Downton Abbey S.4 Ep.3

Well, well, well…we wanted drama and we got drama. Ugly drama. Tense drama and this week was something of  a winner. Downton returned to its old splendour of grand entertaining with an Australian opera singer for their evening’s entertainment. How very civilised.

Much of this week revolved around romance and scandal. Upstairs, Lady Edith was determined that her lover get to know her father but Lord Grantham is not one to do something he doesn’t want to do. Only Gregson is determined, sneakily so too. Game of Poker soon sees to his success with Lord Grantham…Oh Lord Grantham you shameful slut.

There’s some romance for Lady Mary in the person of one Mr Gillingham but it was all too soon for her and it brought back memories of Matthew and their great love, thanks to Rosie’s thoughtlessness with the Gramophone that belonged to Matthew. She’s sad and its sad seeing her in this state because she acknowledges that Matthew brought out a side to her that only he was able to. A softer side that she loves and it was all down to him. Now he is gone there’s almost no hope for her to return to the way she was with him.

Downstairs was where the ugly drama took place. I thought Mr Bates was being only jealous about Anna’s admirer, the footman to Mr Gillingham but as it turns out he was right to be suspect of a man with such charms and a fast talker after what he did to poor dear Anna in Mrs Hughes’ office. Now there’s some mess to go down because Anna will not tell Bates or anyone and has sworn Mrs Hughes to secercy. She is afraid of what will happen to Bates if he finds out what happened. This will of course be the cause of tension between them…she may get pregnant and will wonder whose it is, if Bates finds out he may leave her, or she might leave him out of guilt…its all very dark and sad. Poor Anna.

Class knows no bounds in this era and age of aristocracy, the frown on the popular culture of celebrity as was witnessed when Carson suggests that Dame Nellie dine in her bedroom because it was inappropriate for her to dine with the rest of the family, At least he acknowledges that she cannot dine with the servants. Carson. Seriously? Then there’s Branson who feels out of place with the family a thing that may have been buried because of his appointment as an Estate Agent but nothing shows this more than dining with the upper class and they wondering how far up the chain you ride and trying to outdo you by name dropping this lord and that. Of course Braithwaite is trying to her old tricks with Branson and of course Whiskey is involved…