Previously on Downton Abbey: Bates forced most of the story about Anna out of Hughes, and vowed revenge on the unknown perpetrator. Edith’s stressed about Michael’s sudden radio silence and is seeing some doctor down in London. Tom, Mary, and Robert are finally coming together, while Violet and Isobel are butting heads over a gardener who may or may not have pilfered a valuable keepsake.

Daisy brings some toast in for the servants and is scolded for taking it to Alfred first. Jimmy and Patmore both notice that Alfred’s getting special treatment, and Daisy says it’s because she’s so happy he’s staying.

Continue reading “Downton Abbey: Surprise!”

Previously on Downton Abbey: Anna decided the best way to deal with Bates was to treat him like shit, Mary turned down a marriage proposal, Cora got another ladies’ maid, courtesy of Thomas, and Alfred got a chance to maybe train at the Ritz.

Poor Bates emerges from his cottage, alone, and walks up to the house, where Anna stands in her room, alone, and applies some cover-up to her still bruised eye. She comes downstairs and finds Bates waiting at the base of the stairs. A little meanly, she tells him she doesn’t know why he always waits for her. Because you’re his wife and this is the only way he gets to see you now, Anna? He calmly replies that he wants to be the first to greet her. She says there’s no need and he says he’s going to keep this up until she explains what the hell happened between them. Reasonable enough. A dark-haired woman interrupts and is greeted as Miss Baxter. Presumably she’s Cora’s new maid. She asks about a sewing machine, and after she leaves, Bates asks Anna what she makes of the woman. Anna thinks she’s nice enough, and Bates wonders why she’s friends with Thomas, if she’s so nice.

Continue reading “Downton Abbey: A Decent Man”

Previously on Downton Abbey: The Crawleys hosted a house party, Tom felt like a fish out of water, Isobel disapproved of joy, Mary got a maybe crush, Michael literally bought Robert’s love, and that thing of which we shall not speak happened to Anna.

Speaking of Anna, we start off with her right away, managing her stress by treating her husband like shit. Poor Bates asks her if he’s done something wrong and she briskly says no, she just really wanted to get Mary’s shoes polished, which is why she left their home that morning without waiting for him and now won’t make eye contact. She heads into the servant’s hall and Thomas asks about the black eye. She lies that she fell, and she can barely sit for more than two minutes before popping back up and rushing upstairs. Bates quietly asks Hughes if she knows anything here, because he’s not an idiot, but Hughes is like, ‘strange behaviour? What strange behaviour? I see nothing here!’ Poor Bates. She rushes off and Thomas asks what’s up with everyone. Carson says there’s something not quite on about high spirits at breakfast, so apparently he’s pleased to see multiple members of staff in distress instead of smiling.

Continue reading “Downton Abbey: Are You Ok?”

Previously on Downton Abbey: Mary’s grief threatened to swallow up the whole place, so it’s no wonder O’Brien took to her heels and Edith took every opportunity to rush down to London to look amazing and party with the literati. Hughes and Rose meddled in things that didn’t really concern them, bringing back two characters nobody missed at all, and Thomas got the randomly racist nanny fired.

Oh, look at that, the title sequence is back. Guess Mary really has started to shake off the gloom.

Continue reading “Downton Abbey: Letters from Beyond the Grave”