Staff writer Tariq explains his opinions about the Downton Abbey Christmas special, and why fans shouldn’t give up on the show because of it. Major spoilers ahead for those who haven’t seen the third season.
When I finished this newest series on Downton Abbey, I was actually really looking forward to the fourth one. After reading comments on Hypable and Tumblr, however, I realized that I was one of the only ones. It scares me that so many people are going to stop watching because of Matthew’s death, and I hope I can talk some of you who decided to leave Downton into giving it another chance. I have a theory that season four will be even more interesting than season 2, and I hope you let me explain why.
When the show first began this series they gave us the amazing arc of the Crawleys losing all their money, and it made things interesting. Although that arc was mostly solved by the inheritance Matthew got, and it left me thinking the show was getting a bit boring. …and then that event happened, and I couldn’t have been more wrong about the season. The death of Sybil shook me to the core as the most surprising and absolutely most emotional death that I have watched on a television series, ever. The circumstances, the acting, and the loss were all so heartbreakingly amazing and well done that I don’t think they could’ve pulled of a character’s death any better, and they didn’t.
Unlike Sybil’s death, Matthew’s was speculated upon for quite some time. When the actor decided to not sign on for a fourth series, we knew that it’d be the most realistic way for his character to leave the family because Matthew isn’t someone who would just up and leave, and they couldn’t afford to skip 20 years to World War II. We saw it coming, and we were prepared. But now that he’s gone, people are saying what they’ve been saying: “I’m not watching next season. The whole point of the show was Matthew/Mary!” I disagree.
If the show was centered around them it would’ve been called “The Crawleys.” But it’s not; it’s about the people who live inside the walls of Downton Abbey, and this turn of events is going to turn it upside down and I cannot wait to see it unfold!
Robert finally saw Matthew’s vision.
We’ll get to see what Robert will do about managing the house, and now that he’s realized that Matthew’s way is the only way to go we’ll see him having to work with Branson to make it happen. He’ll finally (hopefully) bond with his son-in-law, or in the least give us fantastic arguments that Mary or Cora will have to help resolve. Robert is finally starting to modernize, and it’ll be exciting to see his character develop.
Mary will interact with someone other than Matthew.
With Matthew gone, the only two people that Mary has left to be close to are Branson and Edith, and I really loved watching her interact with both characters in the past, so the next season should be even better. We’ll get to see her finally bond with her only sister, hopefully getting past their differences and helping raise the new baby boy. And as for Branson, I’m excited to see Mary help him with the house. I’m not hoping for romantic ties between the two, but maybe Mary will realize that this is her chance to do something for Downton and help turn it into something that their family can rely on instead of being something they’re always scared of losing.
The servants are still there!
And let us not forget about the servants of the house! Half this show is about them and I can’t wait to see the new friendship between Thomas and Jimmy, although I’m secretly still hoping for a romance. I want to see Carson and Mrs. Hughes formulate another romance as well, not to mention seeing Bates help Robert through the loss of his son-in-law. The servants bring enough drama on their own with or without Matthew Crawley, and his death isn’t going to keep O’Brian or Thomas from being in everyone’s faces.
This show is still full of potential with amazing story arcs and exciting scenes, and I don’t think that Matthew’s death has made it any worse. On the contrary, it’ll be way more interesting to see how things play out at Downton without him to hold the financial reins. I’ll definitely be tuning in next year, and I hope you will too!