According to my own wild speculations after looking at Twitter, approximately 90% of Americans have fallen in love with Downton Abbey, a British television series set in the 1910s that airs on PBS this side of the Atlantic. Critics love it, too. The show’s first season earned a Metacritic rating of 92, and was named The Most Critically Acclaimed Show on Television by the Guinness Book of World Records.
I caught up on both seasons of Downton in the last few weeks, and I’d first like to say I like the show a great deal. It moves along at a brisk pace, provides insight into how the turn of the century brought about seismic cultural shifts, and the dialogue is sharp. You have to respect a show that feeds its juiciest, funniest lines to 77 year-old Maggie Smith, who delivers each with joyous, impeccable timing.
I am nothing if not a complainer, though, and Downton Abbey has plenty to complain about. In fact, I think bitching about plot holes is one of the reasons I like it so much. Without further ado, I present 10 Things To Hate About Downton Abbey.
(CAUTION: SPOILER ALERTS AFTER THE JUMP.)
10. It’s a Freaking Soap Opera. I appreciate melodrama as much as anyone. One of my favorite shows was HBO’s Big Love, which was jam-packed with lunacy. But Americans have this tendency to lend all things British an air of legitimacy, whether they deserve it or not. Some people might say Downton is important in the same way that, say, The Wire was important. They may say it’s a thoughtful case study of class warfare or some other nonsense. It is not. This show is rife with batshit insane plot twists, especially considering the early 20th century was loaded with cataclysmic events. The only characters who truly suffer are bit players we’re never meant to care about in the first place.
9. Saint Bates. Generally, Downton‘s writers do an admirable job with character depth. There’s the villainous footman Thomas, who’s deviousness is tempered by society’s condemnation of his sexuality and the fact his schemes consistently fail so miserably you start to wish he’d wreak some actual havoc. There’s Robert, the Earl of Grantham, who’s constantly weighing tradition with inevitable progress. Even Lady Mary has some vaguely likable qualities.
On the other hand, there’s Bates, Lord Grantham’s infuriatingly noble valet. Bates is the sort of person who won’t allow even the simplest of explanations impede his quest for martyrdom. Jesus Christ would envy this man’s penchant for suffering. I really hope Bates killed his ex-wife. It would give him some measure of humanity for once.
8. The Definition of Love. Based on Downton Abbey, “love” in the early 20th century would most accurately be translated today as “mild attraction”. It was a different time, I suppose, but professions of undying devotion appeared to be only slightly less common than alliances between European nations. (That’s a little WWI-based joke for you.) It almost makes me long for the present day, when douchey frat boys are at least honest enough to say, “Hey, you know what? You’re an attractive lady, and I would like us to have some sex.”
7. The Downton Daughters. Viewers are supposed to sympathize with the fierce independence and refined beauty of Lady Mary, Lord Robert’s eldest daughter, which would be much easier to accept if she wasn’t a petty shrew, and not all that much to look at. For most of the second season, she’s caught in a love triangle between her cousin (!) and a publishing magnate. It’s the show’s most central storyline, yet the biggest intrigue is in wondering what these two morons see in her.
Lady Edith, the middle daughter, is the show’s equivalent to Parks and Recreation‘s Jerry. She’s supposed to be ugly and bland and entirely unwanted, except in the second season, when it turns out she’s somewhat useful at remembering the names of wounded soldiers. I mean, she’s no Adriana Lima, but sheesh. The rivalry between her and Mary is absurdly vicious, which I’ll get to in a moment.
Lady Sybil, the youngest daughter, is non-materialistic, and progressive-minded. She’s also hot. Why her only suitor is an Irish chauffeur is one of the show’s unfathomable mysteries. And why she elopes with him when she’s clearly not even into the guy is another.
6. The Mary/Edith Rivalry. Since we’re on the subject of the daughters, most of the first season features moderately catty sniping between the two eldest daughters. It’s an entirely plausible sibling rivalry, right up until the point Lady Edith writes a letter to the Turkish ambassador informing him one of his diplomats died while deflowering Mary. And then Mary retaliates by lying and telling Edith’s only suitor she’s going to reject him right before he’s going to propose. Imagine two toddlers quarreling over a Tonka truck. Then imagine them drawing assault rifles and staring each other down in a Mexican standoff. That’s pretty much how it went.
