Why is "Downton Abbey" so vague about its timeline?

Why is "Downton Abbey" so vague about its timeline? - Crop woman touching cloth with inscription

I just finished watching the first series of "Downton Abbey" and now, looking at the episode summaries on Wikipedia, I see that each episode was set in specific months in time. While watching the series, I never caught on that much time was passing between episodes. Then in the series one finale, it's suddenly 1914 and two years have passed since the first episode.

If each episode is set in a specific month, why doesn't "Downton Abbey" tell you this at the start of every episode? Is this information readily available in the UK, but not on US Netflix Instant Streaming (where I watched it)?



Best Answer

Period pieces depend quite a bit on the innate knowledge of the audience to place the time accurately for understanding of the story. Usually the director or writer assist by leaving breadcrumbs within the story to acclimate the audience. A show that does this extremely well is Mad Men which usually chronicles a national or well-known local event within the episode.




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How much time passes between each Downton Abbey episode?

That means that six months have elapsed between episodes three and four, even though the characters are discussing elements from episode three's plot (mainly Pamuk's death) as if they happened yesterday.

What is the time period for Downton Abbey?

The series, set on the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1926, depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era\u2014the great events of the time having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.

What year does Downton Abbey Season 1 take place?

Downton Abbey, season 1: 1912-1914 His new heir, a distant cousin named Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) arrives at Downton Abbey. Robert is a bit of a snob, so Matthew's working class proclivities (he's a lawyer) immediately cause friction between the two.

What year does Season 5 of Downton Abbey take place?

Downton Abbey is getting extra political this year: the fifth season of the hit period drama takes place in 1924, the year of Britain's first Labour party government and, consequently, a year of dramatic social change at the Crawley estate.



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