Sometimes I just want to become a screenwriter and write a wonderfully successful and critically acclaimed period television drama just to show Julian Fellowes that an American can write a post-Edwardian costume drama and that American can write one better than he can. Yes, I think about these things instead of doing actual work.

He literally said that an American can’t write a period piece and he can barely do so himself. Lordy.

I’m just really miffed at how he’s shoving all these great storylines in Downton Abbey aside — Edith as a budding writer and suffragette, a Sybil plot independent from Tom, a Tom plot independent from Sybil, a decent Tom and Sybil plot (see a pattern?), some Cora somewhere, some Isobel, Daisy and her ongoing odyssey to be recognized, Mary and Matthew’s future as a couple (weren’t they moving out?) and the baby question — just so that the series can have more dead and tired plots — Mary and Matthew having the same argument about Lavinia’s father’s money about three times an episode (thank the Lord that’s done), Bates and the whole ‘everyone in prison hates me for some unexplained reason’, Thomas and O’Brien exchanging dirty looks (as opposed to actually doing something). How did this turn into a full out Downton post?

Yes, I realize he has too many characters to devote screentime to every one every episode. But that doesn’t mean that he can’t give balanced storylines and characterisation across the board. Cora and Isobel don’t really show up since they can no longer argue about the convalescent home; Tom and Sybil barely got any screentime to begin with; sometimes I forget some of these servants, Mr Molseley, even exist; Isis the Labrador has completely disappeared; where the hell are Evelyn Napier, Richard Carlisle, and Michael Gregson. And Fellowes has this problem of having important scenes happen off-screen: most of Tom and Sybil’s relationship and all of their characterisation (literally all of it), Sybil and Thomas working at the hospital, Ethel’s pregnancy (where the hell did that time go? She was just barely pregnant, then the baby was born.), I wanted to see that wedding reception or even some of the honeymoon for Mary and Matthew (not that it would’ve accomplished much really). Fellowes forces the viewer to fill in too many of the blanks, exhibit a: Tom and Sybil. I keep bringing them up because they are a prime example of what is happening with Fellowes’ uneven writing.

It’s obvious that Sybil visits Tom. “Where have you been all day?” You don’t say that unless you know someone’s routine. Sybil feels confident enough in her friendship to rant about her mother to Tom; Tom treats it like it is normal. Tom confidently tells Cora that Sybil likes her job. Sybil is drawn back by the news of Tom’s cousin and says, “You never said,” as if she knows a lot about his family. There was an apology scene that Allen Leech said was cut out. There are all the times Tom has had to drive Sybil back and forth to and from the hospital. There were all those scenes where Sybil was working at the hospital. She was working with Thomas. Thomas liked working at that hospital, as far as we can tell. He connected with some of these soldiers, namely Ed Courtenay. But where are all these scenes? All these perfect opportunities for developing three characters? Nowhere. But we know they exist.

Fellowes also has a problem developing characters outside of their romantic relationships. Most of what I know about Sybil comes from her relationship with Tom; most of what I know about Tom comes from his relationship with Sybil; most of what I know about Anna comes from her relationship with Bates; and so on and so forth. I know that Sybil is working as a nurse and supports women’s rights. So where are those scenes? I do know that Tom is a journalist writing for radical newspapers, wishes for an independent Ireland, and wants to be a politician. So where are those scenes? I don’t even know anything about Anna other than Bates. I don’t know anything about Bates other than Vera and Anna.

So, yeah. I’ll stop now. I don’t know how this got so out of hand. I literally just meant to write the first paragraph and stop, but I felt like I had to explain myself. So, that’s basically why I want to sell my soul to Hollywood and become a screenwriter instead of a novelist.

TL;DR: Fellowes’ writing on Downton Abbey frustrates me so much that I am going show him that an American can write a period piece and do it better than he can.