5. The Burned Man. A horribly scarred Canadian soldier shows up at Downton and claims he’s actually Patrick Gordon, the rightful heir to the estate who’s last whereabouts were at the bottom of the ocean alongside the wreckage of the Titanic. The Burned Man claims he was afflicted by amnesia after the disaster and adopted a Canadian accent. Later, a bomb blast during the war causes him to realize his true identity, but not to regain his British accent. He’s able to remember all sorts of stuff about Downton, and he has some of the same tics (or epilepsy?) as the original Patrick Gordon. Only Lady Edith believes he’s legit, and everyone else thinks he’s an imposter. He eventually just leaves. (NOTE: This thread may be picked up again in the Christmas special, which hasn’t aired in the US yet.)
I’ve thought about this from every angle, because apparently I have nothing better to do. Let’s say he was an impostor. That means a random Canadian guy of the same height and weight knew Patrick Gordon well enough to imitate his mannerisms and recite personal stories in depth. Then, coincidentally, that same Canadian was burned beyond recognition, to the point where he thought, “Hey, why not just imitate my old buddy Pat and get a massive estate out of it? Lemons to lemonade!” However, in carrying out this intricate plot, Burned Man decides to bypass the whole British accent thing, which seems like a key oversight. Then he leaves because no one believes him! If you went through all this trouble, wouldn’t you push it a little more? Get the courts involved or something? I mean, you’re disfigured beyond all recognition and social acceptance, Burned Man. May as well go for broke.
Now let’s say he was telling the truth, and Patrick Gordon really did survive the sinking of the Titanic and contract amnesia. That just means the writers of television’s most acclaimed show employed one of the laziest, hackneyed plot devices in the history of storytelling.
4. Laura Linney? Emily Nussbaum at The New Yorker addressed this better than I ever will.
3. O’Brien’s Revenge. At the end of season one, Lady Grantham’s maid, the conniving O’Brien (another clear example of why British people should never trust the Irish), purposely leaves a bar of soap on the floor next to Lady Grantham’s bath. She does this seeking revenge for what she fears is her imminent firing, which is a total misunderstanding. Lady Grantham slips on the bar of soap, falls, and miscarries her child.
Let’s run through the plot holes point-by-point. First, by leaving the soap on the floor, O’Brien is counting on what? Does she want Lady Grantham to die? To be injured? To lose the baby? Because all of these options were entirely possible. In fact, the most likely scenario was Lady Grantham wouldn’t slip at all, that she’d simply step somewhere else, and then wonder why O’Brien hadn’t picked up the rest of the soap in the first place.
Worse, though, was the moment right before Lady Grantham slips, when O’Brien looks at herself in the mirror one room away and says something to the effect of “This isn’t you, O’Brien.” It’s meant to be a humanizing moment, but to viewers, it was completely in character! All the woman did all season was scheme and scowl, and the writers seemed perfectly content with portraying her as the embodiment of evil. Committing fetal homicide seemed a logical next step in her character arc, and the sudden gust of regret seemed like a cheat to me.
2. The Broken Penis. Matthew Crawley, the heir to the Downton estate, is wounded during the Battle of Amiens. He is paralyzed from the waist down, which is bad because he can’t bang his future wife. All sorts of drama ensues, and Matthew is depressed and there’s some genuine question of how they’re going to resolve this story turn. Then he starts to feel his legs, and suddenly he’s walking again. Turns out the doctor just got the diagnosis wrong. Oops!
1. The Spanish Flu Switch-Up. On one night, four characters become ill at nearly the exact same time: Carson the Butler, Lady Cora, Molesley, and Miss Lavinia (Matthew Crawley’s fiancee). The outbreak brought some genuine stakes to the plot. Clearly, someone had to die, because you don’t just introduce the most devastating epidemic of the 20th century and have it blow over. Would the writers kill off Lady Cora, allowing Lord Robert to get some sweet, sweet strange with the new maid guilt-free? Would they dare retire the lovable, crotchety Carson? Would the flu spread, as flus are wont to do, and the whole series end like Godfather 3? I assumed it would be either Molesley (since he was useless) or Lavinia, since her death would add tension to the “will they/won’t they?” scenario playing out between Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary.
