Review: "Upstairs Downstairs"

Last night, PBS debuted its newest miniseries, Upstairs Downstairs, a continuation of the beloved series that went off the air in the late 1970s. It takes place in 1936, right when Hitler is gaining power but Wallis Simpson is the Brits' biggest enemy. Since viewers only got to see one hour-long episode of the three part series, I can't truly decide how I feel about it. It was entertaining, and I loved the set decor and costumes, but I don't love any of the characters yet. This is not for lack of fantastic actors. With stars from Anne Frank, Little Dorritt, Cranford, and the original Upstairs Downstairs, there is enough twinkling talent to rival the glittering chandeliers at 165 Eaton Place. However, not even great performers can give life to a trite script. For example, Claire Foy, who was magical as Amy Dorritt in Little Dorritt was annoying as the petulant Lady Persie, and Ellie Kendrick's Anne Frank from last spring's Diary of Anne Frank, a powerful performance, seemed a distant memory as Kendrick wailed and bemoaned her lot as the blubbering maid Ivy.

While I did enjoy the episode, I did think the plot was a bit cumbersome. There seemed to be a checklist that the screenwriters had for this first part. Meddling mother-in-law? Check. Free-spirited maid? Check. Sweet footman from the wrong side of the tacks? Check and check. I could go on and on, but every time a new character was introduced, I couldn't help but think "Oh, that's like so-and-so from such-and-such." And moments in the plot felt rather far-fetched. Rose, our connection to the old series who spent forty years as a servant, gives up being the head of a staff employment agency to be a housekeeper? Why?

Last night I found myself longing for Downton Abbey, the tender portrayals of both the aristocrats and the servants. Even the most odious characters could be sympathetic at times (with the exception of that sociopath Thomas the footman. He was just creepy). The love story of the maid Anna and the valet Mr. Bates alone is worth watching all four 90 minute episodes in one sitting, and even the most melodramatic moments (The Titanic, WWI, miscarriages caused by bars of soap on bathroom floors) were full of heart.

However, Downton has a luxury that Upstairs Downstairs does not: time. This series will only be three hour-long episodes, and that itsn't a lot of time to introduce a dozen new characters and encompass life in England before WWII. Once the war began, bombs fell on London, and it didn't matter whether one's life took place upstairs or downstairs; survival was what counted. So, trying to capture that small window of life right at the cusp of change is a difficult task, and I don't evny the filmmakers that. Yet, I think that the story would be better if it weren't bogged down in so many politcal and social details. Instead, all focus should be directed towards the people in this story, and how they come together as an unequal but committed unit. Then perhaps this new chapter at 165 Eaton Place might feel less like a familiar tale a more like a fresh take on an unconventional family.

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