One structural misstep, otherwise a moving and solid episode. See my Critical Notes after the breakdown.
ONE
Establish the house exterior, then . . .
TWO
. . . go into the front room where the ladies discuss presents (wedding, I assume). Servants carrying candlesticks and vases follow Mrs. Hughes to the drawing room. Isabelle worries that a display of presents looks greedy. Mary and Lavinia greet Matthew as he enters with a cane.
THREE
Hughes brings a letter into Carson’s office. Mrs. Bryant — the dead Major’s mom — wants to see the baby. So does her husband! Hughes is a bit gobsmacked.
FOUR
While Anna dresses Mary, Sybil tells her she will announce her engagement tonight. Branson has a real job in Dublin. Here’s Mary arguing for Sybil to wait, to consider. And Edith takes Mary’s side. Ha, even Anna, when asked, speaks against Sybil’s plan. No matter. Sybil and Branson will accost papa after dinner and state their intention.
Again in Carson’s office, this time with Thomas. “You’re trespassing on our generosity,” Carson says. Thomas was so snidely about not being a servant that Carson has no sympathy. It sounds like he won’t throw him out on the street, but he wants him gone.
Whoo, boy, here we are after dinner, the family socializing in the drawing room. In comes Branson in a suit. Sybil tries to dissuade him, but he will speak.
Cut to the kitchen. As Patmore cooks, Daisy mentions she’s had a letter from William’s dad, Mason. He wants to see her, which pricks her conscience.
Hard cut back to the family as Robert accuses Mary, “What do you mean, you knew?” Hahaha! Robert turns to Branson with a vengeance. Seducing my daughter behind my back! Granny jumps in as it really gets ugly. Sybil, she asks, what did you have in mind? After Matthew’s wedding Sybil plans to join Branson in Dublin. Lol, Cora looks like Sybil’s announced a fatal disease. Close on Robert, his back to the group, until he turns and explodes. “I won’t allow it!” Sybil, her ire now up, digs in. She says goodnight and walks out. One of the funniest reactions is Carson in the background, stuck hearing juicy family business.
Has no one ever watched The Little Mermaid? Heh. Don’t ever go full King Triton.
Hughes is at Ethel’s, sharing the letter. She will ask the Bryant family for a meeting at Downton.
The evil smokers! O’Brien basically says, What did you expect? And Thomas says many are looking for work now. “And they don’t have a hand like a Jules Verne experiment.”
Branson in his suit visits the servant’s kitchen. Anna knows what he did, but Daisy doesn’t. He announces to the room that he and Lady Sybil are getting married just as Carson enters with a thunder face. He dismisses Branson from the room and shuts down any gossip.
The young people start up the record player, one of the wedding presents. Violet stops to stare at this newfangled monstrosity. She and Edith, who arranges the display, discuss Sybil, and then Edith herself. Is she just to be the maiden aunt? “Don’t be defeatist,” Granny says. “It’s very middle-class.”
And here’s Sybil having it out with Robert. She continues to say that Robert’s arguments, which involve class and wealth, are meaningless to her. In comes Granny. Nope. None of it moves Sybil to anything but resolved certainty. Whatever doubts she may have had, they’ve faded into the background while she mounts this defense. Robert says he’ll cut off her money, and Sybil reacts proudly that she’s above those concerns.
Hughes brings a tray into Carson’s office and finds him wincing in pain. She sends him to bed, ready to take over his duties. I’m not sure if he’s ill or if the stress of the wedding is too much.
Cora and Robert in their room dress for dinner. Cora can hardly stand. He blames the nursing and the mad clothes for Sybil’s intransigence. They should have intervened sooner. Cora defends her chick. “If you’re turning American on me, I’m going downstairs,” Robert says.
(Ooh. Some scene-closing zingers in this episode.)
Anna helps Molesly prepare to butler. Carson had recommended to Hughes that she call him. There’s a line up of about ten wines that go with each course. Anna knows it all (let her butler!) and Molesly looks overwhelmed.
On the way downstairs, Cora wilts for a moment. Hughes, who’s telling her the plans for Ethel’s meeting, asks if she’s alright.
In the kitchen, Thomas gripes that he could’ve been butler. Patmore enjoys his discomfort. Meanwhile, Molesly tastes the wine to make sure he’s serving the correct variety. (Everyone is so tense!) At the dinner table he bobbles the glasses. He’s tipsy. And all the family does is argue with Sybil. Cora, not feeling well, excuses herself.
With a break in the dinner, Anna corners Bates in the back hall. If Sybil can be strong, so can she. They will get married, despite his objections. She wants to be his next of kin, no matter what is to come. It’s a great scene, interrupted by Maid Jane in a panic, calling for Anna to come. Molesly’s sick, and Anna serves the wine after all.
