Characters like Mary, Cora, and Thomas incessantly drag the show downward. Season 5 might as well just follow Mary the whole time, since her exploits and drama ruin every episode. Hate to punish the show for the poor writing revolving around a few characters, but you remove a few characters or focus on different ones (more emphasis on Robert, Tom, the cooking staff, and Edith) and this show could easily be 10 stars.
Review of Downton Abbey
