Though he tries, Edith tells him she doesn't care that he is married, and agrees to be his secret mistress in the future. Problems for Anna, however, continue. However, having bought the train ticket to London in York, he decided not to go through with the plan at the last minute, as he considered his actions would do far more harm than good, since he would certainly have been hanged for the crime if convicted; his love for his wife proved greater than his desire to defend her honour. This would have meant that Robert was never the Earl of Grantham and lived his entire life as a fraud. Bates believes they must be content as they are, but Anna continues to believe that she cannot give him what he needs. Only the housemaid Anna offers him any sympathy and friendship. Most of the staff give him the cold shoulder, while Thomas and O'Brien try to get rid of him to further their own ends. He has a stern, but fatherly, disposition over the servants. Even so, the family still call him by his last name. If the earl had a son, he would bear a courtesy title of one of his fathers subsidiary titles, usually a viscount. In series six, Gwen returns, eleven years later, to Downton as a successful married woman, although she visits the mansion only in the fourth episode. In 1924 Dickie is still in pursuit of Isobel and invites Violet and Isobel to his estate and tries to discuss with Isobel the science of quarantine, which he has read about in a book. After visiting Bates in prison, Anna declares that she will not rest until Bates had been proven completely innocent and is free. At Christmas there is still no sign of him, but at the Christmas carol service Bates manages to sneak in; he surprises Anna, and pulls her away from the crowd. He previously served in the Army alongside the earl as his batman during the Boer Wars and suffered an injury to his right leg. She gets a new hairstyle and announces that she will move into Yew Tree Farm with Mr Mason, while still working at Downton. Mrs Patmore tries to hide her deteriorating eyesight but Lord Grantham decides to send her to Moorfields in London for treatment when she accidentally puts salt on the pudding instead of sugar. When O'Brien seeks to assist Alfred by enlisting Thomas' support, he refuses to help tutor him, irritated that someone else should progress rapidly when he spent years trying to reach his position. At the end of series one, William punches Barrow for his cruel remarks regarding Lady Grantham's miscarriage and the death of William's mother. However, in the third series, Tom and now-pregnant Sybil are forced to flee Ireland after Tom becomes implicated in the burning of an Anglo-Irish nobleman's house. Oh yes, this will definitely be a 'when not if' read. The rest of Anna's pregnancy goes seemingly without a hitch. Georgian She is forced to accept defeat in this, not knowing that Lady Mary had already destroyed the ticket, as she wrongly believed it proved Bates's guilt. She declines. Joseph Molesley (played by Kevin Doyle) (b. His love of automobiles was a common interest that he shared with Edith and as well as bringing them close together inspired Edith to learn to drive. Once Sybil married Tom, Isobel was one of the first to insist that they come back for Mary's wedding. O'Brien is one of several servants asked to testify at Bates's trial and is genuinely relieved when they learn that Bates had been reprieved. William had three brothers and a sister but all died at or shortly after birth, leaving him as the only child. She finds an admirer in Lord Merton (Dickie) Mary's Godfather. Sybil (now pregnant) and Tom return to Downton after fleeing Ireland in the third series, where Sybil gives birth to a daughter but dies soon after due to eclampsia. In the third series, when Lady Sybil goes into labour, he sees signs that she is suffering from eclampsia and is in danger of dying from the intense seizures and distress. He is the son of Bill Molesley, the winner of the best bloom at the Downton Flower Show in 1913. Tom doesn't learn her true identity until later. He constantly hatches schemes with O'Brien, intending to have Bates removed from service at Downton. Ryder informs Anna that he has identified the problem and that she has a common issue of having cervical incompetence, a condition which results in a baby becoming too heavy for the womb to support after about three months, but also tells her that the condition is easily treatable with cervical cerclage, a stitch inserted into the womb after a woman has been pregnant for about 12 weeks; however, it does not always work. One of her most constant traits is her unfailing devotion to Downton as her home and, eventually, the estate which she will preside over. In the 2019 film she and Andy have become engaged, but she shows little enthusiasm for marriage. