Father and I have been watching the 1970s British TV series Upstairs, Downstairs on Netflix. It's the show that made Masterpiece Theatre, the one about an upper-class family and their servants in London in the early 20th century. I first saw it on the CBC in the '70s, then in reruns in the late 1980s and again in the 1990s. I used to watch it late on Sunday night, and sometimes I dream of being about to watch it at that time.
It's one of my favourite shows, despite the occasional improbable plot turn--would Sarah really have an affair with James?--and shameless cliche. (See the scene at a seaside theatre where Hudson's recitation gets interrupted by someone announcing Britain's entry into World War I.) My favourite character is Hudson the Scottish butler. Even though he seems happy in his station, for some reason I keep feeling sorry for him. Maybe he just seems like a lost soul. My mother said about Hudson, "The tragedy of the Scots is that too many are yes men." Anglicized Scots seem to become more English than the English.
But I have to admit that the first season isn't so good, though it has its moments, and I'm not surprised that Masterpiece Theatre skipped most of these episodes. Some of the writing is a little much: in the episode I just saw Mrs. Bridges was so distraught about the suicide of her love-thwarted kitchen maid that she stole a baby and ended up on trial, where Hudson took the stand and proposed marriage to her, which somehow got her off. (They forgot about the proposal till the last episode--did I mention cliches?) They often show Hudson polishing something. Jean Marsh's parlour maid Rose hasn't yet had an episode centred on her, which is surprising considering that she was one of the show's producers.
We've also been watching the last episodes of Treme on DVD. Great music and some great acting, but the show's just near-great.
No comments:
Post a Comment