At the beginning of January my husband and I were driving back from Valparaiso after a fun but tiring play date with some friends. Steve and I were a little bit on edge because the driving was treacherous d/t snow (what else is new) and he wouldn't stop talking about how a.) he was hungry and b.) how he didn't know what he was going to eat. The edge came into play because a.) I was not hungry and b.) since I was driving, trying to think of what he would eat was not at the forefront of my mind, which he found unkind. We finally got home and I kicked him out to go get a hamburger at a place a block away. To keep me company and to mollify me, he told me he had purchased me the first season of Downton Abbey (at the time I was unaware that it was free.) Initially we had declared that this show was not for us, but I began to suspect that perhaps I would be interested in the show, since I am interested in fancy British historical things.

Well, was a whirlwind month, as I am now completely caught up on the show (well, except for last night, as I was watching the American foot-ball hooray the troops beer show.) As I suspected, I did get into the show (which we refer to, for some reason, as "Frown-town Flabby Tabby") but binging on it as quickly as I did, the show's weaknesses became rapidly apparent. I'll keep watching it, but it gets frustrating that about five themes continue to repeat themselves and this stupid family doesn't seem to have figured out that if they just addressed them, a lot of their problems would be solved. This includes spoilers so don't read on if you're not caught up.

Lord and Lady Grantham should actually listen to the people who they hired to run their house.
Robert and Cora make a lot of complaints about dealing with staffing changes because they just can't DEAL with anything, yet, ironically, they never listen to the HBICs who run everything, and that's half their problem when it comes to the servants. Carson informs Lord Grantham that one of butlers is stealing? His reaction, "Oh, can we deal with that in a month or two?" And then, Cora goes over Mrs. Hughes' head by re-hiring a maid who originally left because she was misbehaving with Tom, only, of course, to re-lose that maid because she was misbehaving on new and crazy levels. LET CARSON AND MRS. HUGHES DO THEIR JOBS OR ELSE WHY DO YOU HAVE THEM ON STAFF IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Mary should stop being such a bitch.
I kind of like one of the heroines of the show is, frequently, a real asshole. It makes for a more complex show. But still, it's amazing that neither Edith nor Carson or Matthew ever smacked her in the face [this is not an endorsement for domestic violence just the way when I rooted for Katniss in The Hunger Games I was not advocating for teenagers killing each other.] You'd think that eventually, especially in the case of Carson, she'd realize that he is old and wise and just wants the best for her because he adores her but she's still just a big old b.

Mr. and Mrs. Bates wouldn't be such babies when it comes to talking about their problems.
Easily 75% of the plot of this show consists of Bates or Anna refusing to talk about their problems. It takes forever for one of them to admit that he's a former criminal or he has a harridan of an ex-wife or that she was raped or that he's suffering due to some medieval limp corrector. It's quite tedious. They are the couple version of that one girl in high school who pouts in the corner and forces everyone to come over to her to ask what's wrong. After awhile you're just like "You know what, forget it."

Robert would just sit down and shut up.
Robert is almost always wrong, from investments to what to do when Sybil's in labor to how to treat Mary when she's in mourning. Every. Single. Time. I know it's olden days and all but you'd think Cora would say "You know what? It's my money anyway that's been keeping you afloat. So just STFD and STFU."