To be really disturbed and upset about last nights Downton Abbey? SPOILER ALERT

[CiderBomb]

I won't say what happened in case there are people on here who haven't watched it yet, but I was really, really shocked by that one scene in particular and can't get it out of my head this morning. Just when people were saying that they thought it was getting boring they go and throw that in. And a much loved character as well...

I'm not one of these sad people who complains about things on television, especially when they happen after the watershed, but I found that really shocking and it seemed to come from nowhere.

I know it happens all the time in real life, even today, but bloody hell :(

[Patilla]

I hated it and agree about the way they changed her character earlier in the programme.

To be honest I found the last series fairly depressing and was hoping it was a blip but it seems not.

It would appear that they are set upon Downtown being a gritty soap in fancy dresses. I shan't be watching it again.

[fluffyraggies]

I don't watch Downton, but my mum and aunt does and i hear the major story lines from them weather i like it or not and it sounds to me as if Downton is turning into a '20s Eastenders' now. How :(

Although i never watch it (don't watch much telly at all) i always find it comforting that there are 'decent' programes available, like Downton, without the endless depressing, sensationalist dark story lines of Enders and Corrie and the like. (don't watch them either but you hear about their plots in convo. and on news)

Apart from all that it is sad that rape is considered fair game for pushing up numbers.

[pianodoodle]

I don't watch it but from what I've read I think I'll stick to my old "Upstairs Downstairs" DVDS!

[wigglesrock]

I hadn't watched any of this series and watched it last night through boredom.

She's a brilliant actress and I thought Mrs Hughes was very good as well. The scene I thought was filmed very well, but I hated the cutting to the singing - it felt very contrived.

When I started to watch it, my first thought was "why have they fecked about with Mr Bates & Anna's character so much" So I agree its like they were changing them to set up this storyline, which I fear may have been decided upon completely for ratings

Our local continuity announcer gave a warning re violent & distressing scenes before the show started, so I'd a fair idea what was coming.

[Sallyingforth]

I think Downton should have come to a natural end with the last series, but of course it is a real money-maker for ITV (I'd love to know how much Tesco were paying for the commercials). So they had to 'spice it up' to keep the viewers interested.
This latest twist has caused a lot of controversy so it will probably push up the viewing figures for the rest of the series. I agree that 'Anna' was acted very well. Her future career is assured.

[SirChenjin]

I thought it was very good, and thought Joanna Frogatt was excellent - it was very distressing, and it was meant to be. Although the juxtaposition of the singing/event downstairs seemed a bit contrived it also had to effect (imo) of contrasting the entertainment upstairs and the horror downstairs - and knowing that they were unable to hear her screams made it even more awful.

[MsUumellmahaye]

yip, quiet sensible anna wouldn't have been raped so they had to create flirty fun anna! thats how it felt to me :( poor show

[Nancy66]

I found it disturbing but can't make my mind up how I feel about it and whether it was appropriate or not.

I think it was well performed and entirely credible. I also think that a married woman at that time would probably never report such a thing.

I just hope hope hope that they won't make her pregnant - but they will of course.

[SirChenjin]

I think that most of the characters have become more 'fun' to represent the societal change that took place in the 20s?

[Viviennemary]

I was shocked and horrified by it too. It was just so unexpected. But I expect this did happen in those times and covered up in the same way. I didn't think it was wrong to have this scene. Very well acted and realistic I thought.

[jammiedonut]

It was a little to little mo and eastenders for me, particularly as she'll have to be around her attacker in the oncoming episodes. It seemed very at odds with downton as a whole, even the way it was shot. They've handled some delicate matter in the past, and done it well, so this felt gratuitous to me.

[LadybirdSpots]

I was horrified too, and it chilled me to the bone. Even now thinking about it I feel sick.

But these things do happen in real life, and in a way it's good that they're not portraying life as lovely and twee.

