5 Reasons Why Men Should Watch Downton Abbey

You're a nice guy. So when your girl asked you to "just try" that first episode of Downton Abbey, you obliged. And why not - it would make her happy, and with all the hype you've heard about the show lately, how bad could it be?

Try really bad - bad in tuxes and dresses and servants and no action whatsoever. That was the first and last episode you'll ever watch, and now you mockingly call it Downtown Abbey, just to watch fans twitch. You're not wasting your time with this 1900s version of The Bachelor - especially considering The Walking Dead is on at the same time.

Good. If any of that fits you, you're the reason I wrote this post. Here's my take on it: Downton Abbey is an incredible show with an intricately woven plot, fantastic acting, striking sets, and integral depth which can deepen your life as a result. So here are five reasons why men should to watch Downton Abbey:

1. You'll Instantly Be More Attractive to Women

Fact #1: Girls love this show. Even at a shallow level, it has so much they're naturally drawn to - uniforms, shiny things,  and relationships. 

Fact #2: Guys that attempt to appreciate things girls love are very, very smart. Take flowers as an example: no man wants to delay his commute home to buy flowers for his girl. But because he knows romantic gestures lead to good things, flowers become positively associated. Or reverse it: if a girl takes an interest in what you like - sports, science, Call of Duty, you pick - isn't that incredibly...alluring? 

Relationships 101: do nice things for someone, they do nice things for you. Take an interest in their hobbies, they take an interest in yours. It goes with the whole love thing, you know? Furthermore, much of the show contributes to a strong theme of family. So if you can take a (genuine) interest in the show and make intelligent observations, girls might make a few connections between the aforementioned and yourself.

Of course, you probably shouldn't watch the show just to get something from a girl - there are more than a few reasons you should watch it just for your own interests. Let's start with the most obvious.

2. The Old Lady is Hilarious

Let me put this in perspective: the Dowager Countess (acted by Maggie Smith) is the Samuel L. Jackson of Downton Abbey.

See the resemblance?

Forget some of his personal opinions - Samuel Jackson always does the same thing in movies: just says it like it is and smacks up some fools. It's the same with the Dowager, except she's not a Jedi or a chain-smoking cop. No, the awesomeness of Maggie Smith's character is in her subtlety. Instead of shooting holes in heads, she tears holes from within the restrictive rules of her social strata. Hers is an ability to utterly perforate the opinions and pride of anyone she dislikes while still retaining dignity. 

Oh, burn. 

3. The Straight-up Depth of the Show

Let's look at that first episode - the one you glanced at and wrote off. Aside from a telegraph, one of the first things on the screen is the subtitle "1912." Interesting. Naturally, your brain searches for "Ok, what happened around 1912…"

Shoot. That was right before…the world exploded. Fresh off the back of the Industrial Revolution, the world was reeling from change and invention - from movies and airplanes to globalization and girls with short hair (all equally shocking). It was a time when people wrestled with a conquered world still full of unknowns. And smack dab in the middle of that maelstrom: enter Downton Abbey. 

Back to the first episode. Within minutes the camera throws viewers into some old house with a ridiculous amount of servants bustling about so that...some rich dude can walk down the stairs. 

Walk down the stairs like a boss, that is.

Seriously? That's it? All this work for that? And now some footman is literally ironing newspaper pages for the rich guy - how shallow does this soap opera get?

Exactly. That's the point, kids. That's why when WWI hits the family like a meteor, everything they have and know falls apart, forcing them to take a hard look at life and its meaning. The development of technology, feminism, political action, religion, war, marriage, infertility, family - and how all of it affects people - are so intentionally entwined together that when I watch Downton Abbey I'm kept on the edge of my seat with the question "What's going to happen next?"

Let's hope he at least  paid for the wine.

