'Downton Abbey' Recap: Season 2 Episode 7

Downton Abbey airs Sundays at 9:00 pm and is available to stream by WTTW Passport members. Recap the previous episode.
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It’s Christmas, 1919. Eight months have passed since the Spanish flu ravaged Downton. As everyone helps to decorate the towering tree in the gallery, Lady Rosamund and her maid, a troublemaking Miss Shore, pull up in the front driveway. Later, we watch the annual holiday gift presentation to the staff; a downcast Anna receives a brooch from Mary, and she and Cora kindly tell her they are thinking of the incarcerated Bates, who will be going on trial in a few days for the murder of his wife Vera.

Downstairs, the servants are enjoying a boisterous Christmas dinner, while upstairs, Carlisle is complaining about having to serve himself from a buffet as they exchange their own gifts. “It’s Christmas Day,” Mary protests. “That’s not how we’ll do it at Haxby,” he retorts. Evidently Mary has somehow managed to put off their wedding again, and Carlisle is getting on everyone’s last nerve.

In another annual tradition, Downton will be hosting a shooting party on New Year’s Day. Edith wonders why Sir Anthony Strallen (who previously choked on a salty pudding at Downton) declined the invitation. Also, another guest has invited himself: Lord Hepworth, a dashing old friend of Rosamund’s. Violet too has a long history with the family. Once Hepworth arrives, oddly he has not brought a valet.

That evening, a considerably improved Matthew has just gotten off a telephone call to London. Lavinia’s father, already frail when she died, is now in his final days. Matthew tells Mary he will have to hurry to Mr. Swire’s bedside. Carlisle, tailing Mary everywhere, is glad Matthew will be leaving. “I’ll be back by New Year’s Day,” Matthew retorts, and offers to accompany the group attending Bates’ trial to provide legal advice. The family is firmly in Bates’ corner; glowering, Carlisle doesn’t understand the fuss over a mere servant. Later, as the family exuberantly plays a party game, Carlisle can’t imagine why anyone would participate in something that makes them appear ridiculous. Violet replies, “Life is a game in which the player must appear ridiculous.” “Not my life,” he shoots back.

In a downstairs cupboard, Daisy discovers a Ouija board. After dinner, the servants try it out but Daisy is clearly spooked any thought of paranormal activity.

The next day, Edith is visiting Violet at home when Sir Anthony Strallen arrives – Violet has invited him for tea. He didn’t accept the Crawleys’ invitation because a war wound has permanently paralyzed his right arm and he can no longer shoot. Edith is disappointed. So is Violet – she had hoped he would be a match for Edith but is now opposed. Later, Edith invites herself over to Strallen’s house; he tries to dissuade her from trying to re-up their romance, but she is stubborn.

That evening, there is news from Sybil in Dublin: she’s pregnant. Cora is overjoyed; Robert is resigned – he has finally lost his daughter for good. Sybil didn’t ask to come home for Christmas and this must be the reason. Cora will be visiting the couple – and her grandchild – whether Robert likes it or not.

Hepworth exchanges flirtatious banter with Violet, who remembers him fondly but is skeptical of his motives. Also, Matthew has returned, having stayed with Mr. Swire until he died. As the clock strikes midnight, the family raises a glass to ring in 1920.

Later that night, Anna is upstairs when she comes upon Hepworth and Shore talking in a hallway. He quickly walks away and Shore reveals to Anna that Hepworth wants her to advocate for him with Rosamund. Anna advises her to keep out of it.

A Shooting Match

Everyone gathers outside for the shooting match. Carlisle tries to strongarm Mary into standing with him as he shoots; Matthew pretends that he and Mary had agreed to stand together for the first drive. Carlisle stalks off in a snit. Mary confesses that Carlisle is “starting to get on [her] nerves.” (Starting?) On the next drive, she and Carlisle get into a bitter argument, and Matthew, concerned about Mary’s safety, intervenes. That night, Carlisle again tries to get Mary to set a wedding date and she flings off his hand disgustedly and walks off. Matthew follows, assuring her, “You’ll always have a home here. You don’t have to marry him.” Mary insists that she does have to marry Carlisle and if he knew why, he would despise her. Cora interrupts before a frustrated Matthew can learn more.

William’s father Mr. Mason drops in to see Daisy. She tries, and fails, to confess that she didn’t love William. Mr. Mason tries to convince her that William was happy with what they had. Daisy is unconvinced. Mrs. Patmore again tries in vain to talk Daisy into accepting Mr. Mason’s invitation to the farm. And Shore, clearly enjoying stirring up trouble, repeatedly implies that Daisy is underpaid, overworked, and underestimated. Daisy stews.

Later, Mrs. Patmore watches the servants going another round with the Ouija board and gets a brilliant idea. She pushes her way into the group and begins manipulating the pointer, convincing Daisy it’s William who is moving it. As the skeptical servants look on, she spells out “GO TO FARM, MAKE DAD HAPPY.” And it works: Naïve as always, Daisy resolves to visit Mr. Mason.

Violet has a private conversation with Hepworth, where the truth comes out. Hepworth is broke, has sold most of his family’s properties, and his one remaining house is mortgaged several times over. He is a fortune hunter but claims he “admires” Rosamund. Violet isn’t necessarily opposed to the match but insists he tell Rosamund the truth. Once he does, Rosamund still considers accepting Hepworth’s proposal, as she is lonely.

