7 Quick Takes Friday!

Not me

These have to be really fast, because I’m supposed to be sweeping the floors, doing the laundry and baking. Not sipping on my coffee and blogging.

I finally convinced the Ogre to give Downton Abbey a go with me last night. Melanie and Jen have been praising this show to the skies forever, so when we found ourselves not wanting to commit to a whole movie but also not wanting to watch television that isn’t all that good, I cajoled the Ogre into just trying the first episode.

It’s somewhat ironic that we didn’t want to commit to a whole movie and yet we watched three full episodes of Downton Abbey. Movies are a lot of work sometimes, though. I find television episodes much easier to digest. Even if you watch three straight hours of them.

These two are my favorites

Anyway, Downton Abbey more than lived up to the hype. It’s hysterical. It’s like Jane Austen, but viewed from the servant’s quarters. It’s so funny, so terrible, so shocking, and even really weird in some places. And I loved every second of all three episodes.

The best part, though, were all the actors I recognized from other places. Actors I love. Actors I adore. Here are the three big ones:

Maggie Smith is awesome. She is so awesome. She is the high priestess of awesome. I am terrified of her in this show. And I love it.

Harriet Jones MP! Erstwhile arbiter of Britain’s golden age! Every time she introduced herself, I kept waiting for someone to say, “Yes, we know who you are.”

Yes, we know who you are.

And Finally

this kid. It’s Charlie Cox! I love Charlie Cox! I love him so much, truly. Stardust is our family’s collective favorite movie (and yes, I’ve let Sienna see it. Sue me.) I even watched it while I was in labor with Charlotte (post-epidural). He is so fabulous in that movie. And transformed Tristan is absolutely gorgeous. I have a huge crush on him.

Also, he’s in There Be Dragons! That’s right, he plays Josemaria Escriva! I really want to see that movie, mostly for Charlie Cox. I realize that’s not very holy motivation but hey. Whatever works.

Charlie Cox did a wonderful job in the first episode of Downton Abbey, but I have to confess that not liking his character was really wigging me out. I kept telling the Ogre, “I hate not liking him! I love him! And he’s so awful!”

It was a true existential crisis.

That’s it for today’s ridiculous quick takes.

Go see Jen for actual quick takes. Oh and dude, she nailed her tree topper to the ceiling. Brilliance. In. Action.