‘Downton Abbey’ season 4, episode 6 review: Lady Edith’s news; Jack Ross, Charles Blake arrive
There was a party on “Downton Abbey” Sunday night, but was there anyone really in the mood to celebrate? That is what we wondered a good half an hour or so into the episode. Almost every character was going through something pretty horrible, except for Rose. She’s still in her oblivious little world, thinking that everyone is as accepting and fun-loving as she is (when they rarely ever are).
Her big story this week was almost silly compared to all of the others in that there was a “surprise” that she had for Robert in honor of his birthday, and it was the booking of a band. What band are we speaking of? It’s of course Jack Ross, which is moderately interesting just because we like him.
Since this story is perhaps the most obvious of the night, let us instead move on to some other more pressing matters. But what we will say here is that Robert’s reaction to Jack performing at the Abbey was actually rather sweet. We thought for sure that he was going to stay in the past and react angrily to seeing something so different, but he went along with it. Cheers for Robert! This was a nice little light in a pretty dark season. As for Rose and Jack kissing, let’s just go ahead and say that everyone saw that one coming.
Edith’s surprise – Did you see this one coming? Right when a character is feeling down, the show then finds a way to kick her yet again. Edith learning that she is pregnant with Michael Gregson’s child is a perfect example of that, right when she cannot figure out for the life of her just where he is. The police were put out on the case, even in Germany, where he was supposedly heading in an effort to be able to marry her.
Anna and Bates – These two had themselves a nice little romantic dinner … that was in the end not that nice at all. The big issue with their dinner was that Bates is still desperate to murder the man who raped his wife, and she is still desperate to keep it a secret.
Mary’s preoccupation – Unfortunately for Mary, she learned tonight that Charles Blake, one of the new men arriving at the Abbey, was hardly there in order to ensure that the estate was successful. Instead, it was more of a research project. All the while, Mary was still confused over her feelings for Lord Gillingham, who was now engaged to another woman after finding out that Mary was not interested in marrying him.
In the end, Robert’s lovely reaction to the jazz band was the highlight of the entire night, mostly because save for the pregnancy shocker, not really that much happened. We honestly expected more for the sixth episode of the season, especially with only so little time left in the season. Grade: B-.
What do you think about tonight’s “Downton Abbey” episode, and did you see some of these surprises coming? Be sure to share below, and click here if you want to see some more news (including a preview for next week).
Photo: ITV