Well, Carson ends up being fine, and Molesley was just drunk. No one else catches the bug. A few days later, Lavinia looks completely healthy and Lady Cora is at death’s door, all sinus hemorrhages and delirious ramblings. Finally, I thought, a daring twist! Then, as quickly as Matthew Crawley recovered from paraplegia, Lady Cora is fine and Lavinia is dead, either from the flu’s sudden relapse (a doctor makes pains to point out this happens all the time with influenza) or a broken heart at discovering her fiancee was still in love with the dubiously attractive Lady Mary. Either way, it was a cheap head fake and an even worse resolution.
It was clear by the end of Season 2 the shark had been jumped. It’s not that Downton can’t be entertaining anymore. It’s a soap opera, and soap operas are entertaining as hell. I’m just saying it’s time to embrace the insanity. I’m hoping for spaceships in Season 3.
This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2012.
Boo! You’re the worst and the show is the best! This will get you some good page views though since everyone lurves this show so much.
I did like that dig about the Irish.
yes.. finally, someone put this show in the right place.. I love it in the first season. Because it’s new to me, but second season it’s all rubbish and soap-opera-y, stupid & unreasonable plot.. just complete rubbish…
I love it no matter what anyone says ..
Must see television! Teary eyed at the end.
I think I love you! I could have written this list myself. I would also add all the well-timed eavesdropping, the death of Bates’s wife (Julian Fellowes displays the same inept knowledge of poison and its effects as he did in Gosford Park), Bates’s clunky explanation of divorce law to Anna (obviously that was for the benefit of viewers) and the repetitions of “It’s going to be a different world,” “The world will be a very different place,” etc. etc. as they anticipate the end of the war. As for the ludicrous plots, well, I invoke again the name of Gosford Park and wonder that anything in Downton is remotely believable.
You’re hoping for a spaceship. I have been hoping for a meth lab in the basement since season 1!!!!
You’ve got the Patrick thing all wrong. Burned guy shows up claiming to be Patrick _Crawley_, who survived the Titanic after all, got amnesia, wound up in Canada, and eventually joined the Army.
Later on, the family finds out that Patrick had a friend named Peter Gordon who immigrated to Canada prior to the Titanic. By the end of the episode, it’s heavily implied that “Patrick” is actually Peter–no relation to the family and obviously not the heir; he’s just a scam artist. And a rather obvious one at that.
It’s still soapy as heck, but the plotline basically existed entirely so we could see Mary leap to Matthew’s defense.
It doesn’t really freak me out about the cousin love triangle thing. Why? Because for one reason it was a lot more common and for a second reason they are like 4th or 5th cousins. We ALL are probably that related some how.
I am glad to see I’m not the only one on this planet who dislikes Downton Abbey, It’s a load of crap, my wife sat watching it like a zombie, I sat down beside her for about five minutes to see what this captivating drama was all about. I nearly passed out, partly because of the eye wrenching picture cuts, jagging from one angle to another in mid sentence sending my eye balls into contorsions and giving me a headache and possibly an epileptic fit. In nearly every shot you are likely to see someones purposfully fussy bodyside or back of their head. The camera relentlessly including them as they are being talked to, explaining that that is the spokesperson and this is the other person in the conversation. It’s a hoot. They all seem to talk at the same speed and in a dulcid tone as if they have all been coached at the same shcool of ‘boring monotones’. And the sound itself is as if it is disembodied somehow, with a shot through the doorway, and as the picture pans around and shoots from one person to another and a different angle and all in the same tone. Within five minutes I was frantic I couldn’t watch for a minute longer. I asked my dear wife what the hell she was watching this unadulterated, suedo historic costume drama rubbish for. I said this is bollocks. I said to my beloved wife, anybody who watches this shit must be a bloody moron. Now I know there is little hope for the human race if they are all taken in by this junk. Our British film industry can turn out some decent stuff I think, but this is’nt it, it’s a con, junk churned out to suck in you in, it’s dreadful, artificial t.v. fodder, the producers must be pissing themselves with laughter as the viewing public sit on their fat asses watching this bunkum.
i too am sick of bates-anna could do way better. and you’re dead on about lady mary:mean as a snake and fairly unattractive ( very flat in the bust,which would have been seen especially at that time as a major body flaw) to boot. edith is not only better looking but basically kind,which is so much more important in a mate. let mary and mathew irritate each other to death-its what they’re best at.
