Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
In 1912, news that the Titanic has sunk reaches Downton Abbey: Lord Grantham’s cousin James Crawley and James’s son Patrick, the presumptive heirs, are dead, leaving the title and estate entailed to a distant male relative. That brings Matthew Crawley, a Manchester solicitor, and his practical mother Isobel into the orbit of a family accustomed to its own rules. Robert hires former batman John Bates as his valet, despite the staff’s suspicion of his limp, while Matthew’s arrival sets off a clash between Isobel and Violet over the village hospital.
The household’s private troubles grow as Mary becomes drawn to Kemal Pamuk, a Turkish attaché visiting with Evelyn Napier. Pamuk enters Mary’s room and dies there; Mary, Anna and Cora carry his body back to his room to avoid a scandal. Daisy saw them, and her account eventually reaches Edith, who writes to the Turkish ambassador. O’Brien and Thomas also work against Bates: Thomas tries to frame him for theft, while Bates and Anna develop feelings that he initially refuses to act on because of his past and uncertain future.
Downstairs, Gwen’s effort to leave service for secretarial work finds an ally in Sybil, who arranges an interview for her with a telephone company. Edith pursues the older Sir Anthony Strallan, while Sybil supports women’s political rights and grows close to the Irish chauffeur Tom Branson. By summer 1914, Cora’s surprise pregnancy threatens Matthew’s inheritance if the baby is a boy. Fearing for her position, O’Brien leaves soap beside Cora’s bath; Cora slips and miscarries. Mary is ready to accept Matthew’s proposal, but he mistakes her earlier hesitation for doubt about his inheritance and decides to leave. At a garden party, Robert receives news that Britain has declared war on Germany.