Staff Writer
Well here we are, at the final episode of the fourth series. It’s been a harrowing one, for all of us, however here we are. Not altogether mended, but on our way there. Some storylines will have tied up nicely; others left open-ended for the sake of the Christmas episode and series five while others leave us suspicious and rather wary of the future.
If you need a refresher of last week’s episode, check out our recap here. As per usual, don’t read on if you haven’t seen the latest episode if you don’t want to be spoiled.
We begin our finale, with the pigs, well with Mary, Branson and Edith who’ve come to see how the pigs are fairing after their ordeal. “After the shock of their arrival” they’re looking pretty good to Mary, who’d been part of the pig-saving tag team last week with Charles Blake. They ask the farmer to also take on the overseeing of the pigs for now, and the guy’s just grateful for it because, he offers, work’s like old age; ‘the worst thing in the world, except for the alternative’. True that, farmer man.
It seems Edith also has more work for farmer man (who I’m sure has a name but it eludes me at this moment) that could benefit her current predicament. What to do with her unborn child to Mr Gregson, who’s playing ‘Where’s Wally: German Edition’ with her. Her great idea was for the pig farmer man to take on the kid and raise it along with the pigs, so that she can drop in every now and then and see it, maybe awkwardly pat its back.
However Aunt Rosamund, thankfully, shoots down the absurd idea, saying instead that she go on a sabbatical to Switzerland in order to brush up on her French, while really having the baby in secret and leaving it with a Swiss couple. Edith’s not keen on leaving her illegitimate child with a couple of strangers, but what’s a knocked-up girl of noble birth in the 1920s to do? They try to keep it from the family and succeed, save for the Dowager who proves to be sharper than ever, despite her recent illness. Violet thinks it a good idea for Edith, who’s really the unluckiest in love of the three Crawley sisters, and tells her she’ll fund the trip.
Speaking of trips, Robert’s had to take one to the Americas because his wife’s brother is a bit of a scoundrel and is, according to the Dowager, just the worst. Lord Grantham, however, surprises everyone by coming back during “the Bazaar” event that gathers everyone together in one place for easier storytelling.
Lord Gillingham and Charles Blake both take trips to be by Mary’s side. Gillingham, who’s called his engagement to Miss Lane-Fox off, because he’s still in lurb with Mary and may possibly be the worst fiancée, a girl could ask for. He tells Mary he’s in lurb with her and that’s why he’s broken the engagement off to Miss Lane-Fox. However after her mud-bonding time last week Mary may have developed feelings for the formerly irritating Mr Blake. All I know is that by the end of the episode Mary walks along with both men by her side to see them off as Rose, Edith and Isobel’s gazes follow them; bemused expressions on their faces.
Although Mary’s not just breaking her own suitors’, and their former fiancés, hearts- did that dude that she rebuffed for the Turkish guy that died in her bed ever stand a chance? She also goes to London to have words with Jack Ross and possibly break his too. After Tom, who saw Jack and Rose having lunch and getting friendly, needed to tell someone about it in a way that didn’t make him come off as disapproving, snitches to Mary. We discover that Jack does love Rose, enough to let her go rather than ruin her life, giving up the floating plank that is the ideal world in which they could be together in order to sink back down into the sea of obscurity because he couldn’t bear for people to alienate her based on an impetuous decision to marry a black man in order to spite her mother.
Mary poses the question, does Rose love Jack? She’s infatuated with him, that’s for sure. But love? I don’t know, it’s a poignant moment where Jack informs Mary that he wasn’t really going to go through with the engagement anyway because of his genuine feelings for Rose. Not wanting to ruin her life and all.
One life in particular that Fellowes seemed set on ruining in order to watch rise from the ashes is Anna, who was completely thrown by Green’s return last week and by the mere thought of Bates going away to America for a bit. Mrs Hughes steps in and pleads with Lady Mary to ask her dad to leave Bates behind. Of course it comes at the price of telling Mary about what happened to her, it makes me extremely happy that Mary also finds out from Anna that the rapist was in fact Lord Gillingham’s disgusting valet Green. Mary convinces Gillingham, without revealing why, to sack the douche.
Eeyore, I mean Mr Molesley, was given a new insight into his life by the ever mysterious Miss Baxter. Although Miss Baxter continues to be under Thomas’ thumb, we’re being given hints as to what hold he has over her. I suspect it has something to do with a community that doesn’t hold her in as high esteem as Molesley’s does him- as she pointed out to him. I like their newfound friendship and really Molesley’s bumbling interference between Thomas and Baxter is rather welcome.
I’m not going to say much about the Ivy-Alfred-Daisy (with the elimination of Jimmy) triangle except that I’m glad its over- could there have been a more tedious subplot? Also, it’s nice to see William’s dad, I’m surprised Daisy can’t see the parallel between ‘Alfred wanting to marry Ivy who doesn’t like him like him and how she, herself didn’t really want to marry William. I will say, though, the moment between Mrs Patmore and Daisy was rather nice. Mrs Patmore’s pride that Daisy took the high road and let Alfred go, with a basket of goodies from her deceased husband’s father was rather sweet.
Also rather sweet is Isobel and Violet’s continued friendship, grudging for some but welcome for us. And the fact that it then yields a possible love interest for the still-grieving Isobel could prove even more adorable. Because old people finding love is cute. You know what else is cute? Branson. And he’s been way under-utilized this season. He gets a proper love interest in the form of a Miss Emma Bunting who’s a school teacher and already cooler than the people who don’t work for a living. Which is completely untrue as Branson shows Bunting that the Countess is also a ‘beast of burden’. He fixes Emma’s car when he finds her stranded and really I’m sick of Branson having to prove his socialism and link to the hardworkers while being an honorary Crawley. However hopefully the more we get to know Bunting the less douchey she’ll be about politics.
Gillingham shows up at the Bazaar to tell Mary the unsurprising news that Green’s dead. We know what happened to Green, Bates took a little train ride to London Assassins Creeded him in the middle of a busy street and went back to Downton as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. If you thought the way he offed his wife was good… I’m kidding. I suppose this will fuel series five, if not the Christmas special. Along with the Bachelorette with Mary, Knocked-Up in the Abbey, Golden Girls: Downton Edition and Emma with a hot Irish Rochester.
Best Exchange of the Week
Isobel: I’m a feeble substitute for the entire Crawley family.
The Dowager: Mmmm yes, but you’re better than nothing.
Isobel: How warming you make that sound.
Optimistic Quotes of the Week:
“I don’t believe in types, I believe in people.” – Tom, thanks Tom…for believing in me. I’m people, aren’t I?
“All life is a series of problems which we must try and solve, you know the next one and then the next and the next…until at last we die.” – Dowager, I know this isn’t optimistic but it’s true.
So until the Christmas Special ladies and gentlemen, where once again you will be looked after by Lady Rivera.
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