I think most of these points are kind-of sub-points to the “it’s a soap opera” statement. I personally take a devilish glee in the ridiculous soapy moments. I agree with all of your points; “Downton” is a truly ridiculous show, but that’s not a reason to dislike it! 🙂
It’s anachronistic. The masters are too nice/democratic with the servants, who seem to have too much time off, and behave like contemporary members of the MIDDLE class who have career options in their lives-I don’t think Edwardian servants had any.
I don’t agree with everything you said but I love you for writing this list. Most of it is spot on. I describe Downton as The King’s Speech, meets The Tudors, meets General Hospital. And as a man I can never fully forgive myself for watching it, but it is well acted and I like the historical elements. My biggest beefs, besides what you covered, are: Cora is a fucking terrible actress, granny has psychic powers, there is way too much right-place-right-time, the chick with the bastard baby is annoying and was a horrible replacement for the chick that got the secretary job, strapping young Turkish dudes don’t keel over after sex, interesting characters don’t get developed enough, too much sneaking around and plotting from lots of characters.
Hot tip for anybody interested, Sybil did nude scenes in a movie recently. Might wanna Google that.
This is funny… But Lady Grantham didn’t slip on soap… The soap was replaced with a soap O’brien had made/obtained which contained a poison which induces labor ( it even shows her replacing the good soap with the bad when Cora drops her soap and asks O’Brien to fetch it back). How it absorbed so quickly into her vag to immediately begin contractions should be your real beef…
I can’t stand Mary. What a spoiled superficial asshole. I hope she dies alone in misery, but that would happen only if a true American like Eugene O’Neil had written it.
Peace,
Tex Shelters
140 million viewers worldwide. EAT THAT!!!!!
And this http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606375/awards
AND RISING.
Case rests.
Yes me too. I loathe Mary Crawley and absolutely refuse to call her Lady Mary. What an ass !
Very true. ‘Abbey’ has always been a soap opera, with a palpable “The Young and the Restless” sensibility and knack for viewer exploitation, not to mention full of contrived plots and wooden acting. The show could be so much more if the creators and writers stuck to a reasonably complex and lifelike timeline and storyline, where things generally take time to resolve themselves, and when they do, it is in typically in an unexpected fashion.
The ‘global phenomenon’ always had me puzzled. Not so long ago, “period costume drama” was a derogatory term. Even the loving literary adaptations by Merchant Ivory, which served up incredible sets and acting, were at best tolerated as a guilty pleasure.
I think what sets D.A. apart is that at the moment, it’s simply one of its kind in this millennial world of zombies, werewolves and vampires. 20-30 years ago, it would have been one of many, and it would have been done so much better.
I nearly died laughing at the paragraph on the Mary/Edith rivalry. It’s so true that it goes way and beyond anything resembling sibling rivalry. And the parents just sit there and let them practically kill each other. “Drawing assault rifles” . . . hilarious. The show is very soap-opera like, but I love it. It’s good entertainment, and the castle it’s filmed in is incredibly beautiful.
Belvin Sweatt- your comment that Mary’s flat-chestedness would have been considered a major body flaw during that era is idiotic. Women’s fashions, like the rest of the world at that time, were changing, if not turned entirely on their heads. Women during this time were beginning to demand to be heard and regarded more as equals, which gave rise to the bobbed haircuts and straight slip dresses that were intended to minimize the hourglass look. Silly, silly man, you know nothing at all; women in that day with ample bosoms bound themselves so they would appear more flat-chested–on purpose! Otherwise, their beads would not hang straight! As for your other comments, I neither like Mary or find her especially attractive and while Edith IS kind, you go too far. She is ugly as a post, at least on the outside. And Bates? Something is truly wrong with all of you on here. I would marry that man myself.
All the men are written as pussy pushovers – obviously written by a neo-fem woman. And (just like history, right) all the woman are boorish and dominant, taking control of the businesses and estates. The men whine and cry, and the women embark on brave adventures. Hot women have sex with ugly black dudes. It’s a romp of fantasy, masked as historical fact. No wonder idiots love it.
My own criticism is: as an American audience member, I would like some American drama. I overdosed on Edwardian, WWI & post WWI Great Britain as early as Lily Langtry and Duchess of Duke Street. Some Public TV Genius could get me and others to contribute big bucks for historical fiction drama to match the quality of the Non fiction history.
