Great acting and a brilliant idea but the writing hangs limply on just a couple of jokes, while inexplicably ignoring the huge opportunities for great parody the series provides. Here's hoping for improvement in Part 3.....
Having "His Majesty Sir Julian Fellowes OBE" provide pompous running commentary is the funniest bit, spot-on and spectacularly well-cast with Simon Callow. Calling attention to all the grimaces the actors display is quite amusing, and having "Fellowes" take credit for writing these into the script was great..."saves learning all that dialogue!"
The kitchens being in Ealing is good for one good laugh, no need to bleed it further.
And what's with the idea of "Mrs. Danvers" wanting to be in the upstairs cast? Good parody exploits the foibles and mannerisms the characters in the real series have....it doesn't invent new ones!
The bit about all the maids (including the mermaid) was not funny, either, or the puppet. No need to assemble this marvellous cast just for slapstick.
Probably the funniest part of the actual series is Maggie Smith's sarcastic remarks. This is where you writers need to spend some time... write some spot-on digs for her to deliver! Like when Mrs. Crawley said "what should we call one another?" And she replied, "How about Dame Maggie Smith"? More of this, please!
Also ripe for satire is Thomas and O'Brien continually smoking and plotting, and Mrs. Padmore screaming at Daisy. A good running gag could be Thomas hiding and then recovering ever larger and more conspicuous objects to win Lord Grantham's favour...
Lady Mary and Lady Edith spitting venom at one another has comic possibilities too...they remind me of Alexis and Krystle on Dynasty when they get going. Give these two some scenes together in the next parody, please!
Final niggle : You haven't left Kim Cattrall blonde...can't "Carson" and "Mr. Bates" wear wigs so they can better resemble their series counterparts? The shiny silver hair is very distracting!
Having "His Majesty Sir Julian Fellowes OBE" provide pompous running commentary is the funniest bit, spot-on and spectacularly well-cast with Simon Callow. Calling attention to all the grimaces the actors display is quite amusing, and having "Fellowes" take credit for writing these into the script was great..."saves learning all that dialogue!"
The kitchens being in Ealing is good for one good laugh, no need to bleed it further.
And what's with the idea of "Mrs. Danvers" wanting to be in the upstairs cast? Good parody exploits the foibles and mannerisms the characters in the real series have....it doesn't invent new ones!
The bit about all the maids (including the mermaid) was not funny, either, or the puppet. No need to assemble this marvellous cast just for slapstick.
Probably the funniest part of the actual series is Maggie Smith's sarcastic remarks. This is where you writers need to spend some time... write some spot-on digs for her to deliver! Like when Mrs. Crawley said "what should we call one another?" And she replied, "How about Dame Maggie Smith"? More of this, please!
Also ripe for satire is Thomas and O'Brien continually smoking and plotting, and Mrs. Padmore screaming at Daisy. A good running gag could be Thomas hiding and then recovering ever larger and more conspicuous objects to win Lord Grantham's favour...
Lady Mary and Lady Edith spitting venom at one another has comic possibilities too...they remind me of Alexis and Krystle on Dynasty when they get going. Give these two some scenes together in the next parody, please!
Final niggle : You haven't left Kim Cattrall blonde...can't "Carson" and "Mr. Bates" wear wigs so they can better resemble their series counterparts? The shiny silver hair is very distracting!
