Downton Abbey: the soap opera style re-imagining of the early 20th Century. The uniforms are crisp and gleaming white, the cast are preened and grinning. All in all, it is as far from the realities of life as a servant in early 20th Century Britain. While details such as the uniform and use of beautiful Highclere Castle might be used as the show seeks to appeal as a more "realistic" drama, it is clear that Downton Abbey is becoming ever more like a soap opera rather than the show of the first season. In terms of the logistics of the show itself there has also been marked changes. For example, much-loved characters such as Matthew and Sybil have now met their maker. This means that in some ways the show will have to adapt to meet the changed circumstances of the family but it is still true that there are a number of things that we are bound to see... Some of these have already been seen in the opening three episodes of one of Britain's favourite shows and others remain to be exploited. One thing is clear though, this season of Downton Abbey will be unlike all those which have came before it. It is becoming clear as the show moves through the years that we're beginning to see a few patterns emerging. There are things that were shocking in earlier series that if they were to reoccur would appear more than a little false.This new series of the show occurs at a time which marked great changes within Britain and the wider world which should be interesting to take a look at as the series goes on.