‘Downton Abbey’ season 3 debate: What should happen in Christmas special

If you enjoyed “Downton Abbey” season 3, you are probably suffering right now with the knowledge that this is the first weekend in some time that we have without an opportunity to revisit the world in which we have come to love over the course of the past several years. There’s no Alfred, no Mrs. Hughes, no Hugh Bonneville digging his toes into the mud. There’s nothing of the sort unless you just want to go back and watch repeats.

Instead, we have something different to look forward to in the show’s upcoming Christmas special, which is (gasp!) still a month and a half away.

Nobody wants to be depressed at Christmas, so regardless of whether or not Julian Fellowes sets the special this year in the yuletide season, we hope it does contain some sort of happy ending. In addition to that, we also hopes that it continues along some of the stories that played out during the season 3 finale: do we need to see Thomas and Jimmy talk things out? Not necessarily, but their situation at least should be addressed. The same goes for the love triangle with Alfred, Ivy, and Jimmy, as well as how Bates is adjusting now to life as a free man.

As for the world upstairs, let’s hope that Robert is able to find himself some essence of joy after spending the last several episodes moping around that he can lo longer puff out his chest and make everything work out for him the way in which he pleases. Tom and Matthew will hopefully be getting along, and Cora will have started to move on from the Sybil tragedy.

Doing a holiday special is always tricky in that you have to balance holiday traditions with telling a story that is true to the characters, and for this show, this is even harder when there is so much sadness on a weekly basis. In addition to some reasons to smile, we’re also looking for a transition: give us not just a reminder of season 3, but a taste of what “Downton Abbey” could look like when season 4 (hopefully) arrives next fall.

What do you want to see unfold?