Musing on Season 4 of Downton Abbey

Once again it's that time of year - the end of another season of Downton Abbey. And, once again, we have to figure out how we are going to survive until next January! So, to keep us going for another 11 months I'm going to share what I thought were the highlights of the season.

Beware there will be some spoilers!


1. Mary and her two (or more) suitors!

The recently widowed Mary is slowly beginning to return to normal. But some people are pushing her a little too hard or at least Mary thinks so. Her family want her to be involved with the running of Downton for the sake of her son. And ther is old friend, Tony Gillingham, who is pushing for her to take a chance on love. Mary thinks she's not ready, but to her surprise a new acquaintance, Charles Blake, has also taken an interest in her.

I really enjoyed seeing the Mary that Matthew loved coming around again. She is still amazed that any one could love her so she is quite shocked and somewhat flattered by all of this attention. But I'm so glad that they haven't rushed her into another marriage and that whoever she chooses (or maybe doesn't choose!) will seem natural and right. My choice is Charles. He sees her as an intelligent and strong woman, especially with her committment to saving Downton. Tony, on the other hand, puts her on a pedestal. Charles will challenge her, like Matthew did. My favorite moment for Mary this season was seeing her making scrambled eggs for her and Charles after their night of saving the new pigs!



2. Daisy saying goodbye to Alfred and turning down a job in America

Over the years Daisy Mason has become one of my favorite characters. I sometimes think she is the wisest person in the entire house! She does sometimes let her feelings get a little out of control, but she really showed her worth when she finally faced Alfred after he left to become a chef in London. When Alfred comes back to Yorkshire for a visit, after Ivy turned down his marriage proposal, Daisy is given the day off so she doesn't run into him. But after a visit to her father-in-law she realizes that she needs to face Alfred one last time. She does so with grace and kindness. I don't think any of the Crawley family could have handled it any better.

And to finally showcase her new maturity, Daisy turns down a job as a cook in America, but encourages Ivy desire to take the job instead. You might think that Daisy just wants to get rid of Ivy, but she's actually quite happy to support Ivy's dreams of adventure. I don't think any of us would have thought Daisy would be so kind towards Ivy at the beginning of the season. She really has grown into a lovely young woman!

3. Tom the Outcast

If Tom Branson would have left England for America I might have considered quitting Downton Abbey. Was it not bad enough that my favorite character, Tom's wife Sybil, was killed in season 3?! The romance of Tom and Sybil was probably not that usual in England at the time, but it was a hard one not to be caught up in. But now that poor Tom is left to raise their daughter alone with a family that doesn't quite know what to make of him, you can't blame him for thinking of starting a new life in America. But luckily for us we start to see a bit more of that socialist chauffeur that we all loved. He's going to political meetings again and maybe he's even found a new love.

We begin to see a different attitude towards the aristocracy from Tom too that I'm sure he never thought he would have. One of the many things Downton Abbey does well is to portray characters as more than one dimensional. They are never all good or all bad. Through's Tom's eyes we see the silliness of the life of privilege, but we also see their human side. We then know why it's hard for Tom to leave these people.


4. Poor Edith

Hardly has there been an episode where I did not utter the phrase "Poor Edith." She is the poor, over looked middle child. Until she finally decides that only she could turn her life around does she find someone who loves her. But since this is Edith, misfortune still seems to find her. Now Michael, her beloved, has disappeared and she finds herself pregnant and unmarried. In 1922 this is not happy news. It was sad seeing her Aunt Rosamund talking her into going to the Continent to give away her baby when you knew it was not what Edith wanted for her child. We still don't know the whereabouts of Michael, but I was thrilled to see Edith take control of her life once again when she makes arrangements  to have one of the tenant farmers raise her daughter. This will definitely be a story line I'm looking forward to next season.


5. Paul Giamatti!

There isn't much to say about this other than one of my favorite actors was on one of my favorite shows! To find out why this makes me so happy, click here.


And just to finish it off, probably my favorite image of the whole season:

Mrs. Hughes and Carson at the seaside -- the beginning of a new romance?

From the Catalog:

- Downton Abbey -- season one [DVD]

- Downton Abbey -- season two [DVD]

- Downton Abbey -- season three [DVD]

- Downton Abbey -- season four [DVD]

- Downton Abbey: Selections [CD]

- Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection [CD]



--Post by Tracy