'Downton Abbey' Recap: Season 4 Episode 3

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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It’s the morning after the concert. As the guests are preparing to depart, it’s clear to Bates that something is wrong between him and Anna – she is withdrawn and pale and is avoiding meeting his eyes. Green is seated with the servants at the breakfast table and as Anna forces herself to take the empty chair next to him, she lies to an incredulous Thomas that she fell and cut her lip. Mrs. Hughes is quick to minimize the situation, but Bates isn’t convinced. In private, Mrs. Hughes tries to persuade Anna to report the crime to the police, but she can’t take the chance that Bates will find out. To that end, Anna asks Mrs. Hughes if she can separate from Bates and move from their cottage back into the house. Bates is devastated, assuming he is somehow at fault.

Meanwhile, as Gregson is leaving, Robert is far friendlier to him than when he arrived. Sampson humbly asks Gregson to forgive his personal gambling losses. At Edith’s urging, Gregson reluctantly does, but warns Sampson not to try swindling anybody at the London clubs – he’ll be permanently blackballed. Sampson despairs of being able to make a living; Gregson coldly suggests he find another avenue for his talents.

Bullock and Gillingham are leaving as well; Bullock is determined to cultivate a relationship with Rose, but she hasn’t yet been presented at court, so she can’t officially date him. And Gillingham similarly tries and fails to make his case with Mary – she’s not ready yet. Green, for his part, is anxious to get away (literally).

Isobel encounters Clarkson while walking in the churchyard cemetery. He asks her to help him staff an out-clinic at the hospital. To get herself out of her funk, she starts volunteering there, where she is asked to help a poor widow and her young daughter. It seems to help.

Robert thinks the only way to pay off Downton’s debts from Matthew’s death taxes is to sell off portions of the estate; Mary and Tom are vehemently opposed to this. The two of them will go to London to consult with a tax attorney and visit Rosamond. Rose is eager to accompany them (uh oh), and they agree. Cora, determined to play matchmaker, asks Rosamond to host a dinner party and invite Bullock and Gillingham.

An Escape to London

Edna confronts a bleary-eyed Tom in the upstairs hallway. He apologizes for his behavior the night before – he was very drunk and not in control. “So you’re not going to deny it?” she asks, with an edge to her voice. Clearly, Tom never meant to initiate anything with her and is rightly afraid she’s trying to trap him. Later that day while Tom is packing for London, Edna slips into his bedroom to allege that she might be pregnant, threatening to expose him if he doesn’t agree in advance to marry her if she is. “I mean to make a go of being your wife,” she declares. Tom recoils.

Thomas discovers Edna cheerfully cleaning shoes in the boot room. Crowing to herself about presumably having Tom right where she wants him, she smugly warns Thomas that he had better stay on her good side – she’s probably moving up.

Mary notices that Tom is sick with worry – if he won’t tell her what’s going on, she urges him to unburden himself to someone (as she did when she came clean to Matthew about the Pamuk incident). Tom takes Mary’s advice and tells Mrs. Hughes the whole story. Mrs. Hughes hatches a plan. After doing some digging, she summons Edna to her sitting room while Tom is there. Edna assumes they are going to try to pay her off to leave Tom alone. Mrs. Hughes has no such intention, because Edna is not pregnant. Having searched Edna’s room, Mrs. Hughes found a book with instructions for birth control and now divulges how Edna tried to trap Tom. But Mrs. Hughes is bluffing and tricks Edna into revealing the truth, forcing her to resign. Goodbye and good riddance, Edna.

In the kitchen, Alfred excitedly shares a newspaper ad: the Ritz Hotel in London is launching a chef training program with a chance for a job if successful. He will apply to test for a spot and is eager to share the news with his unrequited crush Ivy. Daisy, having just witnessed Jimmy luring Ivy into the boot room, archly suggests Alfred look for her in there. Alfred is livid at what he sees. Daisy had hoped Alfred would turn to her after that, but her ploy has backfired: Alfred is more determined than ever to leave Downton and get that job at the Ritz.

Arriving at Rosamond’s home, Mary is disconcerted to encounter Gillingham, with Bullock. Pointedly, she asks after his almost-fiancé Mabel Lane Fox. To Rose’s delight, Bullock proposes that after dinner they all go to hear a jazz band at the Lotus Club. Once there, despite enjoying dancing with him, Mary urges Gillingham to marry Mabel – she will not be ready to contemplate romance for “some years.” Meanwhile, Bullock gets messily drunk and stumbles off to be sick, leaving Rose embarrassed on the dance floor. The band singer, a handsome Black man named Jack Ross, scurries off the bandstand to resume the dance with her. Rose is grateful for his help. Appalled, Rosamond has Tom quickly intervene.

A Surprise Proposal

Mary and the others have only just returned from London when Mary gets an unexpected visitor: an anxious Gillingham. He rode back on the same train and has a question for her: will she marry him? Mary is astonished – prior to the weekend, they hadn’t had any contact since they were children. Gillingham claims to be in love with her, assuring her that no doubt Matthew was a “splendid chap,” but he’s alive, Matthew’s dead; he “likes Mabel a lot” but he doesn’t love her. Mary doesn’t know what to make of him, but reiterates (again!) that she’s not ready. He swears he doesn’t mind waiting for her, as long as she agrees to marry him in the end. Mercifully, Robert interrupts before he can say anything else. That night after dinner, as everyone except Tom plots to push Mary and Gillingham together, Isobel makes a Herculean effort to make Gillingham feel welcome.

Edith is in London to visit Michael Gregson. He is leaving for Germany in a week, and asks her to temporarily take over his affairs while he is gone. After dinner, he has her sign some legal documents. They discuss going out dancing, but decide to stay in. Very in. Early the next morning, her hostess Rosamond watches disapprovingly as Edith returns, tiptoeing up the stairs. Rosamond admonishes her niece to be careful; obviously that ship has sailed.

Before Gillingham leaves Downton, he again tries to pressure Mary – if she doesn’t agree to marry him, he’ll have to say yes to Mabel because “he must marry someone.” (Seriously?) Mary can’t and won’t accept – she isn’t free of Matthew yet, doesn’t want to be, and doesn’t know when she will be. Gillingham agrees to leave her alone, for the price of a kiss. Will she regret her decision later?