8 Comments

  1. I’ve never warmed up to Botto. His acting skills are not at the level of Dockery’s tremendous talent. It is Letty that keeps me wanting to come back for more.

  2. This show has good actors and is based on an intrigging premise. But with each episode it seems to be self destructing. I’m really disappointed.

    1. The main issue to me is the show is reverting back to its old ways. In the beginning, it seemed the show wanted to make this sympathetic drug addict using the cheapest methods possible. Add on Michelle Dockery focused on stripping away whatever remnant there was of Lady Mary and it ultimately left you feeling the show was trying too hard. However, with time, and certainly thanks to the actor playing Javier, she settled down, the writing seemed to get better and it seemed we kind of had a hidden gem.

      But then Sean came and I feel like we are right back where we started. The writing is geared way too much at making Letty someone you should feel bad for and is making Sean into a cheap villain to do it. It’s like someone realized Juan Diego Botto was starting to eclipse Dockery, who they built all this marketing around, so they decided to take his character down a peg, ruin the relationship which turned this sort of bleh show into something decent. And I get there are going to be ups and downs, but honestly this show is reliant on Botto as Shameless, assuming you watch, has become on Emmy Rossum. Dockery maybe the known face and name but she isn’t what keeps you around in the long run. She, to me anyway, has become a strong supporting role to which Botto, arguably, should be considered the star.

      1. I too felt that Michelle was trying a little to hard to show her acting chops beyond Downton. She could have built the characte over time. I thoroughly enjoy Botto as an actor. Something to be said for subtlety. His character was so strong in the beginning but has slowly become Letty’s doormat. I don’t think she was using him per se, but ends up doing that bc she’s so selfish and self consumed. Wouldn’t hurt if she had fewer crying jags too. I don’t think he had much choice but to walk out on her in the last episode. I don’t enjoy the role of Jacob and the ensuing custody battle. Not my thing. Javier and Letty are good strong characters and the show should center around their relationship and adventures. There were so many plot damaging storylines opened up in E9, I don’t see how they wrap them up and maintain any credibility.
        If they get renewed for another season, they need new writers. The Sean/Letty hookup was a really bad move. Didn’t make any sense.

      2. If the show isn’t renewed, I hope Juan Diego Botto doesn’t fall back into obscurity (that’s subjective…He was new to me). Hopefully he’ll get enough exposure from this and get picked up for another show. He has a strong, silent persona. Like Gary Cooper, John Garfield or David Janssen. Michele Dockery, on the other hand, will always land on her feet.

      3. Juan Diego Botto is by far a better actor than Michelle Dockery. She is a more well-known name but he definitely gives the better performance.

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