'Downton Abbey' Recap: Season 2 Episode 6

Downton Abbey airs Sundays at 9:00 pm and is available to stream by WTTW Passport members. Recap the previous episodes.
Keep up with your favorite dramas and mysteries by signing up for our newsletter, Dramalogue.

It’s early 1919, and Downton is, at last, no longer a wartime convalescent home. Cora and Robert couldn’t be happier to have their estate back to normal, but Cora is anxious that Matthew and his wheelchair move out (along with Lavinia, still serving as his caretaker). Robert takes umbrage to that idea (and also to her insensitive remarks about the scandal of Vera Bates’ death by, it is rumored, taking poison). But Cora, while dropping the Bates matter, wants Mary to hurry up and marry Carlisle – Matthew’s continuing presence might be impeding that. Robert, still very much in the Matthew-and-Mary camp, is in no hurry to evict Matthew. The tension between the couple has clearly escalated.

On the grounds, Robert encounters Jane returning from the village; he tells her he put in a recommendation at the grammar school for her young son Freddie. They commiserate about the pointlessness of war and its aftermath, and there is definite chemistry between them. (Don’t do it, Robert!) But he does: later when he encounters Jane in the pantry, he forcefully kisses her and is immediately remorseful. Jane, shocked but clearly attracted to him, is forgiving.

Later, as Bates is helping Robert dress for dinner, Robert speculates about Vera’s motive for suicide. Bates is noncommittal but the wheels are turning in his head. Months earlier, Vera had asked Bates to buy rat poison to combat an infestation and Bates later tells Anna that that’s what she must have taken. Anna urges him to tell the police he bought the poison; he doesn’t. Another bad decision. And later, a letter Vera wrote to a friend might be a sign that she was setting up Bates to take the fall.

Downstairs, Thomas privately reveals to O’Brien that he’s poured his entire savings into black market foodstuffs to sell at inflated prices  – he’s stockpiling his wares in a shed in the village. He assumes he can stay at Downton until he’s established. O’Brien, jealous of his ambition, implies that might not be happening.

Carlisle, to nobody’s pleasure, arrives from London. He coaxes Anna into his guest room and offers her a handsome bribe if she spies on Mary for him. Anna, deeply uncomfortable and staunchly loyal to Mary, politely refuses. Carlisle asks her to keep his request a secret.

Carson, dissatisfied with the scarcity of footmen at Downton, has evidently been strong-armed into agreeing to work for Mary and Carlisle at Haxby Park; he isn’t happy about it. But he changes his mind when Anna tells him and Mrs. Hughes about Carlisle’s offer – he won’t work for a “spymaster.” Mary is livid when Carson delivers the news, even after he explains why. Angrily, she turns on him, cruelly defaming him to Carlisle. Carson, always Mary’s most loyal supporter, is crushed. Later, Mary also dresses down Anna for not telling her about Carlisle’s attempted bribery.

Now that the war is over, Sybil feels useless without her nursing responsibilities. She pays Branson a visit in the garage to share that she is leaning toward running away with him but hasn’t quite made up her mind yet. (These two…honestly.)

Cora informs the family that the late Major Bryant’s parents will soon be lunching at Downton. Mrs. Hughes encourages Ethel to bring baby Charlie to meet the Bryants. Mr. Bryant is a cold fish, but maybe the kinder Mrs. Bryant will agree to help Ethel and the child – he is their only grandson and heir now that their son has been killed. 

Since Armistice Day, Matthew has privately continued to experience tingling in his paralyzed legs – Dr. Clarkson insists that he’s imagining it, but Matthew is not so sure. That evening before dinner, Lavinia and Matthew are in the library when Lavinia notices a tea tray full of crockery that hasn’t been cleared by the staff. She picks it up but as an alarmed Matthew calls out, she stumbles over a footstool. Something breaks her fall – it’s Matthew…and he’s standing.

Lavinia runs to find Robert, who sends the entire family barreling into the library to witness the miracle. When Dr. Clarkson arrives, chagrined, he confirms his incorrect diagnosis – that instead of a severed spinal cord, Matthew was evidently suffering from “spinal shock,” and now he will make a full recovery. Everyone is overjoyed, except possibly Mary, who is very glad for Matthew but, with Carlisle stalking her everywhere, is suffering from buyer’s remorse.

