i am a HUGE fan of Downton Abbey. Don't ask me how a Vietnamese refugee born in the eighties can feel so akin to the pre-war (now post-war) upstairs/downstairs crew at Downton, but I do. Plus, I love me some drama. I usually have to watch it by myself; my husband and most of my friends don't like it because it's "too slow". It's true the drama does unfold at a trickle, but I don't think that's the reason why some people don't like it. There's a process to watching Downton Abbey and people are not following the rules! There are preparations that need to be considered. First and foremost, is there tea? Don't even think about starting an episode without tea, and I don't mean tea in your nasty Google mug, I mean in a real teacup with one of those worthless saucers. And that's just the beginning. You also have to think about if the are gingerbread cookies? Petit fours? Tiny sandwiches with the crusts cut off? Is someone calling you Lord or Lady Grantham? Who will be serving your tea for you? Can you speak in an English accent and can someone else speak to you in an English accent? Will you root for Lady Edith to succeed and then secretly root for her to fail because the truth is we love watching her be a hot-ass mess? Are you being the most snooty and vile self that you can be? These are all important considerations if you want to really enjoy Downton Abbey. I mean if you're just sitting in your dirty underwear and grandpa robe with a Sunday night Corona about to fire up an episode of Downton Abbey, of course you're going to hate it, because you'll hate yourself after watching all these rich bastards ordering everyone around. But turn yourself into one of those rich bastards, and the world will be your Downton.