I've loved Downton since day 1, but I don't know if I'll be watching it anymore. It's going to be so distressing watching Anna over the next few weeks, and like someone else said up thread,I watch it to escape, not to sit there and feel depressed.

[springybiffy]

I didn't catch the beginning and don't know if there was a warning - there should have been. It was very distressing to watch and I agree that Anna suddenly not being her relatively sober self gave the impression that she'd asked for it . Crap and irresponsible portrayal imo.

I thought the loud singing showed it drowned out Anna's screams. Very upsetting scene.

[quoteunquote]

It wasn't unexpected, was it, as at the start of the program they did announced , there would be scenes that some might find disturbing, so it was fairly obvious that was going to happen, as the build up of the male role and focus on anna.

[VenusDeWillendorf]

Thing is, Julian fellows isn't a great writer anyway, but when he sees dollar signs in his eyes, any sense he might have had flies out the window.

I mean DA has never been great, a bit sodden wooden with fancy dress, but now he's cynically 'gritted it up' for ratings.

I stopped watching after series one actually, and I'm glad I did now!

[jonicomelately]

I doubt the writer (Julian Fellowes) came up with the storyline to cynically push up ratings. It doesn't really have a problem in that department both in the UK and around the world and it's incredibly insulting to suggest that. I have no doubt he's included the storyline because the sexual abuse of women in that period was endemic. Downton's never claimed to be light and fluffy and has dealt with death in childbirth and pandemic infections in the past.
I thought the episode dealt with it well. It portrayed the distress and vulneribilty of victim without being overly graphic. It'll be fascinating to see what the reaction from the US audience is.

[tadpolesarseholes]

I was really upset and i could not get to sleep last night.I find myself now still thinking about it.I thought that Downton was meant to be a 'cosy' and 'gentle' sunday night programme.

[milk]

Downton Abbey has lost a viewer!

[Mumsyblouse]

Was Downton really fluffy and cosy- it went through the first ww fgs- with people being maimed and dying? What about the mum who gave her baby away? What about Matthew?

I'm sure that sexual aggression and rape was endemic as it was bound to be in a very hierarchical society in which women did not even have the vote til the end of the 20's. The victim would have been blamed, her reputation sullied and her prospects diminished, even if it was rape by another servant. Sadly all this would have been true to life- the only thing I object to is the change in Anna's personality because the old Anna would have been at risk of rape too.

[squoosh]

It was pretty shocking, I had no inkling it was coming. But rape happened then just as it happens now so I don’t think it was inappropriate. I’m sure the actress who plays Anna is happy to have a demanding storyline to sink her teeth into after two series of ‘Yes, Mr Bates’. I agree with everyone else that we can probably predict where the storyline will progress to.

They have form for this though, Sybil’s deathbed scene was shocking as hell!

[SirChenjin]

jonicomelately - completely agree.

[Bowlersarm]

What happened?? Can someone sum up in a couple of sentences? I take it Anna was raped? (Can't believe anyone still reading doesn't know what happened-apart from me!)

I haven't watched this series at all and not likely to but loved the previous series.

[jonicomelately]

I don't think there was any huge personality change. Anna's always had a fun side. She accompanied Rose to a dance last week for example.

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

But joni it's not a public information or open university programme is it .... so "pushing up ratings" whether cynically or otherwise, or to put it another way engaging with their audience, is always going to be part of their remit.
I guess the question is whether they were able to balance that with the integrity of their characters and the story-line, and respect for the whole area of sexual assault, including their viewers experiences.

[Mumsyblouse]

Anna went to the dance on the instructions of someone else to try to keep Rose out of trouble. She has always been 100% behind the most miserable dour husband of hers. Her behaviour and the strain on their relationship was not convincing and felt artificially exaggerated to then create a situation in which she was alone with/flirted with this other servant. The whole episode, I kept thinking, why is she behaving like that, why is he behaving like that, and then it all became clear.