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Georgette Heyer I haven't read Gentleman Jim or A Work of Art yet, but I'm eager to read them, Thank you so much for the wonderful review! Later in series six, Branson is instrumental in setting up Lady Mary with Henry Talbot, and in the series finale, goes in with Talbot on an automobile dealership. She is rescued (to her relatives' dismay) by black singer Jack Ross. She supported Ethel through the difficult decision to give up her child to the Bryants. Months later, while on vacation, he tells Edith he knows about Marigold, and he believes Michael was an honourable man, with which she agrees, stating Michael would have married her as soon as he could. It is not known whether he went ahead and published the story. Carson quickly steps forward to comfort her, and assures her she will always find a source of support in him. Though Jack loves her, he fears the repercussions of an inter-racial romance. Lord Grantham is kind, decent, open-minded in his own cloistered way, and a gentleman through and through.Robert loves his wife and three daughters, but when the series opens, he is revealed . Though both Prince Kuragin and Violet were married, they fell in love and attempted to run away together, but did not succeed. Isobel goes out of her way to prove his innocence, eventually being proven right. Thus, Henry spent months away, including missing Tom and Lucy's wedding and, presumably, the funeral of Lady Violet and the birth of the Bransons' baby nine months later. Heirs who are not eldest sons (or grandsons) of the present earl do not get this courtesy title. Isobel, a former nurse, constantly takes up new charitable causes, helping run the convalescent home at Downton and assisting refugees and prostitutes, though her sense of moral imperative often irritates others. Isobel was the first person that Matthew told when he learned that he may be heir to Lavinia's father's estate. Isobel was at the train station to see Matthew off to Scotland to visit Duneagle Castle. However, when Tom Branson speaks to her about his own experiences in learning to live with the Crawley family despite their differences, she is inspired to make her marriage work. Her enduring appeal and widespread influence can be found in our previews and reviews of the best historical novels, nonfiction books, and British period dramas. The motion pictures come to Downton Abbey in A New Era asLady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) oversees a film production in her ancestral home. While in England he makes the acquaintance of the Hon. If they marry any peer, or the son of a marquess or duke, they will take their married title from him. By the time series five begins, Thomas and Jimmy have grown much closer in their friendship, though it is clear Thomas is still in love with him. Lavinia Catherine Swire (played by Zoe Boyle) (18951919) is the sweetheart and fiance of Matthew Crawley. This is at a time when most women did not smoke and it was very rare for a woman to be seen smoking in public. 1892) (played by Laura Carmichael) is the middle daughter of Lord and Lady Grantham. Unlike Carson, she privately views Lady Mary as a silly girl whose misfortune comes mostly from her own mistakes; her attitudes have likely softened over the years. He attempts suicide but is rescued by his friends. She had one favourite brother who had shell shock and later died during the Great War. After being informed that this story was untrue by Isobel Crawley, the doctor corrected the report to the War Department, and William is drafted shortly thereafter. Eventually, his wife persuades him to accept the child as his grandson, and Mr Bryant offers to adopt Charlie. Further contributing to her medical knowledge, she herself studied to be a nurse during the Boer War. She maintains a quarrelsome rivalry with Violet, the Dowager Countess, but this eventually develops into a genuine friendship, especially after Isobel is grief-stricken by Matthew's unexpected death and Violet's brief illness. In the second series Christmas episode, it is apparent that Carlisle's pragmatism does not sit well with the Crawleys and he and Mary begin to argue more frequently, much to the consternation of Matthew and her grandmother. She was a daughter, sister, and wife of doctors, as her father, Sir John Turnbull, her brother, Dr Edward Turnbull, and her late husband Dr. Reginald Crawley all practised medicine. She also refused to hand the police the ticket regarding Mr Bates's trip to London on the day Mr Green died, telling Lady Mary she could never condemn a man for defending his wife's honour against such a crime. However, Anthony jilts Edith at the altar, devastating her. Based on the timing of Lady Violet's affair with the Marquis and Robert's birth nine months later, the startling possibility was raised that the Marquis was Robert's true father. Andy later apologises to Thomas about his treatment towards him. It was only through a stroke of enormous luck that he didn't end up losing the whole estate. The brusque, domineering and nouveau riche Carlisle is a self-made, extremely wealthy newspaper magnate from Edinburgh whose paper, with the help of Lavinia Swire, was instrumental in breaking the Marconi scandal story. He comes to dislike the new nanny for the two young children of Downton, and refuses to pass on her instructions to other members of staff. He manipulates Daisy in order to further his plans to have Mr Bates ousted. However, the investigation into Green's death begins to wind down, as the police have failed to find anything more than circumstantial evidence to link Bates to the crime. She also wants her husband back since she has tried living on her own and does not like it. She begins an affair with Major Charles Bryant (played by Daniel Pirrie) when he is being treated at Downton while it is a temporary convalescent home. Amused instead of scandalised at the revelation, Grantham gently declines Carson's offer, ending the matter as a non-issue. 