If you watched the whole of Downton Abbey please can you answer me this...

[bimmyboo]

During the 2010's when Downton was really popular I was in my partying years and entirely missed it save for a few Christmas specials round at my parents. Fast forward to now and my DH and I are parents to a small person and our social life looks veeery different! We have been binge watching this show. Very very late to the party of course.

We just had Lady Sybil's death which was truly awful and so terribly terribly sad. I know that Mathew Crawly is going to die on the way back from seeing his new baby as I recall watching that in a Christmas special and it was awful even to someone who hadn't watched the show. (I haven't hold my DH this is going up happen).

What I want to know is, !!!!!!without spoilers please!!!!!!! Will the show get nicer to watch or will there be lots more of these awful tragedies?! Since being a mum I can't cope right now with the sadness of it all! I'm finding it all so emotional. But I love the show and we are both hooked. So looking to prepare myself with the general outlook but no actual spoilers please! 🙏

There are tragedies but lovely bits too. Enjoy!

Don’t worry it jumps the shark soon enough!

What does that mean?

No other prominent characters die, as I recall.

(Er, well, can't do this without spoilers: Granny Dowager Countess makes it all the way to the second film).

Nobody dies but if you're Team Edith you really have to keep the faith for a couple of seasons.

Another member of the downstairs cast gets wrongly banged up in jail (I think in season four) which is very tedious. The events leading up to it are very dark and may be triggering for some viewers. Also, a tragedy for a less established toff in the final series, so troubling for the Grantham clan but probably less so for the audience.

Hang in there, there are some wonderfully heartwarming happenings. It's totally worth watching to the very end.

some say "jumps the shark" is when the show was at its prime, and after that its okish etc

Ooh I'm jealous of you-I wish I could watch it all from the beginning for the first time. Bar any bits with Mr Bates who I loathed!

I think it's safe to watch (apart from the post-coital Mr Bates scene). Everyone gets a happy ending after the Matthew bit, even Thomas.

It's well worth watching the rest. The two tragedies that really stood out for me were Lady Sybil and Mathew so if you know about those, you know the worst.

The best series was the last one IMHO. I love the last episode, and both the films.

That is grim🤣🤣🤣

Big I agree that thr Bates misery gets a bit boring. I fast forward those hits. But they get a happy ending.

There’s one more horrible thing in my mind which is series 4, I think. But not a death. You’ve got a lot of good bits to come for sure. Don’t give up on it yet!

In a later episode of Happy Days The Fonze attempts to jump over a shark on his motorbike. It was at that point when Happy Days was considered to have lost the plot and become a bit crap. The term ‘jumping the shark’ is used to refer to any programme that has become rubbish.

Ok I am a huge downton fan, I’ve watched it twice! But in terms of warnings, what about Anna and the assault? That’s upsetting. But generally it’s heartwarming and lovely. Especially anything with Penelope Wilton, Maggie Smith and Molesley.

I stopped watching after Nigel Harman did a VERY Bad Thing. It was really upsetting and really unexpected for me

Sorry if I was too spoilery

There is one bad thing after Matthews death (Anna event as mentioned above), which I put on a par with Sybils death, even though it isn't a death.

Stick with it though. By the end of the second movie I was all gooey.

I found the Anna thing really difficult.

Have you watched Bridgeton?

I was also late to the Downton Abbey but have watched it many times. There is one awful storyline to come and another death (dare I say, not as sad as Sybil) but there are so many lovely bits. It's definitely worth continuing with. Joanne Froggatt is fantastic in it.

I had to stop watching it due to a story line but not a character death. Not sure if you want me to say what it was?

Downtown is my comfort blanket TV. I've seen it too many times. I don't watch the episode with Nigel Harman though...