What is the point of the servant characters? So far they have no drama or story arc starting up. They only gossip about the main characters, steal from them, and voice petty gripes. The only interesting angle is to compare them to the loyal, respectful staff on Downton Abbey. Unlike that crew, these servants are not in service to titled nobles or landed gentry, and thus have no respect for their employers.
shareI thought as you point out that they were a nice contrast to the mostly adoring slaves from Downton Abbey. But only three of them (Turton, Ellis and Speer) had any real parts to play at all.
Yes interesting for viewers who are familiar with Downton or Upstairs/Downstairs but not much of a story for newcomers to this genre.
shareThey don't really appear that often, at least in the first two episodes.
They may just be in this because viewers of this type of historical drama expect some level of wisecracking servants, even if they have no real narrative role. But I suppose they might serve as kind of Greek chorus as well as underscoring the social complexities of families that are wealthy but lack the status of titled nobility and the aristocracy.
The staff on "Victoria" were kind of similar, in that they actively schemed somewhat to steal from the Queen (half-burned candles) as well as offering their own gripes. They had their own narratives, though.
Greek chorus is a fair way to see them. I recall the staff on Victoria had some substantive storylines. The lady’s maid who fell in love with chef, etc. Saskia Reeves plays one of servants in this and she has played some big roles in other things. So perhaps interesting servant storylines may emerge in episodes to come.
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In the first two episodes, the servants were not included in the storyline. There were a few scenes showing them airing gripes in the kitchen so they seemed pointless. Now the story has moved along the servants have become spies but are still plot devices carrying the storylines of the upstairs folk. In Downton Abbey, the servants had their own dramas: mysterious back stories (Bates), ambitions (Rose, Daisy), family concerns (Mrs. Patmore), romances, comic moments, etc, etc.
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