1862) is the housekeeper at Downton Abbey. She is not afraid to speak her own mind, and sticks to her principles no matter what. In the series finale, Carson begins to suffer from palsy that ultimately forces him into semi-retirement. Mrs Hughes dismisses her after discovering the two of them in bed together, but Ethel shortly returns having nowhere else to go when she finds out she is pregnant with his child. During the War, he served with Charles Blake in the Royal Navy aboard Jellicoe's flagship HMS Iron Duke at the Battle of Jutland. Alfred Nugent (played by Matt Milne) was the new footman brought on to replace William Mason and is introduced in series three. During the Great War, she opened a soup kitchen at Crawley House, in secret, and was helped by Mrs Patmore and Daisy to run it from the money given by the government for the hospital. She praised Tom for his rise, and later attended the Thirsk fair with Dr. Clarkson. But this also has to be discussed in the context of who the estate owner is and his position in his world. Barrow succeeds him as butler, with Carson serving in a supervisory role. He is a past lover of Thomas, at the time first footman, but this affair ends in autumn 1912, after the duke visits Downton under the pretext of courting Mary, then tricks her into leading him into the servants' quarters, where he retrieves a packet of love letters to prevent Thomas from blackmailing him over the affair. The king is later heard in a radio broadcast, voiced by Jon Glover. Bates goes with her, and it is thought that his romance with Anna is over. After his return, he receives a telegram informing him of her death. Violet tries to help her, but Isobel does not seem interested. But Mr Mason insists to Daisy she has to say goodbye to him properly, and offers to help her find the right words to say. The older Mr Mason later explains to Daisy that William was his only surviving child and he had realised that William married Daisy not just because he cared for her but so his father would have someone to keep company. The two try to continue their lives; however, both find it difficult to look past what has happened. Thomas and Jimmy share a heartfelt goodbye in which Jimmy tearfully tells Thomas that though he never thought he'd get on with a man like him, they truly had been great friends. Contemporary Era Fiction However, the investigation into Green's death begins to wind down, as the police have failed to find anything more than circumstantial evidence to link Bates to the crime. Historical Romance In series six, she gets irate when her father-in-law loses his tenancy on a nearby estate. He is accompanied by his boss Charles Blake as they are working on a government project studying estates and their progress. Bates then disappears and is now on the run. Jane Austen's Emma Downton Abbey: A New Era also insinuated that Cora was dying, which thankfully turned out not to be the case. AlthoughDownton Abbey: A New Era ends with a tragic death of a beloved character, the sequel also marks new beginnings for the Crawley family and their servants. It is set almost exactly one hundred years later, a last moment of elegance before great changes, just as P&P described a world as yet unaltered by the industrial revolution. The papers Lavinia stole inadvertently helped create the Marconi scandal. What could most immediately alter a character's behavior in . They are both in competition for the top position of first footman, which Jimmy is constantly sabotaging Alfred for. Anna gives birth to a healthy baby boy on New Year's Eve, much to her and her husband's delight. Isobel Grey, Baroness Merton, (nee Turnbull, previously Crawley) is a character on the series, Downton Abbey. Through Lady Rose MacClare, who is one of the helpers, he learns of her relationship to Violet and that the Dowager Countess still lives at Downton. In the second series, with most of the male staff depicted as serving in the First World War, Mr Carson finds himself under mostly self-imposed pressure to ensure household duties are carried out to his exacting standards. The toughs who lost the bet follow drunk Jimmy underneath a quiet bridge and jump him. Though kind and sympathetic to Tom, she did not disagree with Violet when they insisted he dress the part for the wedding. The episode ends with Anna and Bates sharing a Happy Christmas alone. She found a local farmer, John Drake, who was dying of dropsy. She tells Anna that she remembers Vera had dried food under her fingernails, meaning that Vera made the pie herself knowing that her husband would be implicated for murder. Baxter is hired on Barrow's recommendation, and Cora is pleased with Baxter. To prevent Carson embarrassing himself or the family, Mrs Hughes and Lady Mary conspire to have him join Lord Grantham's trip to the French villa instead. Eventually, she accepts his proposal, saying of Dickie, "He wooed me into it. Editor's Picks He volunteers to help Mr Mason take care of Downton's pigs and shows an interest in farming. While John is in prison, Anna is able to track down a neighbour of Vera's who saw her on the day of her death. She is unsure how to handle the situation, especially when he is drafted during the First World War and convinces himself that she is his sweetheart. Bates then invite O'Brien to his cottage, and whispers the words "her ladyship's soap" in her ear, before warning her that unless she calls Jimmy off, he will not keep her secret. Rupert Christiansen, writing in The Telegraph, bemoaned the casting and the fact checking.