SWITCH
Ah. It’s the Spanish flu. The dinner chatter remarks that Dr. Clarkson has ten cases already, and we know that’s where the season is heading. It has arrived. As Anna pours, and the table discusses it, Lavinia looks faint. Another case. After Clarkson looks at Cora, Carson, and Molesly, he can attend her in Mary’s bedroom.
FIVE
The preoccupied household gives Matthew and Mary a moment to share over the gramophone. As they dance, Matthew seems agonized that he didn’t choose Mary. He even tells her about Granny’s visit. Yup, he kisses her. And . . . Lavinia comes downstairs. Did she see? Unclear, but she certainly senses the romantic tension. She tells Matthew to never let her get in the way, specifically referring to the inconvenience of her illness, but loaded with subtext.
Clarkson makes it in to see Molesly at the servant’s table and smiles. He’ll be fine in the morning, Clarkson says after sniffing his breath.
Ugh, and now Robert in a dressing gown comes upon Maid Jane in the hallway. They speak casually, and Jane says, “I wish you knew how much I want to help.” Ding ding ding! He takes her hand and leads her into his room.
Hughes fusses over Carson in bed. He can hardly hold still, he’s so worried about the household. He suggests Molesly have a more permanent position, and Hughes rolls her eyes.
Back to the clench, the passionate kiss. The interrupting knock. Bates is checking in, Jane hiding behind the door. That broke the mood. Robert’s conscience takes over and he sends her out.
Daytime, and O’Brien sponges at Cora’s sweaty forehead. When Hughes asks what she can bring, O’Brien calls for ice to lower the fever. Mary, with Edith in the room, lets Hughes know that Sir Richard is coming down to help.
Robert walks into the village to confront Branson. How will you look after Sybil? And then he offers Branson a bribe. Of course, Branson refuses. Robert, done, tells him to leave the village. (Can he do that? Earldom and all.)
When Robert returns home, Isabelle grabs him. Clarkson is here, and Cora is poorly. Hughes tells him they’re two maids down, and he immediately asks if one is Jane. No. We get a good look at Hughes’ face as she processes the question. Meanwhile, the whole downstairs is a zoo of people preparing for the wedding, which may or may not be cancelled.
Loaded with bedding, Hughes asks Thomas to deliver a message for the maids. Instead, he takes the linen and tells her he’ll prepare the rooms. Call it rent, he says.
Lavinia sits up in bed, Matthew seated at bedside. Isabelle tells them they must cancel the wedding. Too many sick people, Lavinia among them. She’ll be groggy for a week. It’s agreed.
Cut to Robert visiting Cora and seeing that she’s very ill. Sybil in her nurse uniform and O’Brien with cool water attend her as she writhes on the bed. Where were you, Sybil asks. Out for a walk, Robert answers. Whispering, Sybil tells him that O’Brien’s been here all night. However, when he sends her to rest, she refuses. She wants to see Her Ladyship through the worst of it.
Downstairs, Bates lets Anna know that he’s booked the register for this Friday. Ethel shows up with the baby just as Jane announces that the Bryants have arrived. Hughes meets with them in the drawing room. In comes Ethel while Mr. Bryant scowls. Mrs., though, is so sweet as she says, “May I meet him properly?” Haha, the baby — “a stout little chap” — chews on a wooden toy in a perfect close-up. She apologizes for Mr. B’s prior behavior, and he turns around and says, “Let’s get down to business.”
O’Brien in the kitchen worries Cora will die. She dances around the fact that she wants to confess to Cora. Then she’s off with another tray.
Back to Ethel, looking surprised or shocked. The terms are: give the baby up. Hughes asks if Ethel could be his nurse, and Mrs. B encourages the idea. Shot down, though, by the Mr. “We want to raise him as our grandson, not as a housemaid’s bastard.” Oh, his plan is to say the mother succumbed to Spanish flu. Outraged, Ethel appeals to the mother. Father jumps in with the hard sell. As my heir, he’s rich and will be able to do what he likes. Or he can be “the nameless offshoot of a drudge.” (Yikes.) The meeting is interrupted by Anna: Her Ladyship is worse. The Bryants will leave, and Ethel can make her decision.
Sitting close, O’Brien holds Cora’s hand, who says her name and recognizes her. “You’ve always been so good to me.” (Uh-oh. O’Brien, DON’T SAY IT!) O’Brien sets it up — “something I bitterly regret” — but Cora’s mind wanders and Robert comes in the door. He thanks O’Brien for her care.
