DOWNTON ABBEY: And So It Ends…

We’re now at the season 4 finale of Downton Abbey, and much has happened since the premiere. We’re now well into 1923 and Rose’s coming out ball is only a few weeks away. The staff, for various reasons, has been split between Downton Abbey and Grantham House in London for the to-do, and more of the staff are coming down as the ball inches closer. Except for Thomas and Ivy, everyone else is down in London. That leaves the two of them to look after Tom, who’ll be in town later.

As if Thomas wasn’t already annoyed with Tom, it’s made worse when Tom brings Miss Bunting into the house to look around, going so far as to let her up into the gallery to see the ground floor from above. Thomas, as always, thinks the worse and later tells Robert of Tom’s persona life. Tom just can’t seem to catch a good break and be at equilibrium in the house.

Edith is back from Geneva and needs new clothes now that she’s not pregnant (not that the family knows she was pregnant in the first place). Turns out that Michael gave Edith power of attorney, so she’s to run his paper while he’s missing. But thinking about what Michael wants makes Edith think that she’s done wrong by their daughter. At Rose’s ball Tom tells Edith to stick up for what she believes; she decides to go get her daughter from Geneva and bring her back to the village. Mr. Drewe has agreed to take on Edith’s baby, though she doesn’t tell Drewe the whole truth of who’s baby he’ll be taking care of. They end up agreeing to something else – it’s their secret alone – and Drewe has a good story already devised to tell his wife so she’ll accept the girl with no trouble.

Because of all the hassle of the ball, Cora wants Carson to organize a day out for the staff. Carson’s ideas are the Science Museum or the Crystal Palace, which aren’t what most people would think of as fun. The ideas of the day out are not met with enthusiasm. In fact, it’s dead silence. The beach is ultimately what Carson decides upon, with a little help from Mrs. Hughes. The beach is a grand idea and the staff all seem to enjoy the day away.

Lord Merton stops by to visit Isobel and asks her if she’ll be attending Rose’s ball. Is he flirting or am I missing something else? He thinks better of her for deciding to go to Rose’s ball. Violet looks put out at having to come to London without a maid. At Rose’s ball they share a waltz and makes his intentions very clear. Maybe Isobel will have a life despite losing both her husband and her son.

Rose goes off to the Embassy Club after a dinner and meets HRH the Prince of Wales. The Prince of Wales knows Rose’s father from his trip to India last year. As only can happen in an episode, the Prince soon turns into the central focus of the everything else. His date, Mrs. Dudley Ward, had her purse – with a rather inappropriate letter from the Prince – stolen by Mr. Samson. Rose, Robert, Bates, Mary and Lord Gillingham and Mr. Blake all join in a very elaborate plan to get the letter back, which includes the following: Bates forging a letter; an almost rigged card game to get Samson out of his house; a trip into Samson’s apartment by Mary and Rose; Bates showing off his grifting skills and pulling an expert lift of the letter. In the end, so pleased with what Rose did for him, The Prince dances with Rose at her ball. So being a silly girl can have real advantages when you become someone so important to the Prince’s safety.

Mary has a date with Mr. Blake at the art museum while in London. Turns out that Blake is heir to a baronetcy, and so for all that Mary thought him not of her stature to be told otherwise changes some of her opinion of him. Too bad Lord Gillingham had to tell Mary that news and complicate her feelings about the three gentlemen that are chasing after her. Maybe next season will be the battle royale between Blake, Gillingham and Napier for Mary’s affection.

For Rose’s ball, Cora’s mother and brother arrive. Harold, still licking his wounds from Tea Pot Dome, tries to make nice and seems very out of his depth. He does meet one of Rose’s friends, Madeline, whose father is trying to push her towards Harold – for the money, of course. Meanwhile, Madeline’s father is also trying to get in with Mrs. Levinson, who wants none of his title and society. She does, however, offer to introduce him to some other widows later if he wants a second wife.

Mr. Levinson’s valet, Mr. Slade, is not used to the English way of doing things in the house. He evens asks Daisy to be Mr. Levinson’s cook in the States when this trip around Europe is done. She refuses the offer – not just for the job but for his affection – and so Ivy takes it instead and will go off to America in her stead. Daisy really loves the thrill of having another man after her affection, so I suppose that will keep her happy for another season.

Meanwhile, Anna gives up Bates’ old jacket to the Russian refugees at Mrs. Hughes’ request, and in the pocket of that jacket was a train ticket into London on the same day that Mr. Green was killed. Mrs. Hughes shows the ticket to Mary and the conversation goes to whether or not to tell Anna about what the ticket might mean for Bates. Mary makes a veiled reference to what might have happened in London to Bates and worries that she’s made the wrong decision about what might have happened between the two of them. In the end, it’s all for nothing, as neither Mary nor Mrs. Hughes tells Anna about it, but Anna does have some idea that something happened on that day.

And so another eventful season at Downton comes to a close, and the wait begins for season 5.