[23]. During the Crawleys' Christmas celebrations, Anna is seen alone and concerned about her husband. When Elsie turns his proposal down he later married Ivy (died 1910) and had one son Peter, who joined the army. Upon discovering that film star Guy Dexter is also a closeted gay man who fancies him, Barrow took the actor up on his offer to become his jack-of-all-trades. She experiences multiple disappointments in her romantic relationships: she is jilted at the altar by Sir Anthony Strallan in the third series, and her second fianc Michael Gregson is killed by Nazis while staying in Germany. Later on Isobel attended Christmas and New Year celebrations at Downton with her son. People named Isobel include: Isobel Flemming, a fictional character from the American The Vampire Diaries. Jane Moorsum (played by Clare Calbraith) was a maid at Downton Abbey and Ethel's replacement. He appeared in the first film. Lady Mary Josephine Talbot (ne Crawley) (played by Michelle Dockery) (b. When Mrs Bird refuses to work with a former prostitute, she chooses to leave. John happily became the Star Trek guy at Screen Rant and he leads Feature coverage of the various Star Trek series. He knew Mary since they were young children, but they did not become reacquainted as adults until after Matthew's death at the end of series three. Jimmy ignores this advice and continues to behave recklessly, winning a large bet at the village fair only to spend most of it on alcohol. After Larry unremorsefully calls Tom "only a grubby little chauffeur chappie", Lord Merton angrily tells him to be silent, and apologises very sincerely to Tom for what Larry did, adding his hope that Tom would recover before the wedding. For example, he recalls that he and the sisters disliked their governess, which Edith identifies specifically as Frulein Kelder. In series four, Anna is violently raped and Bates is confused and hurt at her attempts to push him away, as he is unaware of Anna's distress. She first meets Matthew when he is back in England on leave from the Army and they later become engaged. Alfred also notes that Thomas always defends Jimmy no matter how unkindly Jimmy behaves, and suggests that perhaps he take it easy. Mr Bates goes to London to confront her and returns to Downton with a large scratch on his face, telling Anna that their meeting went terribly. A recurring theme during the first two series is the clash between Isobel's more modern and liberal values with the traditionalist ideas of Lord Grantham and his family. During the Battle of Amiens, he threw himself in front of Matthew to shield him from a shell explosion and both men were seriously wounded. This is the case for all daughters of Earls, Marquesses and Dukes, formally their titles are The Lady . Almost immediately, Daisy Mason falls head-over-heels in love with Alfred, but is impeded by the new kitchen maid, Ivy Stuart, whom Alfred is quick to develop a crush on. Anna and Bates both visit Scotland Yard where Anna is forced to be part of an identity parade to which Bates is outraged. In the sobering . Although she has adopted the lifestyle of the British aristocracy, her character is portrayed as more forward-thinking and open-minded than that of her family, a trait her husband and daughters attribute to her "American-ness". Laura A. Wallace is a musician, attorney, and writer living in Southeast Texas. Andrew is hired by Carson on a temporary basis to work the week of Lady Rose MacClare's wedding at Grantham House in London. [14], Thomas was originally meant to be written out of the show at the end of the first series once he had had his "comeuppance". He is the husband of Cora, son of Violet, and father of Mary, Edith and Sybil. He is an outspoken socialist, Irish nationalist and republican; during luncheons in the servants' hall, he had few qualms about espousing support for early Labour leader Keir Hardie. Related: Screen Rant's Downton Abbey: A New Era Review - A Lively And Emotional Return To A Beloved World. Her determination to treat the man piques the ire of Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, and preparing for a showdown, Violet shows up at Mr Drake's bedside only to witness the procedure and its unmitigated success. Bates is overjoyed by the news. Though Isobel is concerned about marrying Lord Merton when his sons do not approve of her, Violet insists she should not let them ruin her future. When Lady Rose returns to Downton, having had a child of her own, and asks when the baby is due, Anna reveals that she is about ten days away from her due date.