We just watched the last episode and we were thoroughly charmed by the series. Each episode stands alone, but it's helpful to have watched Upstairs, Downstairs to have a bit of context. Settings, costumes, staging are all authentic and the scripts are witty and and plots are clever, if sometimes far-fetched. That said, each story is diverting and the relationships between Sarah and Thomas and their casts are well drawn and believable. You really care about the people and their predicaments.
After leaving the Bellamy's, Sarah and Thomas have become equals, they push and pull and the plot lines seem to give each character equal worth. The idea that a woman could choose to simply travel and work and live with a man she's not married to is a surprise for that era. And the idea that a woman of that era not only challenges but succeeds in knocking back polite snobbish society is fun to watch.
These period pieces are enjoyable and interesting, and Pauline and John are exceptional actors who've worked in theatre, TV, movies. They are attractive and adept in building their characters.
If you're tired of screeching car chases, exploding body parts, pathologically abusive relationships that get more graphic with each episode... then you'll enjoy Thomas and Sarah.
Give it a try!
