Give Mr. Selfridge a Chance!

Is it just me, or did Mr. Selfridge get a whole lot better in Episode 2?  To be fair, Episode 1 wasn’t bad….it just came in as David to Downton Abbey’s Goliath. Since I am now a fan of both, let’s compare:

Downton Abbey: Overflowing with Upper Crustians and their pampered lifestyles (Dowager: “What is a weekend?”)

Mr. Selfridge: Lady Mae is the only indulgence we get, and even she started out as a chorus girl. (Mae: “Why would you go on Public Day? There’s all sorts of riff-raff!”)

Downton Abbey: Lux setting and to-die-for clothes in every color. 

Mr. Selfridge: Lux setting with black clothes dominating every scene (except for those with Rose, Miss Love, and Lady Mae.)

Downton Abbey: Tradition vs. New Ideas (the lates, Matthew and Sybil; maybe Tom Branson once he quits mourning)

Mr. Selfridge: Harry Selfridge -vs- All of England and the  Edwardian Era. (How dare he sell perfume out in the open!)

Downton Abbey: Fictional Story.

Mr. Selfridge: Based on a true story. (This is perhaps what will keep us coming back every week. We know he’s going to self-destruct, and we morbidly want to watch it happen!)

Downton Abbey: Always mocking Americans. (Mary manages to work in an anti-American barb just about every episode.)

Mr. Selfridge: Americans welcomed, but with reserve.

Downton Abbey: Fantastic cast; the favorite, of course, being Maggie Smith.

Mr. Selfridge: Also well cast, but the deal clincher is Jeremy Piven. Genius!

All that said, it’s time to give Mr. Selfridge a chance. I wait with bated breath to see:

            -What red item will Miss Towler pick up next? (First the gloves, then the rose, now the hat…)

            -Is Lady Mae villain or friend? I’m starting to like her more and more. She definitely needs to give that loser, Tony, the boot. (“May I have a new suit?” Gag...)

            -Will the fires of Hell erupt when Selfridge’s starts selling lipstick “in broad daylight”?

            -Will Mr. Grove and Miss Mardle ever be free to love in public? (I could have lived quite happily without the bath scene…ewww).

            -Will Rose Selfridge actually have an affair with the painter? (She doesn’t seem the sort, and there’s no mention of her having elicit affairs in the history books.)

            -Will Rosalie Jr. be triumphantly launched into society?

            -Will hottie waiter, Victor, turn gigolo afterall?

            -Will someone figure out why Agnes and George’s dad looks like he fathered them when he was 12?

             -Will I ever stop envisioning Sponge Bob whenever Harry says "Mr. Crabb?"

So many questions!  Thank you PBS for making me look forward to Sunday nights again!  

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