Cut to Lavinia sitting up in bed. (It’s an interesting juxtaposition: Cora, sweating and writhing, lies in a sunlit room with worried and tender faces around her. Lavinia, tidy and quiet, sits in a darkened room with uncomfortable and awkward faces around her.) Matthew enters, joining Isabelle. After she leaves them, Lavinia speaks seriously about a second chance. She means about the wedding, and if they’re quite sure. Oh, she saw him kiss Mary. She heard what he said. He tries to explain (ack, dude) but she keeps talking. It’s not in her to be “Queen of the county,” she says. “I’m a little person.” (I’m going to cry. She’s so sweet.) He tries to protest, but Lavinia is set. She’s tired, though, and wants to rest.
Richard greets Mary. He offers to help. The chauffeur’s gone, so he can drive the car. “Preferably over the chauffeur,” Mary quips. He asks after Cora, and Lavinia. Mary laser-focuses on him. You’re here, she says, to make sure Matthew doesn’t fall into my arms if Lavinia were to die. As they argue, Thomas in a suit enters, looking like Lurch or something, lol. He’s so pale and serious, and so strangely out of place. His Lordship is asking for Mary.
Hughes discusses how to modify dinner with Patmore. Reduced staff, no people. She also delivers a letter for Daisy. Thomas enters to announce Sir Richard wants tea. When Hughes sighs, Thomas offers to handle it. Haha, her surprise! Now they ask about Daisy’s letter. Again Mr. Mason requests Daisy come to the farm to discuss William. She refuses to go.
Fetching a handkerchief, Mary comes into her room while Anna’s making the bed. Anna takes the opportunity to mention her marriage plans, but should she go while Her Ladyship is so sick? Yes, Mary says. I’ll cover for you. In comes Edith, calling Mary right away to Cora’s bedside.
Holy crap. Clarkson says he’s given her the epinephrine, and we cut to Cora on the bed, blood streaming from her nose as she writhes. Doctor says it’s not unusual, while Sybil and O’Brien hold the pan for Cora to vomit. (Constant camera motion and feelings running through the scene! Gosh!) Robert whispers, “How bad is it?” Doctor says, If she lasts through the night, she’ll live. Cora wheezes and moans while Mary takes Doctor to see the others.
Carson looks weary, but he sits up in bed. In comes Thomas with the tea — haha! — while Mary and Carson exchange wary looks. After he leaves, Carson and Mary make peace with each other over the Sir Richard matter. Mary warns Carson to watch Thomas, and he says, “I don’t know how to get rid of him.”
Now to Mary at the informal dinner. Thomas in full regalia serves, and Mary gives him a look. He found his livery in the cupboard, he says. Isabelle, sitting down, asks Matthew about Lavinia. “The illness has made her rather confused,” he says. Before they can ask further, Sybil runs in. Is it mama, Edith asks. No, it’s Lavinia. Everyone dashes. As Mary heads out, Richard grabs her arm. Let her be with him, you owe her that. She ignores him and follows.
Sweating and wheezing on the bed, Lavinia is “the worst”, says Clarkson. He found her like this. I don’t understand, says Matthew. A strange disease, with sudden, savage changes, says the Doctor. She gasps at Matthew, “Isn’t this better, really?” Wow, she can hardly speak. Powerful scene. Matthew looks like a beached fish. Everyone stares in disbelief that someone who seemed mildly ill is now dying. “I can’t be happy without you,” Matthew stumbles. But she’s gone. An overhead shot of her on the bed lingers.
Matthew, in mourning armband, walks the grounds, and then goes inside. Servants, including Thomas, unwind garland from the staircase. “What are you doing?” Matthew asks. Pause, then, “They were put up for the wedding, Mr. Crawley.” Here’s Robert with a “my dear chap”. Cora, it seems, is recovering. Matthew wants to see no one, especially Mary, and Robert has handled all the funeral and burial arrangements. Pale, Matthew is a wreck.
Hughes gives Carson his medicine as they discuss Lavinia’s death. He didn’t want her here, but he didn’t wish this on her.
Cora in bed looks positively herself. She’d like to go to the funeral if she can. Then she extends her hand and Robert takes it. “We’re all right, aren’t we, Robert?” She may not know about Jane, but she’s definitely sensed their separation. She apologizes for getting caught up and neglecting him, and he looks slightly guilty.
SIX (MISPLACED)
Late at night, while Hughes takes a final tea in her room, Ethel arrives. Life is short. She won’t give up the baby. Hughes will write the Bryants with the news.
MORE FIVE
Two well-dressed people. It’s Bates and Anna at the registry. We see them exchange vows in the magistrate’s office.
In the library, Robert writes at his desk, his back to the room. Maid Jane walks into frame behind him. She fills in for Carson, answering the bell, but now they have an opportunity to speak. No harm done, she says. Don’t worry, I’m packed and I’ve given my notice. (Whoa.) He gives her an envelope, for her son. “Let me give him a start in life.” That makes her uncomfortable! She acquiesces, though, if it will make him happy. Pabulum, ack, sappy sop, ack. (Come on, people, this is not a great romance that ended tragically! It’s an earl who gently tried to have an affair with his own servant. Criminy.) She asks to kiss him before she goes. (SOMEBODY CATCH THEM!) Tenderness, tears, broken hearts. Robert, framed as a full shot alone in the center of the library, watches her go. AAARGH!