An Elopement – Or Not

Later at dinner, Carlisle (having planted himself firmly next to Mary) comments that renovations are speeding along at their future residence but that he may consider selling the place if he decides it’s “too close to Downton.” (And thereby, Matthew.) Matthew chooses this moment to reward Lavinia’s loyalty by joyfully announcing to the family that he and Lavinia will marry after all, at Downton. Mary is stoic but clearly heartbroken; Violet takes notice. The next evening, Violet boldly pays Matthew a private visit, bluntly informing him that Mary is still in love with him. Could he love Mary again? Matthew is evasive but claims he can’t just “throw over” Lavinia after she has cared for him so devotedly. Violet admires his loyalty, but as “marriage is a long business,” admonishes Matthew to make sure he has made the right choice. A few days later, Isobel finds Mary’s toy dog among Matthew’s old army uniforms; Matthew’s emotional reaction makes Lavinia wonder.

The wedding announcement spurs Sybil to seek out Tom in the garage – she’s decided that she’s “ready to travel, and [he] is her ticket.” Tom, as expected, is all for it, especially after she lets him kiss her (at last!).

Privately, Cora points out to Robert that hosting Matthew and Lavinia’s wedding means that Mary’s marriage will be further delayed and Matthew shouldn’t be given precedence just because he was “lame.” Robert bridles at the insult to Matthew and (still in the dark about Pamuk) doesn’t understand why Cora is so anxious to shove Mary at Carlisle. Their relationship deteriorates further when Cora informs him that she will be joining forces with Isobel to work on behalf of the refugees. Why can’t Cora devote herself solely to him as she did before the war? All of this makes Robert more susceptible to Jane’s charms. She later offers to resign, but Robert won’t hear of it.

Down in the kitchen, Mrs. Patmore is lamenting the sorry state of the post-war provisions available to her. Thomas offers quality goods if she’s willing to pay for them. Mrs. Patmore correctly guesses that said goods were acquired on the black market and disapproves, but she needs ingredients to make Matthew and Lavinia’s wedding cake. She begrudgingly takes some on trial. Daisy persuades Mrs. Patmore to oversee her in making the wedding cake herself.

The Bryants arrive at Downton for their luncheon. Mrs. Hughes, to Carson’s puzzlement, is hovering, hoping to get a moment alone with Mrs. Bryant on Ethel’s behalf. She fails and says as much to Ethel, who is waiting anxiously by the back door with little Charlie. She should leave now; maybe she can try again in the future. But Ethel senses there won’t be another chance. As Bryant’s bitterness is on full display in the dining room, Ethel bursts in with little Charlie. She introduces the baby to the Bryants as “their grandson.” Bryant is immediately skeptical, loudly dismissing Ethel as a liar and the baby as a ploy to extort them for money, insisting that his son “would never have shirked his responsibilities.” “But he did,” wails Ethel, as Mrs. Hughes and Anna quickly usher her and the baby out. Fuming, Bryant declares the luncheon over, and as he storms out, Mrs. Bryant tries to make excuses for him – “he’s terrified by his own grief.” (Casting note: Mr. Bryant is played by Kevin McNally, who is married to actor Phyllis Logan – Mrs. Hughes.)

That evening as Sybil claims illness and retires to her room, Carlisle again pressures Mary to set a wedding date. Reluctantly, she agrees to a wedding in late July. But then she asks him why he tried to bribe Anna to spy on her. He counters by asking her if she’s still in love with Matthew. She denies it, but he is skeptical. Mary goes upstairs to check on Sybil but discovers only a note: Sybil has eloped with Branson to Gretna Green.

Edith, Mary, and Anna set out to look for them at inns along the road from Downton. They spot one of Robert’s cars at one of them, discovering a fully clothed Sybil and Branson in a guest room – nothing has happened yet. The sisters persuade Sybil that eloping is not the way to go, and she reluctantly agrees to return with them and let her parents get used to the idea.

