'Downton Abbey' Recap: Season 4 Episode 1

Downton Abbey airs Thursdays at 8:00 pm and is available to stream by WTTW Passport members. Recap the previous episode.
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Several months have passed since Matthew’s death. We open in the dark predawn hours at Downton Abbey, where a shadowy female figure is hurriedly packing, leaving notes behind, and fleeing down the backstairs. We hear a baby’s cries, and a grim-faced Nanny West responds. Mary lies awake in her room, one side of the bed made and empty.

Anna, having found the notes, notifies everyone: O’Brien is gone. Cora feels betrayed: O’Brien has been lured by a free trip to India to work for Lady Susan Flintshire who had praised her skills back in Scotland; stealing someone else’s maid is an unforgivable breach of etiquette. Rose, now a Downton resident, feels guilty; she never thought her mother would go through with it.

Tom, who as the estate agent now works with Robert, suggests that Mary should join them on that day’s tour of the estate. Robert nixes that idea. Later, we learn that Downton is again in financial trouble due to taxes owed because of Matthew’s death. We also discover that Matthew never made a will (odd for a lawyer), so most of Mary’s inheritance goes to her son. Robert insists that he himself is the best person to manage it, given Mary’s “fragile state.” Tom, skeptical, thinks Mary should take charge as the baby’s guardian. Later, Robert makes his case to Cora, but she’s with Tom on this and accuses Robert, probably rightly, of trying to “push Mary out.”

Anna tries to convince her wraith-like mistress to get outside and wear something other than black. As Nanny West enters beaming with “Master George,” Mary strokes her baby’s hair. “Poor little orphan,” she says to him. Anna protests that George is not an orphan. Mary listlessly retreats into a book.

In the churchyard, Violet and the elder Mr. Molesley watch as masons complete Matthew’s tombstone. We learn that the younger Molesley, who lost his valet job and wages due to Matthew’s death, has been staying on at Downton but Carson is insisting that he find a job and move back in with his father. Violet, after Molesley tries and fails to get his old job back at Crawley House, hosts a luncheon for her friend Lady Shackleton whose butler is retiring, bringing in Molesley to help her own butler Spratt – perhaps Lady Shackleton will hire Molesley. Unfortunately, Violet doesn’t share her plan with Spratt; Spratt – worried that Molesley is after his own job – sabotages him during the luncheon.

Out on the estate, Thomas encounters Nanny West wheeling George and baby Sybbie. Nanny West arrogantly orders Thomas to stay away from the children and subsequently tries to order him around, demanding that he tell Mrs. Patmore to omit an egg from Sybbie’s breakfast. Thomas, instantly suspicious, doesn’t comply. This leads to a bitter showdown, and after Nanny West bars Isobel from visiting her own grandson, Thomas secretly goes to Cora. That night outside the nursery, Cora overhears Nanny West harshly calling Sybbie a “wicked little crossbreed.” Furious, Cora summarily sacks her. Somewhere, Thomas is smirking.

Valentines and a New Maid

Rose and Edith head into the village, Rose to post a placard at the post office advertising for a new maid for Cora, and Edith to visit Isobel, where she finds Matthew’s mother in a similar state to Mary’s. Isobel, deeply depressed, cannot believe Matthew, always so meticulous, didn’t leave a will. Edith offers whatever help she can give, but Isobel declares that “once your only child dies, you’re not a mother anymore. You’re not anything, really.”

A young woman spots Rose’s placard: it’s Edna Braithwaite (attempted seducer of Tom), who – surprise! – has been training to be a lady’s maid. Cora, unaware of Edna’s brief tenure at Downton, hires her. Mrs. Hughes is taken aback at the news and tries to dissuade Cora from bringing her on, but Cora mistakenly assumes Mrs. Hughes is being a snob. Mrs. Hughes warns Tom: they will have to keep up their guard.

It’s Valentine’s Day, and Daisy is excited to receive one from a secret admirer. Jimmy implies that he sent one to Ivy – maybe Daisy’s is from Alfred? Later, Jimmy reveals that he sent his valentine to his old employer Lady Anstruther. But he stirs up trouble as always, asking Ivy to accompany him – alone – to a pub in the evening. Alfred, still crushing on Ivy, is alarmed. And with good reason: later that night when Jimmy brings Ivy home, she is roaring drunk and vomits in the garage. Alfred and Anna come to the rescue, and Ivy is hungover the next day. Later, Daisy learns that her valentine came from Mrs. Patmore, who knew Alfred had sent one to Ivy and didn’t want her to feel left out. 