Late to the party, I just started watching and with Amazon Prime, actually finished the series before the final few episodes aired in the US.
I agree with some of the comments, but like the author herself says, I love it anyway.
And, yes, the Patrick Gordon who claims to be Patrick Crawley and who was probably Peter Gordon was, like Matthew’s disappearing paralysis and conveniently rich, dead fiance, very soapy, but so was Lavinia’s message from the beyond. And Mary and Daisy “feeling it” when their men were injured. Daisy did not love William like that. I do wish there was some follow up on this line, though, with proof one way or the other, or even evidence that may indicate he is Patrick but not clearly. It was odd to introduce it and resolve it in the same episode.
I cannot understand why people keep saying O’Brien gave Cora some sort of abortion soap. 1. If that existed it would have been super popular and saved the bacon of Ethel and Edith and countless others. 2. If you rewatch the scene, it is clear that, as said by O’Brien, the soap broke and the other half was under the tub, until O’Brien shifted it so it could either slick the floor or be stepped on. It was amazing “luck” that Cora tried to leave the tub without help (no likely, the maid should have been there holding her towel or robe), that she stepped on the soap or slick at all, AND fell, AND suffered a miscarriage but no other harm–she could have cracked her head, broken limbs, all sorts of damage–or missed it altogether. 3. Really? She told Thomas and it did not occur to HIM to blackmail her himself? To quote Vera “as if.”
Mary. What. The. Heck!?! She is mean, snotty, petty, conceited, and just flat selfish. Toss in how she treats Edith and you have a sadistic bully as well. Too bad Pamuk’s parting “shot” hadn’t just deflowered her, but knocked her up, but I suppose she could have asked O’Brien for the soap.
I’m in the last season, and Mary’s constant barbs against Edith (that are completely ignored by their parents over the course of FIVE Seasons now), is just tiresome and by now based on nothing but air. Cora’s monotone voice just annoyingly underscores the fact she can’t act. The way they turned Bates from an uber-principled martyr to a possible menace to society was obvious and overdone. And you can be SURE that every damn time two people are speaking in hushed tones, someone, usually an evil someone, will be predictably eavesdropping around a dark corner. I will finish out the series, and there are many things I like about it, but I don’t really give a rat’s ass whether any of the characters live or die. P.S. I’ve always despised kitten heels with mary jane straps, and it’s gotten where I can’t look at anyone’s feet anymore.
Patrick CRAWLEY.
How do you expect to be taken seriously when you get something this pivotal wrong?
The man was originally named Peter Gordon. He was a friend of Patrick Crawleys. When hes burned beyond recognition he decides to try to impersonate his dead friend. The amnesia and the Canadian accent are two of the giveaways. He does, however, remember a physical tic of Crawleys, which gives Robert pause.
The reason he leaves is because he knows once they begin to search for Peter Gordon theyll be led straight to him.
Edith allows her grief and desire for it to be Patrick to enable a massive bubble of denial to engulf her. Nobody else buys the story for more than the half-second it takes to realise how hes gone about this transparent fraud.
Does anyone else recognize Cora’s creepy grin to be the same as the Grinch?
Watching DA on Amazon Prime and am shocked to discover how terrible it is despite the world-wide acclaim. Was actually doubting my own judgement and wondering why I didnt get it, so continued to watch. After all, the house and costumes are pretty.
Early in season 1 I approved of the fact that Lord Grantham was apparently a kind and decent man, but as I have continued to watch, it has become clear that he has zero coping skills. He becomes an asshole whenever the smallest thing doesnt go his way, and cannot tolerate even the slightest change in his routine or anywhere else on the planet.
I do love Lady Violets one liners, though. I thought I might make it to the bitter end, but they just found out Isis the dog has cancer. Ive had enough. Im bailing.
(I never said I had great coping skills.)
P.S., Mary is a bitch.
The sound quality, heavens! Half the time we have to stop the show and re play it to try and figure out what the hell was said.
Cora can’t act and I can’t stand looking at her crazy eyes. Robert is a pussy. I can’t imagine people in their position relating to the maids and servants like these two did. It is just not believable. I hope Bates killed his wife and the rapist. Big deal. Two fewer idiots on the planet.
Mary is mean and nuts. Sybil didnt even like the chauffeur, then runs off to marry him. Edith is a big whiner. Give it a rest Edith.