Daisy and Mrs. Patmore sample a piece of the wedding cake Daisy has made and  spit it out, choking. It’s full of plaster dust because Thomas’s ingredients are bogus. Whoever sold him the goods swindled him, and he’s lost every penny he had. Furious and devastated, he goes on a wild rampage in the storage shed, smashing everything.

Weddings Await

Three months have passed, and it’s a few days before Matthew and Lavinia’s wedding. Everyone is helping to bedeck the gallery with flowers. Matthew is now getting around well with the help of a walking stick, and Lavinia and Mary, inexplicably, have become friends.

Mrs. Hughes has received a surprising letter from Mrs. Bryant – she and her husband have reconsidered and want to see the baby. They will return to Downton in a few days’ time.

Thomas, having languished at Downton for these past months, is getting on Carson’s last nerve. He wants Thomas gone. Thomas, still destitute, pleads to stay longer. Carson, believing Thomas deserves his misfortune, harshly orders him to “find somewhere to go.” Also, Daisy reveals to Mrs. Patmore that Mr. Mason, William’s father, has invited her to visit his farm. She’s reluctant to go, worried that it will reopen old wounds, but Mrs. Patmore thinks she should.

Sybil and Branson have decided to announce their engagement that evening – Branson has landed a job as a newspaper journalist so he’s respectable now, Sybil argues to her sisters. Mary thinks springing that kind of news on the family is a terrible idea – she and Edith aren’t convinced that Sybil understands what a seismic lifestyle change this will be, and they advise her to let Branson establish himself in Dublin first and then make the big reveal. Sybil, exasperated, reluctantly agrees. But she is unable to warn Branson about the change in plans.

That evening, Branson suddenly appears in the drawing room as the family is gathering for dinner. Sybil is forced to explain what’s going on: that she plans to marry Tom to live in Dublin, where she will work as a nurse. All hell breaks loose. Sybil vows she will not change her mind, and Tom retreats to the servants’ hall, where Carson, appalled by what he views as Tom presuming above his station, orders him out. Later, with Violet refereeing, Robert has it out with Sybil. She is immovable, and he plays his trump card, threatening to cut off her inheritance – she’ll be poor. “Well, bully for that!” Sybil responds defiantly. She declares that she’ll stay just long enough to attend Matthew’s wedding and then leave. And Robert can’t stop her.

A Sick House

Downstairs in Carson’s office, Mrs. Hughes discovers that he is quite unwell. She orders him to bed. Upstairs, Cora too is feeling feverish but tries to plead Sybil’s case with Robert – the war has changed them all and Sybil was and is an excellent nurse. Annoyed, Robert accuses Cora of “going American” on him before leaving in a snit.

Evidently, Bates’s legal issues have grown progressively worse, and Anna informs him that she won’t sit on the sidelines while it happens – they are going to get married. If he goes to prison, at least she will be his next of kin. He is reluctant to let her tie herself to him, but she is resolute.

Molesley, having been summoned from the village to fill in, is getting a crash course on the various wines being served at dinner. He’s unsure how to differentiate between the bottles and starts sampling them, feeling increasingly woozy  – or ill? – as he struggles to serve at dinner. He is helped downstairs. Cora, her headache worsening, also begs off and retreats to her bedroom; O’Brien offers to nurse her. Lavinia is feeling sick as well and Mary escorts her upstairs. Isobel springs into action, rushing off to help Dr. Clarkson, who diagnoses Cora, Carson, and Lavinia with Spanish flu. Molesley, however, is fine…he’s just hammered.

With everyone else upstairs, Mary wanders down to the gallery where she finds Matthew test-driving a wedding gift: a gramophone. He puts on a favorite record and invites Mary to dance. Amused, Mary asks if he can manage without his stick. “You are my stick,” he assures her. As they slowly waltz, he confesses that Violet had urged him to marry her (Mary) but he couldn’t jilt Lavinia, could he? “Absolutely not,” agrees Mary, their faces very close now. Matthew initiates a passionate kiss, and they are still at it when they are interrupted by Lavinia. Matthew and Mary quickly part and Lavinia, not wanting to be “a nuisance,” retreats back upstairs, shaken.

