is back for season two. Created by Julian Fellowes, an Oscar winner for penning Robert Altman's final film "Gosford Park", the series is a similarly witty, astute study of aristocrats and their underlings in early 20th century England.

Wisely, Fellowes was able to lure Dame Maggie into duty as a similarly tart-tongued dowager as she played so memorably in "Gosford Park" in his latest project. A justly lauded acting legend, Smith is furnished with the bulk of the most memorable lines in the series, and her unrivaled comic genius guarantees peals of laughter. But "Abbey" has layers of intrigue and plot complications that render the series far more than a wry romp. 

The matter of the Grantham family, led by Hugh Bonneville's stately patriarch, and their involvement in the first World War makes for fascinating character studies of both the aristocratic Granthams, and the servants living and working downstairs. Lord Grantham's marriage to an American, wonderfully underplayed by Elizabeth McGovern, only creates a forum for a certain brand of knee jerk British antipathy towards all matters American that Smith, as Bonneville's dowager mother, revels in.

The cast is both consistently inspired, and relatively unknown to American audiences. This in contrast to the all-star cast of "Gosford Park", which showcased Helen Mirren, Alan Bates, Eileen Atkins, and Michael Gambon among others. While this second season does differ in its more elaborate locations and wider angle shots, it remains an intimate, fascinating character study with a requisite sense of claustrophobia. That said, it is the scenes set inside the titular estate that prove the most memorable. The inevitable complications and tensions between the various inhabitants are the bread and butter of a costumed period drama such as "Abbey", and the creators wisely stick mostly close to home.

The series has proved a massive commercial and critical success, and it is thrilling to consider the prospect of returning to visit "Downton Abbey" for a few more years to come.