'Downton Abbey' Recap: Season 4 Episode 5

Downton Abbey airs Thursdays at 8:00 pm and is available to stream by WTTW Passport members. Recap the previous episodes.
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A few weeks have passed. Edith has still heard nothing from Gregson; Anna’s mood is somewhat elevated now that she has moved back into the cottage with Bates; Robert gets news that Cora’s ne’er-do-well American brother Harold has made some bad investments; and Tom and Mary have persuaded a nervous Robert that Downton needs to delve into pig farming. Tom promises not to leave for America until the business is established.

Rose is excitedly preparing her surprise for Robert’s birthday dinner. She confides in Cora that she will need Carson’s and Mrs. Hughes’ help in keeping it under wraps. Baxter overhears them discussing it and is later grilled by Thomas, but she has nothing to share, even after she asks Cora if any “big changes” are in store. It turns out that Rose is bringing a six-piece jazz band to Downton for the party and begs Mrs. Hughes to host them downstairs without Robert or Cora seeing them first.

Violet is still missing her precious letter opener; she grills her butler Spratt about it and continues to strongly suspect that young Pegg took it. Later that day, Isobel is outraged to discover that Violet has fired Pegg and angrily confronts her. A day or so later, Isobel inveigles Spratt into letting her into Violet’s study while she is out. She finds the letter opener wedged in a gap in a chair cushion. “Eureka!” she says triumphantly, handing the object to Spratt. The following day, she and Clarkson, gearing up for battle, are astonished to learn that Violet has rehired and apologized to Pegg without Isobel having to say a word.

Edith, deeply distressed, discovers that she isn’t the only one who hasn’t gotten any messages from Gregson – none of his friends or work colleagues has heard from him either, and his office has sent a detective to Munich to investigate. But she does receive sobering news from the doctor who treated her in London: she’s pregnant.

A Departure

Alfred, downcast since his rejection from the Ritz, is elated to receive a letter from them – the candidate who finished ahead of him in the cooking school examination has dropped out of the chef training program and he has gotten a spot. Everyone is happy for him except Jimmy (jealous) and Daisy (devastated). 

Jimmy, on Alfred’s last night at Downton, pointedly invites Ivy on a date to see a Rudolph Valentino film in the village. Returning to the Abbey afterward, Jimmy tries to take advantage – she “owes” him, he claims. Ivy thinks otherwise and strides angrily off. She thought Jimmy was a nice guy, she later laments to the ladies on the kitchen staff; Alfred would never have treated her that way. Daisy isn’t having it: Ivy led Alfred on and only appreciates him now that she’s driven him off. (Not exactly true, but whatever.)

Mrs. Hughes makes the case that since Alfred is leaving, Carson should call in the experienced Molesley to replace him. Still stung by Molesley’s reluctance, he refuses. Molesley has heard about the upcoming vacancy, though, and upon scurrying to ask Carson again, still gets a firm no. Molesley then turns to Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Patmore, who get Carson to change his mind: Molesley is rehired.

Anna, needing to make some new memories, suggests that she and Bates go out for a rare dinner date at the Netherby, a nice hotel in town. But upon arrival, the snooty maître d' sizes them up and claims to have “lost” their reservation. Luckily for them, Cora, dining there with her charity committee, intervenes. The maître d', now humbled, seats them at the best table in the place, but Anna is still haunted by what happened and Cora notices, later talking it over with a worried Mary while Baxter eavesdrops. Later, when Thomas grills her, Baxter reveals only that Cora suspects Anna was “hurt” but doesn’t know how or by whom. Baxter admits that she’s uncomfortable “telling tales.” But it’s increasingly clear that Thomas has some kind of leverage over her.

A Surprise Birthday Party

It’s the afternoon of Robert’s birthday party, and Rose pays a visit to the servants hall to warn them of the band’s imminent arrival, but she is interrupted by the sudden appearance of bandleader Jack Ross, the Black singer who rescued her on the dance floor at the Lotus Club. The servants are dumbstruck, not knowing what to make of a person of color in their midst. Later, Carson awkwardly asks Ross if he has thought of visiting Africa. “I’m no more African than you are,” replies Ross, amused.

Also that day, as promised, Evelyn Napier arrives with his boss, the good-looking and arrogant Charles Blake. Mary assumes they’re there to offer advice, but Blake quickly sets her straight: the government has sent them to do an objective study of whether the failure of estates like Downton will affect the British way of life in terms of food supply – he couldn’t care less about helping them survive. Mary shrewdly recognizes Blake for what he is: the enemy. Matters don’t improve at dinner when Mary tries to express concerns about the welfare of the pigs now in their charge and Blake accuses her of being a sentimentalist.

All other conversations are abruptly interrupted by the sound of the band striking up in the gallery. After the family gets over their initial shock and Robert pronounces the whole thing “fun,” most get into the spirit and start dancing and enjoying themselves. Mary persuades Robert to pay the band’s fee so Rose won’t have to, and once everyone has departed, Mary heads down to the servants hall to arrange it. To her surprise and disapproval, she catches Rose and Ross canoodling. As she hastily retreats, Mary’s stony expression suggests that Rose will be getting an earful about this relationship.