Late that evening, Robert asks Cora why Mary is still bent on marrying Carlisle when it’s clear she’s “tired” of him. Cora decides it’s time to tell Robert the truth about Mary and Pamuk. Robert, having adjusted to the news, privately confirms this with Mary. To her immense relief, Robert advises her to dump Carlisle and to avoid the resulting scandal, go to America and find a good man – “a cowboy in the Middle West who will shake [us] up a bit.” The next day, Mary joins Matthew and Isobel in the rainy cemetery to add Mr. Swire’s ashes to Lavinia’s grave. Privately, Isobel tells Matthew (as Violet did before her) that Mary is still in love with him. Still guilt-ridden, he insists she’s wrong.

A Man on Trial

O’Brien and Mrs. Hughes have been called as prosecution witnesses for Bates’ trial, and as Anna, Mary, Matthew, Robert, and Isobel watch from the gallery, they try to be truthful without incriminating Bates. (O’Brien loathes Bates but doesn’t want him dead). Robert also testifies and is forced to reveal that Bates told him he would have preferred Vera to be “the late Mrs. Bates.” The jury deliberates and comes back quickly with a unanimous verdict: Guilty. He is sentenced to be hanged, but the defense will attempt to get a reprieve. At the prison, Anna and Bates have what could be their last meeting. Her urges her to forgive everyone who spoke against him. With a stern guard looking on, they kiss goodbye. That night, Anna offers to resign to divert the scandal away from Downton. Carson is amenable, Mrs. Hughes is not. Anna suggests to Mary that she accompany her to New York to continue as her maid. Mary agrees to bring her if the worst happens.

Robert’s dog Isis has gone missing. Unbeknownst to anyone, Thomas has lured her into the woods, locking her in a shed. He hopes that by later “finding” and returning her, it will curry favor with Robert and he might get the valet job he’s angling for.

That evening, Matthew arrives to talk with Mary and upon learning from Robert that Isis is still gone, he organizes a search party. Thomas spots the shed where he hid Isis, but Carson forcefully sends him back to the house before he can “find” her. Early the next morning, he returns but the shed is empty. Looking for her, he stumbles into a shallow ravine, sprawling in dirt and ripping his clothes. Clearly, this whole thing was a stupid idea. But maybe not…

Once everyone else abandons the search for the night, Matthew grills Mary about the reason she is marrying Carlisle. Seeing no alternative, she confesses everything. Matthew is deeply shocked about Pamuk but like Robert, admonishes her not to marry Carlisle, urging her to “brave the storm.” Mary worries that Matthew will think less of her now. He assures her he doesn’t.

In the morning, Robert comes upon a disheveled Thomas and is surprised and pleased to learn that Thomas got that way from searching for Isis…a village child had found her before Thomas could, and the dog is home safe. Robert decides to give Thomas a trial as valet, so his plan worked after all.

Daisy has a reassuring visit with Mr. Mason, who insists on treating her like a daughter; his five children are all dead. Daisy is touched and flattered, having no parents of her own. He advises Daisy to stand up for herself with Mrs. Patmore, stop listening to Shore, and ask for what she deserves without playing games. She follows his advice.

The Servants' Ball

Hepworth returns to Downton for the annual servants’ ball, which will likely be cancelled as they all wait for the news about Bates’ appeal. But first, Mary must break off her engagement to Carlisle. As predicted, he begins loudly threatening her. Overhearing, Matthew bursts in. Carlisle baits him with lies about Lavinia. Enraged, Matthew decks him and they grapple on the floor, breaking a vase. Robert, hurrying in with Violet, breaks up the fight. Carlisle will be leaving in the morning. “I doubt we’ll meet again,” he tells Violet. Violet smiles and asks, “Do you promise?” Early the next morning, Mary intercepts Carlisle, hoping to minimize the damage. Carlisle retorts that his job is to sell newspapers. But he loved her, he tells her. So maybe he won’t publish.

That same morning, a telegram arrives for Robert: to his intense relief, Bates has been reprieved. He’s still looking at life in prison, but at least they can proceed with an appeal and Anna will stay in England to help uncover proof of Bates’s innocence. The family decides to hold the servants’ ball after all. Watching on the sidelines, Anna’s attention is caught by two people sneaking up the back staircase. She notifies Mary and Rosamund and the three of them catch Hepworth in a compromising position with Shore. “A lucky escape,” Mary says to a shaken Rosamund, who agrees but hates it when Violet turns out to be right.

Outside in the swirling snow, Matthew has joined Mary out on the drive for air. They discuss the brewing scandal and her upcoming trip to avoid it. “Would you stay, if I asked you to?” Matthew says. Mary thinks Matthew could never forgive her for what happened with Pamuk; he thinks she doesn’t need his forgiveness, and that Lavinia would approve. To this point they’ve lived their lives separately, he tells her, suggesting it’s time they lived them together. Playfully, she insists that he get down on one knee. He does and proposes; she accepts, they kiss, and as the camera pans out, he picks her up and they spin in circles, laughing in the falling snow as the estate behind them glows in the moonlight.