Back at Downton, Carson receives a letter that puts him into a surly mood. In front of Mrs. Hughes, he angrily tosses the crumpled note into the wastebasket. Mrs. Hughes later fishes it out and that evening, she arrives at the return address of the sender: a dingy workhouse, where she finds a sick and destitute Charlie Grigg, Carson’s old vaudeville partner (and attempted extortionist). Grigg desperately wants to make amends. Later, Mrs. Hughes confesses to an outraged Carson that she retrieved his letter and tries and fails to get him to help Grigg. Then, convinced that Isobel needs a project, proposes that Grigg be cared for at Crawley House. Isobel reluctantly agrees. Once Grigg is recovered, Isobel finds a job for him as a stage doorkeeper at a Belfast opera house. Isobel and Mrs. Hughes convince Carson to resolve his original dispute with Grigg – an age-old romantic triangle – before he goes.

In London, Michael Gregson pitches an idea to Edith: in Germany, lunacy is grounds for divorce and if he becomes a citizen there, he will be free to marry her. Would she go to Germany with him? That evening, Gregson throws a glamorous party to introduce Edith to London’s literati and further pleads his case for them to “live in sin.” Edith vacillates but admires his resolve. She suggests he visit Downton and get to know her family better.

Worried about Mary, Tom turns to Carson, who has always been Mary’s favorite. Can Carson help her see that she needs to take the reins of the estate? Carson is reluctant to go against Robert but can see that Tom is right. That evening, Carson tries to reason with Mary, but Mary cruelly lashes out. Before leaving, Carson delivers some tough love – she’s letting herself be defeated.

At dinner, Mary seethes while everyone talks over her head about the upcoming tenants’ luncheon. Violet suggests that Mary attend and Tom eagerly agrees. Mary explodes and storms out. Robert feels vindicated in excluding Mary, but Violet decides it’s time, over Robert’s objections, to convince Mary to rejoin the land of the living. That evening, after beginning to stand up for herself with Robert, Mary breaks down weeping and apologizes to Carson. The next day as Robert and Tom kick off the tenants luncheon in the dining room, Mary suddenly appears, her mourning black in the past, and takes her place at the table.

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

A few weeks pass. Edna has now rejoined the staff. After Thomas tries to befriend her (no doubt to get information out of her), Anna warns her to be cautious. 

A large box arrives for Mary, from Matthew’s former law office. Carson and Mrs. Hughes decide to give it to Robert to open first in case it contains sensitive materials. In the box, Robert finds the toy dog that Mary once gave Matthew and a pile of books. A folded document falls out of one of them. It is a letter to Mary from Matthew, stating that upon his death, she is to be his sole heiress. Rather than give the letter to Mary, Robert first shows it to Violet – he isn’t sure it’s legally binding. Violet accuses him of wanting to be in sole charge of the estate (which is true, of course). Robert hedges by telling Violet that he will have his lawyer review it, but he’s sure that Mary won’t want to be involved in the estate. Violet isn’t buying it.

That night, Robert finally gives Mary the letter, telling her that in his opinion, it’s not a will despite being witnessed by two of Matthew’s clients. Everyone else thinks Mary should take part in decisions about the estate anyway, as it’s what Matthew clearly wanted. Robert disagrees and tries to intimidate Mary. Later, his lawyer determines that the letter indeed qualifies as a will.

During a walk in the village, Anna spots a dirty and disheveled Molesley; he is working as part of a road crew. He’s distraught and in debt. Anna, heartbroken for him, tells him that she and Bates can give him some money, but he won’t accept their help. Later, having received a wedding notice from their former housemaid Gwen, Anna decides to get a card for her and Bates wants Molesley to be among the staff who sign it. Anna is puzzled by his insistence. Having gotten Molesley to comply, Bates invites him to dinner in the servants hall. We then learn why Bates wanted Molesley’s signature – during his stint in prison he picked up a valuable skill: forgery. Bates uses the forged signature on a promissory note, lying to Molesley that he’s paying him back for a forgotten loan. Flabbergasted, Molesley doesn’t remember any loan to Bates but is grateful to receive the cash.

Edna confesses to Thomas that she has accidentally burned a hole in Cora’s favorite silk scarf. To get Edna on his side, Thomas lies to Cora that Anna did it and is covering it up. Anna and Bates know this isn’t true and it’s now clear to them both that Edna is dangerous.

Rose approaches Anna with a flyer advertising a working-class afternoon dance in the village. Would Anna chaperone her? Anna turns her down, but Mary, guessing that life at Downton must be dull for Rose, encourages Anna to take her as long as they stay out of trouble. Entering the dance hall, Anna and Rose are observed by Jimmy who follows them inside. Inside, Rose brazenly telegraphs her desire to dance, and a young undergardener, Sam Thawley, takes notice and asks her. When another man tries to cut in, a fistfight ensues, with Rose actively participating. Jimmy, watching with Anna, quickly extricates the two of them just in time as the police arrive. That evening, Sam, having learned from Rose that she “works” at Downton, arrives at the servants entrance asking to see her. Rose, having been quickly outfitted as a maid by Anna, kindly lets him down easy.