Sorry. The hagiographic sentimentalizing of the disparities of privilege is utterly ridiculous.
Anna dresses Mary, who smiles at the secret Mrs. Bates. Mary takes her down the hall to one of the bedrooms. On the bedspread is a bouquet. Smuggle Bates in here after everyone’s gone to bed, and you can stay all night, she says.
In his robe, Carson shuffles into his office as Thomas — so cheerful! — locks up the butler’s pantry. Carson says, half-seriously, he’s come down to count the silver. Undaunted, Thomas smiles and hands over the keys.
Hughes pays Jane her wages. Polite, Hughes doesn’t fight to keep her. It’s for the best, and they both agree on that.
SEVEN
Naked arms. It’s Bates and Anna in bed. They have their romantic moment without too much worrying about the future. The camera dollies out from the bed, along the room, and . . .
EIGHT
Cut to the graveyard. Servants and family, including Cora and Carson, wear black and watch Lavinia go into the ground. As everyone leaves after, Mary turns to Matthew, who hasn’t moved.
Servants walk back. Daisy pauses, and notices Mason in a part of the cemetery with wooden crosses rather than headstones. As she approaches, he says he’d hoped to meet her here, and that he expects she comes as often to William’s grave as he does. She tears up (from guilt or discomfort, possibly) and he hands her a handkerchief. It does me good to see how much you loved him, he says.
Back to Mary and Matthew, graveside. He confesses to her everything that Lavinia had said to him. She gave up because of us, he says. (He gives the impression he’s not mourning her, only his part in it.) “We were the ones who killed her,” he says. (AARGH! More sentimental treacle!) Therefore, we can never be together. We’re cursed. This is the end. Meanwhile, Mary weeps because Lavinia’s is a sad story. Of course it’s the end, she says, just as Richard strolls up. He offers to walk her to the house, and she says, “I want you to.”
NINE
O-ho! Robert looks over to a couple who are out of focus in the foreground. It’s Branson and Sybil! Why are you here? Hahaha! Cora is well, the funeral is over, so it’s off to Dublin soon. Do you want to part as friends, Robert asks with a scowl. Yes, but I don’t expect to, says Branson. As they turn to leave, Robert says, “All right.” He gives his blessing. Sybil, so happy, hugs him. And the gentlemen, after an awkward beat, shake hands. Walking out, Violet joins Robert and begins to machinate how to turn scandal to benefit.
As the servants come in from the burial, Patmore stops Bates. Two men wait for you in the servant’s hall. Everyone cranes their neck. John Bates, one man says, you’re under arrest. He’s handcuffed (willingly) and led from the house. Hahaha! As everyone watches him leave, Thomas has this cocked-head look that’s hilarious. The last shot is Anna, alone, head held high while she struggles not to cry.
CRITICAL NOTES
What a wonderful Switch! The Four is: no one knows if they have the flu. The Five is: flu! Very tidy.
Of course, the real issue is the misplaced Six. The beginning, the One-Two-Three, is odd. We only get Downton as the One. That’s alright. The exterior shot of the house carries a lot of feeling, and we bring our excitement, ready to see the story. The Two, though, must be the wedding preparation because the failure of the wedding is the Eight. Our expectations at the Two are subverted (and realized) at the graveyard. Good stuff, just fast-moving.
What happens next is the Three. It must be, because the Branson tangle and the Thomas transition (the next scenes) are all Four stuff. Their plots develop and arc throughout the episode. Only Ethel has a fixed beginning and end. Introduce the Bryants at the Three, resolve them at the Six. It’s a fine Three if the Six is moved into its proper place. Look again at the breakdown. There’s no reason for Ethel’s decision to land where it does. It could slide very nicely into the slot just before the Seven. Open and Close, In and Out, Three and Six. As it stands, the Six jars. Why is Ethel here, I wondered? Why is this beat delivered at this time? I don’t see a good reason.
If the Six moved it would help that Seven, which is strange. Anna and Bates decided earlier in the episode they would marry. I’m calling the consummation of that decision our Seven. It’s the final point on the arc, and it’s a great Seven for the arrest in the Eight that follows. Perhaps the decision, taken off-camera, is for these two servants who live in separate quarters to spend a night together and accept Lady Mary’s gift. Without it, without that finalizing of their marriage, we probably would’ve had a scene with Bates declaring an annulment or something. It’s actually a good Seven. I had to think about it, though.