So intentionally, the show is partly shallow and requiem. These are such hollow lives bubbled away in their stone castle, but who are you to say yours is any different? That right there is where the show can bring so much value to your life - it is a lens by which we can simultaneously relive one of the most dramatic periods of history and shed light on our own. Back then, women struggled to achieve the vote? Terrible. And today, couples break up via text?  Terrible. What a requiem to the past - by reflecting on truth in a bygone era when duty and tradition mattered above all, truth is brought to our own time of freedom and tolerance. And in there is part of the show's beauty - it never glorifies or vilifies these ideas; instead Downton Abbey just sets them in front of you with a "Make what you want out of it". The show does this with so many issues - whether it be family and finances or romance and action. Wait a minute, action? Downton Abbey? Yes, in fact…

4. There's More Action in Downton Abbey than Die Hard 

I'll summarize: Die Hard uses action like the Mars Company uses sugar: as the main output in such abundance that the only route to satisfaction is more. Downton Abbey uses action like a foodie uses wine: to reveal taste, contrast, and depth where it wasn't seen before.

No, this isn't the kind of action you expect. Instead, Downton Abbey is all about use of the subtle. It's the action of a witty riposte at a dinner party, how a soldier's wounds change his life, or the effects of great loss on a marriage. Even when WWI becomes a huge part of the show, the war itself still isn't the focus. Instead, the focus is how the very real joys and pains of life change people. 

Disappointing perhaps, but if a lack of expletives and executions cause people to ignore a show, there is something seriously wrong with us. We've lost sight of what action is meant to do in movies - there is a huge difference between Die Hard and Saving Private Ryan, and that is action with a purpose. The former uses violence as its bread and butter; the latter uses violence as a window into the piss-your-pants terror of war...and how it affects real people. Likewise, Downton Abbey never lets up on a barrage of the action of life - for all its ups and downs - and how that affects real people.

Greatest generation, indeed.

But forget all this! Who cares about sensitization and culture - if no one's getting shot, it's a chick show. And you know what, Downton actually has something on that too, because throughout the show…

5. You're Consistently Taught What Manliness is.

To start with a incredibly (albeit satirical) narrow view of masculinity:  "How to Watch Downton Abbey While Staying a Man". To summarize the article for you: men are defined by their capacity for violence, booze, and sex - and should insult everything not in those categories. Therefore, manly men avoid a real loving relationship with a girl at all costs - as that would make them feminine and therefore less likely to get some. Mindless manliness at its best!

Though sometimes it is hilarious.

There's an unspoken question here - what makes a man? Is it upper-body strength, facial hair, or the ability to pee standing up? Or maybe it's our ability to make money, win fights, and pick up girls? Pah. If that's all we are, then men are pathetic. Ironically - as I wrote before - one of the best answers I've heard on this was given by a woman:

“A man is someone who has qualities that distinguish him from a boy:  responsibility, leadership, and integrity.”

But that's not something found today. Statistics show more women earning higher GPAs, graduate degrees, and better jobs in distinct contrast to more men living in a strange limbo known as extended adolescence. Add to this a frightening rise in male unemployment and crime, the conclusion is unavoidable: men today struggle with a crisis of identity, prompting the question asked by so many girls: "where have all the good men gone?" 

Don't get me wrong - human nature doesn't change, and men have struggled with their identity throughout history. But at the turn of the twentieth century this was especially emphasized. An influx of ideas hit the culture like a tidal wave; it was a time of a dying aristocracy struggling to reconcile itself to the world of socialists and suffragettes. Downton Abbey comes in at the crux of this collision of tradition and freedom, duty and individualism - and displays men on both sides living through it all.

 No, there's not some example of a perfect man in Downton Abbey. In fact, it's made painstakingly obvious that despite their good points, all of the characters are selfish, shortsighted, or some combination thereof. It's almost frustrating as each episode reinforces this until you realize that the show is revealing masculinity through the experience of humanity. 

Whether it be through a poor investment, an affair, or the decision to go to war - Downton Abbey consistently teaches the lesson of responsibility: learning how your decisions affect everyone around you. The show teaches what leadership means -putting yourself last - and how duty both chains and frees a man. The show teaches what it means to live with integrity - and how living a double life destroys both yourself and those you love. Personally, this is where Downton Abbey truly brings something to the table: by watching men battle through a clash of cultures in such a volatile time period, we're forced to question our definition of manliness and how it should impact our lives. And if that's not manly, I don't know what is.

So in summary: Downton Abbey will draw women to you, make you laugh, bring depth to your life, and develop your concept of masculinity. You should watch it. But I have to say...I do have one negative thought on the show: the end of the final episode of Season 3 violates the integrity of everything mentioned above. Whatever you do, don't watch those last five minutes. 

Just don't tell your girlfriend I said that.