Which, of course, brings us to our life lessons:
1. There are some characters you should never kill off, because you’re never going to be able to replace them.
*cough* MATTHEW *cough, cough*
Did anyone else think that Thomas can’t even be called a poor man’s Carson? There was something just wrong about having anyone else in the role of Downton’s butler, even if it was only for an episode while the Carsons were on their honeymoon.
2. No matter how entrenched you believe someone is in their own view of the world, give them a chance. They might surprise you.
Ok, be honest, how many of you recognized Gwen?
I loved that even though she had obviously become a “20th Century success story,” Gwen had no idea how to act. Did she tell the family who she was? Should she spring it on her husband as they walked in the door that this was the house where she’d been a maid? What was the polite way to handle it?
When Thomas “wrong-footed” her (to steal Robert’s term), the Downton family all seemed properly abashed—that they didn’t recognize someone who had lived in their home for TWO YEARS. All except Mary, who had a blow dealt to her snobbery when Gwen started talking about Sybil.
Even though bringing Gwen back was a clear tear-jerking-nostalgia-ploy-for-the-last-season, it worked. It made me remember—fondly–the first season, when there were three Crawley girls (and all the show’s best romantic storylines).
Below stairs, Daisy was the one who had to readjust her crusading. She thought the Crawley family was going to neglect Mr. Mason to further their own economic interest and was about to lay into Cora (again!), even as everyone begged her not to (and just as Cora was convincing the family to go behind Mary’s back to give the tenancy to Mr. Mason after all).
I loved the conversation between Daisy and Mrs. Patmore afterward, when Mrs. Patmore wisely said “It never does any good to hate anyone.”
3. Force any two people together long enough and they’ll eventually find something to agree on.
Edith wants to hire a female editor for her woman’s magazine and Mary agrees with her. She immediately follows up her agreement with one of her snidest comments about Edith yet to Rosamund, but I think there might be a glimmer of hope that Mary and Edith will end the show with a (slightly) better relationship.
4. Never underestimate the plot-driving power of medical issues in fictional worlds.
Is anyone else nervous about Robert’s stomach pains? While I hardly think it the end of the world if he can’t drink port anymore, I’m concerned that whatever these pains are, they’re going to cause an end-of-the-series death as some “symbolic” way of showing how the world of the Crawleys is truly ending. (I really, really hope I’m wrong. Do you hear me, Mr. Fellows? MATTHEW AND SYBIL WERE ENOUGH!)
On the opposite end of the spectrum was Anna, whose issues with infertility are, apparently, going to be fixed with one middle-of-the-night trip to London and a cervical stitch. And in this episode, Anna’s problems seemed to be the perfect plot device needed to get Lady Mary back in the same room with a certain Michael Talbot.
5. It’s a truth universally acknowledged that no character can end a television show still single.
Mary says she’ll turn Michael down when he makes a pass at her, but, uh, come on. We all know the episodes are ticking down quickly here.
So what did you think of episode 4? Are you happy for Anna and Bates? Thrilled Mrs. Hughes gets to stay Mrs. Hughes? Excited to see Mary torture another suitor? Nostalgic for season 1? Do tell!