And the Academy Award goes to Isis! He needed a bigger part to play, to take away attention from all the sappy whiners and mean crybabies, black-mailers and card sharks. God, times were just as messy back then (100 years ago).
Happily agreeing with all, and yet still loving D.A., at least partly because of it’s faults My favorite part, (oh, o.k., my favorite part is titleing #2 ” The Broken Penis” ) but a close second is the unanimous consensus that Mary is a total bitch. The storylines about every man who ever meets her, falling victim to an insatiable desire to sign up for a lifetime of that kind of hell, is the most unbelievable and annoying thing in the show. And it just gets worse right to the bloody end of the series.
I also have a different opinion of Edith, but since this write-up was done after only two seasons, her major flaw wasn’t apparent yet. SPOILER ALERT…..while I felt total sympathy for her desperation to be with her child, her cold hearted treatment of Mrs. Drew and complete lack of care for the unspeakable pain she caused her, was difficult to watch or forgive. I was probably the only one on the planet who thought it would serve her right if she didn’t get to marry the wonderful Bertie. In the end though, I relented, mostly because seeing her outrank her snotty sister Mary was just too delicious.
I agree with the snarky comments, not only from the poster, but the commenters as well. DA turned out to be a bore in Season 5-6. Yes. I had to finish watching, albeit a slow, torturous death. The fairytale soap opera and pretty resolutions became dreary. Isobel’s and Daisy’s constant SJW was overdone and annoying, as well as the recycled Branson and Bates storylines were..I could go on..but I will spare you. Julian should have stopped at Season 4 and left us guessing.
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary. Insufferably smug, vain, supercilious. mean-spirited, manipulative, and not even that great-looking to start. In S1 Sybil has “eyes” for Matthew during a moment of vulnerability….or so Mary thinks, so she swoops in to dissuade him from considering her (far prettier, nicer, and more worthy) younger sister. “Oh, you must be careful not to break Sybil’s heart.” Matthew of course is so smitten by this as to propose. Not that we got to see it. Gawd, no wonder Dan Stevens wanted off the show. It was fun for the first two seasons, but as soon as they knew they were getting three more (big mistake there), it all went off the rails. It happens all the time. Character and romantic arcs thrown into disarray, with a hapless writer at the helm thinking he could salvage something he never envisioned past S3. Hell, I don’t even think he had a hold on anything past S2. I never understood the American obsession with this show. We’ve seen it before, it’s not fresh or compelling, and it’s stale AF.
We just started watching this totally predictable hot mess of a soap opera (starting S3) but are now too invested to quit. Observations: I can’t stand Cora’s fucking bizarre, almost crosseyed facial expressions and simpering, useless pronouncements–products of prolonged upper-class inbreeding? (and I had no idea Elizabeth McGovern was such a bad actress–she wasn’t this awful in She’s Having a Baby in the 80s.) Violet is neck and neck with her in the goofy bug-eyed mugging department. Mary is generally insufferable. I’m stunned by the Crawleys’ socially encouraged uselessness and that their beleaguered staff so treasures wiping their masters’ asses. And that hypocrite Robert, in his soldier costume, has the gall to complain about the mansion being used as a temporary hospital for ACTUAL SOLDIERS? I was disappointed that his affair with the new maid didn’t go anywhere because, again, I HATE CORA. Why, oh, why couldn’t the Spanish Flu have taken her instead of the actually likeable Lavinia? Oh, that’s right–to conveniently hasten the dragged-out Mary/Matthew wedding.
A 5 minute compilation tape of Maggie Smith bon mots would have been plenty. A glorious comedienne is such relief on that set. My favorite moment, from as much of it as I could stand, is when a character pleads to being unwilling to lie, and Maggie despairs that this confirms how thoroughly they have nothing in common.
Everyone is way too noble, too often, too much, and then they reinforce it all over again with each new challenge, along with taking mutual satisfaction in their ensuing collaborative wisdom. The sound track, telling us when we’re to be touched and moved, is over sweet, and annoying, including the fact that the introduction is a Philip Glass riff, minus just a note.
The worst characters are the best ones, but even so I found myself wanting not just a scene or episode, but a season with a plot line about the plumbing breaking down.
I’d like to see a parody where, at the end of every scene with two people in conversation, there is 1 seven-second meaningful pause, with meaningful somber looks.