Robert again encounters Jane in an upstairs hallway and pulls her into his dressing room. (Again, Robert – don’t be an idiot.) They are interrupted by Bates, who doesn’t see Jane behind the door but suspects why Robert is flustered. But Robert, thankfully, has finally come to his senses. Jane is difficult to resist but he resolves to try.

As Cora’s condition rapidly worsens, an unsuspecting Robert meets with Tom in the village and attempts to bribe him to forget about Sybil. He fails, and orders Tom to leave the village. “Even when Sybil will come to me the moment I call?” Tom asks. Robert storms out. And when he returns home, the staff are still decorating for Matthew and Lavinia’s wedding. Having been informed by Mrs. Hughes that two maids have gotten the flu, he asks about Jane. She is fine, but Mrs. Hughes notes his strange reaction. And he’s terrified when he sees Cora – she is now critical, with an exhausted O’Brien still tending to her.

With so many servants down for the count, Thomas, aware he’s on thin ice, offers to fill in. And Lavinia appears to be recovering, but Isobel persuades her and Matthew to postpone their wedding until she’s well and her father, elderly and frail, can attend.

In the middle of all this, the Bryants return to meet with Ethel. Bryant bluntly proposes that Charlie be taken out of her custody to be raised by them. She can never see him again. Ethel, shocked, tries to think of an alternative. Mrs. Hughes suggests that Ethel could serve as his nurse without ever revealing her true identity. Ethel and Mrs. Bryant are quite amenable, but Bryant flatly rejects the idea, ordering Ethel to think it over and let them know. Ultimately, Ethel decides she can’t give up Charlie.

Alone with a half-comatose Cora, O’Brien attempts to confess that she caused her miscarriage. But Robert interrupts and the chance is gone. Cora begins hemorrhaging and vomiting; Dr. Clarkson tells Robert and the girls that if Cora makes it through the night, she’ll live.

Matthew visits Lavinia’s sickbed, and it’s clear she has been doing some thinking. She isn’t cut out to be a countess (“I’m a little person, an ordinary person,” she tells him), and she witnessed what happened between Matthew and Mary, and is convinced they are “right together.” Matthew, anguished, feels guilty but can’t deny the truth.

Some Weddings – But Not the Planned Ones

Carlisle appears again, and Mary quickly determines that he’s there to ensure that Mary doesn’t interfere with Lavinia and Matthew’s wedding. Mary storms upstairs, where Anna reveals that she and Bates have arranged a registry office wedding in two days’ time. Mary urges her to go through with it, no matter what. And they do. That night, Mary secretly arranges a room for them in an unused wing of the house – happily, they get to have a wedding night. Bates just hopes that Anna won’t regret marrying him. Mary also patches up things with a recovering Carson.

At dinner that night, Sybil urgently summons the family – Lavinia has taken a violent and unexpected turn for the worse. Everyone rushes to her bedside and find her struggling to breathe and drifting in and out of consciousness. Addressing Matthew with the family watching in shock, Lavinia gasps that maybe this outcome is for the best – Matthew won’t have to make “a hard decision.” “Promise you’ll be happy,” she urges him. As he protests, she tragically dies. 

Cora, on the other hand, makes it through. She and Robert reconcile. Jane, seeing the handwriting on the wall, hands in her notice. Before she leaves, Robert guiltily slips her some money for her son.

The following Monday is Lavinia’s burial, with black-clad family, friends, and villagers present. Mary approaches Matthew. He is ghostly pale, grief-stricken, and bitter – brooding at Lavinia’s grave, he lashes out at Mary, blaming her (hey, who kissed who?) for Lavinia dying of a broken heart. “We’re cursed, you and I,” he tells her. Acknowledging it, Mary retreats to a waiting Carlisle, resigned to making a go of it with him.

Robert encounters Sybil and Tom at the churchyard gate. Tom wants to part friends with the family but doesn’t expect to. Robert gives in and grudgingly agrees to condone their marriage. “There’ll be some money,” Robert promises Sybil, “but not much.” She doesn’t care – she’s just thrilled to have his consent. He and Branson shake on it.

Upon their return to Downton, the servants are confronted by a nasty surprise: two grim-faced policemen are waiting for Bates. They charge him with murder, handcuff him, and drag him away, leaving Anna devastated.