Downton Abbey blog: Episode Four

“Who would have thought an amateur concert could be the summit of all joy?”

Indeed. I don't care what anyone says, absolutely nothing on TV in the last week has come close to making me laugh with sheer delight in the way that Matthew and Mary's Musical Moment did. Now, that's not to say that Mary's whispered “oh, thank God” at seeing Matthew didn't make me choke up a little, but that was forgotten seconds later as I found myself doubled up with laughter. Well played, Fellowes, well played.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the soup kitchen plot. It was absolutely classic Downton: completely random; not wholly logical; entirely predictable; and, in its own way, downright heart-warming. I could happily watch Lesley Nicholl saying “That's it, Daisy, put them in the special storage area” over and over again.

Lady Mary was also on fire this week. Thankfully, soppy Mary has gone, and fierce Mary has returned; Michelle Dockery gave Maggie Smith a run for her money this week, delivering some brilliant lines with all the bite you'd expect from the granddaughter of the Dowager Countess. I didn't even begrudge her bursting lovely Sybil's romantic bubble, as she did it with such panache.

Oh, Sybil and Branson, what a sweet, naïve pair you make. Credit where it's due to Jessica Brown Findlay and Allen Leech, as their chemistry is what makes this storyline work despite their lack of scenes together. Besides, even if it's not entirely convincing, it did give us the Dowager Countess discussing “inappropriate relationships” with a barely disguised glee.

Unfortunately, the Sybil/Branson story highlights the main problem with this week's Downton: the time jumps. I understand the logic behind them, trying to cover as much of the war as possible, but they don't seem to have been entirely thought through. If this episode was set in 1918, the Easter Rising happened two years before, not last year. And would Sir Richard really have waited this long for Mary's reply?

Leaping forward in time also gives the impression that Matthew can just pop back from the trenches any time he wants, somewhat underplaying the loneliness and horror of wartime. The Matthew/William trench team-up is clearly ridiculous, but it just fits in completely with the world of Downton, and Thomas Howes basically broke my heart as poor, sweet, clueless William gazed on his beloved Daisy once again. Oh, William, I'll have you. I also hope Isobel returns soon, as the Cora versus Isobel scenes were a delight to behold. “If you continue to treat me like this, I'm going to leave. Really, I mean it... Honest, I'll go!” Good work, Wilton and McGovern.

But please, please, why does Anna get to be all strong and brave when Bates isn't there, but turn into a big pile of insipid mush the second he returns? This is the girl that carried Mr Pamuk's dead body across the house to save Mary's reputation – let her be that amazing all the time. Still, I loved all the “a PUBLIC HOUSE?” moments, and O'Brien and Thomas teaming up against Anna and Saint Bates resulted in some of the best moments of series one (cough, tripping Bates up, cough), so I'm hopefully we'll get plenty more of that now.

As for Ethel – poor, silly Ethel – how could she be so silly? Doesn't she know she's in a working class character in a period drama? Any sex with an upper class character was always going to result in pregnancy. Still, that final moment was a perfect soap cliffhanger, once again proving that Fellowes is completely aware that that's what he's writing. A period drama soap. And that's fine by me.

With the return of Evil Mrs Bates, will Lord Grantham finally find out Mary's secret? I flipping well hope so.

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