What I found most compelling about the
finale, besides the obvious death of Matthew, was his death in
placement to the episode. When I think cliffhanger, I think about a
completely grave event happening on screen, a smash to black and then
a wait until the next episode tells me the fate of the characters on
screen. In this regard the cliffhanger I find most compelling is how
Downton itself will deal with the death of Matthew, not Mary or any
of the other inhabitants of the estate but the show itself.
Obviously Matthew is an integral
character to the show, he progresses story lines and interacts with
other characters as a main character should; he and Lady Mary's
romance has become one of, if not the most, popular on the series.
While his death is still raw to me, what I'm interested in now is
seeing, come season four, how the show will continue to progress and
evolve without one its of the key elements. Lady Mary, the baby,
Downton itself, where will their fate lie as we move away from the
“certainty” the finale tried very much to portray. The
uncertainty that is sure to come following Matthew's death is poetic,
it mirrors the uncertainty fans have in Downton's future.
Mellody & Jeffrey--I find your two posts so intriguing with their shared emphasis on Matthew's death--and the following cliffhanger--not only as highlighting what will happen to Downton Abbey but also bigger questions about the health and success of *Downton Abbey*--our show! So can we view the cliffhanger both as a bid for more open serial form/continuation and as a rather more desperate gesture--the harbinger of an end--of the series itsel)? I wonder what others of you think about the different possibilities opened up (and closed) by these plot twists!
ReplyDeleteThe finale DOES sort of belabor the point about "all being well," especially since the crosscutting with Lord Grantham talking about how everything is great and Matthew driving irresponsibly made it sort of obvious to the audience that something bad was about to happen (at least from my perspective). Robert could have said something like, "Nothing can go wrong now! My son-in-law definitely won't die in a terrible car accident anytime soon!" and it would have fit.
ReplyDeleteThat does sort of bring up the question of how the show adjusts itself to this new reality necessitated by Dan Stevens leaving. Downton seemingly has an heir now, so does the show shift away from the constant question of "is Downton's future secure?" and find some new plotlines, or will a new conflict spring up? Will Lady Mary find love again, and can that storyline differentiate itself from the Matthew/Mary relationship that's played out over the last three seasons? A death like this DOES give Fellowes the opportunity to go in a bunch of different directions in season 4, and I'm interested to see what he does with it.