This week’s episode of Downton Abbey took the tension to a whole new level, as heartbreaking choices were made and the Irish Revolution found it’s way to Yorkshire. Check out our review!
On a dark and stormy night, the Crawleys hold a dinner for the Archbishop (everyone is in proper white-tie attire, thank goodness!) at which Robert expresses his distaste for Catholics. Sybil calls the house and cryptically tells Edith that she hasn’t been stopped from leaving her flat, and the mystery deepens when Branson arrives at Downton’s doorstep soaking wet and frantic. It turns out that Tom was part of an Irish mob which evicted an aristocratic English family from their manor and set it on fire (though he now feels very guilty about most of it) and is on the run from the police. He left Sybil behind in Ireland, possibly to be detained in his place. The Crawleys are horrified and Tom is desolate at what he may have done to Sybil. (The servants are all rather smug.)
Though furious, Robert intervenes with the home secretary to keep Tom out of prison for Sybil’s sake. Sybil arrives back at Downton, and she and Tom lovingly reunite; she defends his actions and still wants their child to be born in Dublin. But Robert arrives back with a mixed deal from the home secretary: Tom will avoid arrest only if he agrees to stay in England. Tom is distraught, and he and Sybil argue over staying at Downton.
Mary wants Matthew to assert his involvement in Downton’s management, but he is reluctant until he looks through the house’s accounts and notices some very bad decisions on Robert’s part. Robert, however, is not interested in discussing them, which forces Matthew into an uncomfortable decision. Mary turns the nursery into a sitting room; Matthew is disappointed, as it seems that Mary is not pregnant, nor thinks she will be in the immediate future.
Edith is recovering from her wedding-that-wasn’t, nudged along by Violet’s advice that she “stop whining and find something to do.” She does, deciding to dabble in social activism and write to the newspaper in support of suffrage for women. But when she breaks the news, the family turns on her for inspiring “notoriety,” and Robert flat-out insults her. But Edith has the last laugh when her letter is prominently published. (So suck it, Lord Bob.)
Isobel enlists Mrs. Hughes in helping maid-turned-prostitute Ethel. Words like “fallen” and “the like of her” are thrown around a lot, but Isobel is determined to rehabilitate Ethel. Ethel tells Mrs. Hughes (and a disturbed Isobel) that, due to her recent degradation, she wants her young son to be raised by his aristocratic grandparents. Lord Bryant is an asshole to Ethel, but she is determined to give her son the opportunities of privilege. The Bryants drive off with little Charlie as Ethel weeps and walks off desolate, but determined to no longer work as a prostitute.
Carson is thrilled to be able to bulk up Downton’s staff now that money is no longer an issue. Anna is officially promoted to ladies’ maid for Mary and Carson hires a handsome, cocky fellow named Jimmy as a footman position. All the maids and Thomas are attracted to him, which O’Brien quietly observes. Daisy is about to tell Alfred that she fancies him when new kitchen maid Ivy arrives, and Alfred flirts with her immediately.
Anna and Bates have received no letters from each other in some time, upsetting and unsettling them both. Anna’s calm exterior begins to crack over her worry, and she confesses to Mrs. Hughes that she is afraid that Bates is shutting her out so that she will leave him and move on. Bates fears that Anna has moved on, but is relieved to learn that after dumping himself firmly on the bad side of his cellmate and one of the guards, he has been classified a dangerous prisoner and has unknowingly been denied both visitors and correspondence. Bates then sets up his cellmate with contraband, which results in packets of held-back letters being delivered to both himself and Anna. The parted lovers spiritually reunite over each other’s words, and it might just be their best scene since season 1.
Hypable Episode Title: “Signed, Sealed… Delivered?”
Downton Abbey will be back next Sunday on PBS.
Note: In spite of season 3 already having aired in the U.K., please refrain from posting or alluding to spoilers in the comments. Some Downton fans have resisted the lure of watching the episodes beforehand, and we don’t think anyone wants to ruin the unspoiled experience for them. Comments that directly reference spoilers will be deleted for the sake of these viewers.