DOWNTON ABBEY {SEASON 2, EPISODE 6} (TV)
Summary
One in this dramatic British series about the aristocrats and servants who dwell at the Downton Abbey estate in post-Edwardian Yorkshire.
In this episode, in 1918, Richard watches as Mary continues doting on Matthew and tells Robert that he may buy Haxby Park, a neighboring estate recently abandoned by its owners. Isobel shocks Cora and Violet by suggesting that Downton should continue to be "useful," rather than just a private home, once the war is over, and Violet schemes to distract her with a different project. Edith meets Patrick Gordon, a badly burned and disfigured Canadian soldier who claims to have "a connection" to the Crawleys, and Daisy, still feeling guilty about her hasty deathbed marriage to William, refuses her widow's pension on moral grounds. Richard suggests "stealing" Mr. Carson once he and Mary are wed, and Thomas is intrigued by Mrs. Patmore's suggestion of establishing a black market in rationed goods. Mrs. Hughes is forced to confess her secret arrangement with Ethel when Mr. Carson catches her sneaking food to the impoverished girl; and Cora wonders if Robert might be able to persuade Major Bryant to take responsibility for his child.
Robert enjoys an unusually casual chat with new maid Jane, and Edith is floored when the burned soldier tells her that he's really Patrick Crawley, their cousin – and Mary's former fiancé whom Edith secretly loved – whose presumed death on the Titanic promoted Matthew as Robert's next heir. He claims that he developed amnesia after the sinking and was sent to Canada, and only recovered his memories after he was again injured at Passchendaele. Miss O'Brien listens in as Mr. Bates, having received a call from his lawyer, angrily tells Anna that he's not "really" divorced after all. Richard grows increasingly jealous of Mary's ongoing bond with Matthew, though Matthew urges her to go through with her marriage, as he himself can no longer bear children. Sybil hints to Tom that their relationship can't change until the war ends, and Mr. Carson uncomfortably tells Mary that he will leave Downton for Haxby Park only with the Earl's permission. Robert is immediately suspicious when Edith relates Patrick's shocking claim and resolves to investigate the burned soldier's background, though Patrick seems to present indisputable knowledge of the family's personal past.
Violet pushes Isobel toward the many refugees left homeless by the war. When Robert gathers the family to tell them about Patrick, Mary instantly declares him an imposter, though Matthew bitterly notes that any other heir would be "an improvement" over himself. Cora learns that Major Bryant has been killed in action, leaving Ethel in an even worse state. Edith, desperate to believe Patrick's claim, continues bonding with him. Mr. Bates heads to London to deal with Vera, and everyone is deeply relieved to hear that the war is officially over. Isobel opts not to "run" Downton after all; meanwhile, Daisy finally confesses that she didn't truly love William, and Robert's investigation of Patrick turns up nothing definitive, though Mary remains convinced that the burned soldier knew the real Patrick and is merely trying to steal his fortune. Patrick cryptically tells Edith that one "can't go back," and Mr. Carson formally decides to accompany Mary to Haxby. Mary is frustrated when Cora "summons" Lavinia to Downton to force her hand, but Richard furiously threatens his fiancée, reminding her that he can ruin her socially if she jilts or "crosses" him. Lavinia declares her intentions to marry Matthew, injured or not, and Edith is crushed when Patrick vanishes from Downton without explanation. The family and staff honor "the dawn of a new age" on Armistice Day, and Matthew is shocked by an unexpected sensation. Mr. Bates then receives a telegram and learns that Vera has been found dead.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:53:21
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 137399
- GENRE: Drama, historical
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, historical; World War I; England
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 2011-2016
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rebecca Eaton … Executive Producer
- Gareth Neame … Executive Producer
- Julian Fellowes … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Liz Trubridge … Producer
- Charles Hubbard … Line Producer
- Andy Goddard … Director
- Laura Linney … Host
- John Lunn … Music by
- Man Made Music … Theme Music by
- Hugh Bonneville … Cast, Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham
- Jessica Brown Findlay … Cast, Lady Sybil Crawley
- Laura Carmichael … Cast, Lady Edith Crawley
- Jim Carter … Cast, Mr. Charles Carson
- Brendan Coyle … Cast, John Bates
- Michelle Dockery … Cast, Lady Mary Crawley
- Siobhan Finneran … Cast, Sarah O'Brien
- Joanne Froggatt … Cast, Anna Bates
- Rob James-Collier … Cast, Thomas Barrow
- Phyllis Logan … Cast, Mrs. Elsie Hughes
- Elizabeth McGovern … Cast, Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham
- Sophie McShera … Cast, Daisy Mason
- Lesley Nicol … Cast, Mrs. Bethel Patmore
- Amy Nuttall … Cast, Ethel Parks
- Maggie Smith … Cast, Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham
- Dan Stevens … Cast, Matthew Crawley
- Penelope Wilton … Cast, Isobel Crawley
- Zoe Boyle … Cast, Lavinia Swire
- Clare Calbraith … Cast, Jane Moorsum
- Kevin Doyle … Cast, Joseph Molesley
- Iain Glen … Cast, Sir Richard Carlisle
- Allen Leech … Cast, Tom Branson
- David Robb … Cast, Dr. Richard Clarkson
- Trevor White … Cast, Patrick Gordon