16 Days Downton Abbey Challenge
01- Your favourite season 1 episode?
02- Your favourite female Crawley?
03- Your favourite male Crawley?
04- Your favourite female staff member?
05- Your favourite male staff member?
06 - A scene that made you cry
07- A moment that made you laugh
08- Your favourite “guest cast” character?
09- Your least favourite female character?
10- Your least favourite male character?
11- Most shocking moment.
12- Your favourite quote?
13- Which Downton Abbey character are you most like?
14- Your favourite moment so far?
15- Whatever tickles your fancy.
16- Your favourite couple?
16 days of downton abbey
Day 5- Your Favourite Male Member of Staff
Branson.
I loved him from that scene in the library, and not just because he was ovary-blowing good looking, but because the first thing he said was “You have a beautiful library” and there is nothing better in life than a good-looking Irishman who appreciates a nice library.
And then he said his interests were history and politics, and that just sealed it for me; I’ve loved him ever since.
I love his determination, and his ambition. He knows what he wants, and he’s not afraid to show that, or to put his plans into action, but it doesn’t come across as irritating, like it does with Ethel, or pushy- I know some people might disagree with me here, but I honestly don’t see it. I’ve seen people like “Stop pushing Sybil, urgh!” but I really don’t think he is; you have to remember just how many years this is spread over, and that’s he’s completely besotted with her- he can’t just leave it alone because he loves her, and he’s convinced she loves him too, and he can’t give up on that. And if he was that pushy, he would have just kissed her in 2.05, but he doesn’t, he let’s her choose whether something’s going to happen or not.
I love that he’s idealistic, and I love his ideals. That his socialism is presented well always surprised me, given Fellowes own political views, but I’m so glad that it is. And I really enjoy his interests in women’s suffrage, because so many men at the time were quite staunchly against votes for women, in all classes.
I’m too tired to write properly about why I love Branson quite as much as I do, but basically, I love him because he knows what’s right, and he knows what he wants.
16 Days of Downton Abbey
Day 14 - Favorite Moment (So Far)
Oh, golly.
I love all the scenes of Downton Abbey.
But the meme says to pick one, so…
I’m going to go with
Season 2, Episode 3, Sybil and Branson waiting by the car for Robert
Why do you have to be so angry all the time?
First, there’s Sybil:
Sybil is practical but naive. She’s very cautious in her relationship with Branson. She’s also taken care to put her interests into practice - she wanted to achieve independence and equality, so she’s taken a job as a nurse.
However, Sybil isn’t independent because she’s still heavily involved with her family. Violet’s prying into Sybil’s relationships in episode 4 is so ominous because when the war’s over, so is Sybil’s career. Oh yes, Sybil, you go and play nursemaid all you want, but don’t forget to grow up and be the lady you were born to be.
I think this moment between her and Branson acts as a catalyst for the distress that is seen in Sybil in episodes 4 and 5. Branson’s anger at the English is personal, and it’s not something that she understands. This disturbs her because she thinks she’s changed. She thinks she’s on Branson’s level, and yet here is one more instance where she’s been protected from reality.
As for Branson:
Tom Branson has told us from the beginning that he “won’t always be a chauffeur,” and yet here we are, 4 years later, and he’s still serving the English aristocracy while his country and people are suffering, and his family is grieving.
He gets drafted, and suddenly, here’s his chance to stick it to the English. After years and years of waiting, he can finally do something. He’s not necessarily a man of action - otherwise, he’d have kissed Sybil years ago - but he is a man who knows that action speaks louder than words. He can sit in the kitchen and spout the ideals of socialism until he’s blue in the face, but no one is going to take notice of him or his beliefs until he does something.
So he comes up with this silly idea to humiliate the English. He’s not going to bow out and go to prison quietly: he’s going to make it the most public declaration possible.
And then he’s told, Oh sorry, son, but we don’t need you.
Once again, Branson has been letdown by the English.
Now for the two of them together:
I think this scene reveals just how close they are. Before we’ve seen them in rather unequal footing: Branson as the chauffeur, Sybil as the lady; Branson in pursuit, and Sybil holding him at arms’ length. The conversation in this scene is more open. Branson has no qualms telling an Englishwoman that he hates her people. Sybil is open with how she feels about his decisions. While there is still a distance between them, it’s broken. It’s the first time we’ve seen lovesick Branson rebuke Sybil, and Sybil is truly sorry for it.
They are completely honest with each other.
To be fair, the roles of the argument are reversed in episode 4 with Branson’s remark about Sybil’s job. I think both scenes mirror each other quite well.
And as a fan of these two, I love how real their relationship becomes because of this scene. They aren’t Romeo and Juliet - they’re friends first, lovers second. (Oh shut up, you know she loves him.)
Whoa, in-depth-character-analysis, I have gotten way too involved with this.
This is what happens when you love your OTP too much.
16 Days of Downton Abbey
Day 16 (aahhh, last one. *sniff*): Favourite couple?
I am incredibly tempted to say William and Daisy. But I can’t. Because I can’t ship ships that are only half in the water! If that makes any sense. I maintain that one day, hopefully soon, Daisy will realise that she was madly in love with William, but until that blessed day…
Tom and Sybil.
They are cute, I shipped them from his first conversation with her, and I properly cheered when she accepted him. And Allen Leech and Jessica Brown-Findlay are fantastic.
