8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
From the sinking of the Titanic to the end of the First World War, the secure and ordered world of the beloved estate is rocked as the lives of the inhabitants of Downton Abbey are shaped by intrigue, crisis and romance. Season one sets a lavish stage of beautiful scenery and architecture, and a class structure rigid yet just beginning to give way at the beginning of the 20th century, and of the Great War. Season two picks up two years later, in 1916, as the war rages on over Europe, and grand Downton Abbey has been converted into a convalescent hospital for wounded veterans of the brutal combat. In season 3 the Great War is over and a long-awaited engagement is on, but all is not tranquil at Downton Abbey as wrenching social changes, romantic intrigues, and personal crises grip the majestic English country estate.
Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan CoyleRomance | 100% |
Period | 62% |
Drama | 46% |
War | 38% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When I was assigned to review “Downton Abbey: Season 2,” I was filled with dread. I find most costume dramas difficult to process, most constructed so frigidly that interpretation becomes a chore, not a rewarding challenge. Also creating terror was my moderate awareness of the program, gathered primarily from award show recaps and the occasional social media pledge of devotion. Not wanting to be left out in the cold, I crammed season one in anticipation of this release, ready to swallow whatever televised dry biscuit creator Julian Fellowes was intending to serve. Seven episodes later, I was deeply in love, completely blindsided by a program boasting refined social graces on the outside, while the inside exposed the beating heart of a sublime soap opera, offering immaculate emotional pull and full-bodied attention to a multitude of characters, creating a thickly sliced, yet overwhelmingly effective British drama -- a viewing experience that was much more than droning talk of matchmaking and sips of tea. Suddenly, the prospect of viewing season two wasn’t a brutal professional obligation anymore. It became an absolute necessity.
When we last left “Downton Abbey,” the sinking of the Titanic killed off leading heirs to the estate of Robert, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville, marvelously noble and vulnerable) and Cora, Countess of Grantham (a sly Elizabeth McGovern), leaving their three daughters, Mary (Michelle Dockery), Edith (Laura Carmichael), and Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay), to sit patiently while others decided their marital future. While the blue-bloods, including the wry Violent, Dowage Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith, killing in every scene), worked to bring distant cousin Matthew (Dan Stevens) and his bossy mother Isobel (Penelope Wilton) into the inheritance position, the servants who run Downton Abbey had other demands. With butler Carson (Jim Carter) and housekeeper Hughes (Phyllis Logan) taking command of service around the estate, footman Thomas (Rob James-Collier) and lady’s maid O’Brien (Siobhan Finneran, subtly softening the wicked character) plotted incessantly, bitter to both the privileged and the pleasant, while head housemaid Anna (Joanne Froggatt) found love with the enigmatic valet Bates (Brendan Coyle). Also about in the basement: daffy kitchen maid Daisy (Sophie McShera), bossy and blind cook Patmore (Lesly Nicol), and lovesick William (Thomas Howes).
War was declared at the end of season one, forcing season two into a troubling position of expansion, required to deal with the societal mechanics of WWI and how this distant conflict affects the smooth service machine of Downton Abbey and its definitive stance of aristocracy. Creator Julian Fellowes shatters intimacy painstakingly established in early episodes to supply a wide playing field for the growing ensemble, closely tracking each character as they encounter select horrors of war. From frontline assignments to household duty, the dynamic of the house is gradually altered as the seasons change and the years pass, with the Crawley sisters developing independence, while the servants encounter their own trials and tribulations, clinging to tradition and employment as an era of comfort draws to a close. Fellowes scripts skillfully and often bluntly (keeping viewers up to date with off-screen happenings), supplying wit and worry in equal measure, highlighting the passions of each participant, while reinforcing the exquisite melodrama and layers of rumor-mongering and accusation the series is known for. The material is familiar (reminiscent of “Upstairs, Downstairs” and Fellowes’s own “Gosford Park”), but the execution is fluid and unexpectedly emotional, sustaining a soul behind the habitual veneer of sophistication, meeting characters capable of extraordinary complexity in minimal screentime. Season two only reinforces the elegant writing and dazzling technical credits, working overtime to manufacture a consistently engaging and heartbreaking series that happily invites the viewer to participate in its conflicts. Perhaps the period details confuse on occasion and the period English vernacular is lost on today’s ears, but the soul of the show remains as intoxicating as ever. Even with a wider canvas of wartime tragedy providing a fresh distraction, “Downton Abbey” remains an addictive and rewarding watch.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation is a balanced BD event, great with fine details emerging from brightly lit sources. Facial textures are especially agreeable, capturing differences in age and emotional nuance, giving the stupendous performances an HD clarity they deserve. It's a softly shot show occasionally employing limited lighting, but a feel for household decoration remains in place, treating the ornate setting with the respect it deserves, giving viewers a full read of time and place. Colors also make a generous impression, finding costuming and outdoor adventurers supplying a rich, even palette, useful for character identity and combat wounds, giving the show an unexpectedly violent snap. Skintones are natural and expressive, seizing porcelain features with grace. Shadow detail is the only real downfall of the presentation, with solid blacks robbing dark costuming of detail, while distances and low-light encounters lack edge delineation. Also of concern is a playback glitch early in episode four, which skips roughly 15 seconds of footage. This could be an individual problem with my copy, but it's wise to be aware of it.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is a contained aural presentation reflecting a series that doesn't push too hard on the senses. Leading with dialogue exchanges, the track is perfectly clean, giving life to different accents and speeds of thought, landing insults and confessions with satisfactory sonic aim, sounding full and pleasing. Scoring isn't obtrusive, calmly supporting the dramatics until asked to take the lead, moving along with a crisp piano-based sound that fuses ideally to the onscreen action. Atmospherics are thick but welcome, introducing changes in setting and weather with sound effects that are a little overcooked, but satisfactory. WWI encounters are cranked up a touch to assist in the element of surprise. It's a simple show about human beings, leaving audio flourishes limited, finding a comfortable position without distortion.
Unlike season one, season two of "Downton Abbey" doesn't end with a cliffhanger or roll with a natural momentum toward future episodes. Instead, there's a sense of peace in the air, leaving the widespread trauma of the second round to rest easily for a change, hinting at new characters and complications to come for the Crawleys. I can't wait to devour another season with these irresistible folks and their daily battering of emotional highs and lows.
Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey | Original UK Edition
2010
2010-2015
Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey | Original UK Edition
2012
Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey | Original UK Edition
2013
Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey | Original UK Edition
2014
Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey | Original UK Edition | w/ Bonus Music CD
2014
Masterpiece
2015
Masterpiece Classic
2015
Masterpiece Classic / with notepad
2015
2019
1995
2016
Warner Archive Collection
1940
2014
2011
2015
1998
1942
1984
1974
2011
2014
2012
2016
2007
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2004
1994
2013
2008