‘Downton Abbey’ season 5 spoilers: Christmas special details; Joanne Froggatt’s defense

This week, ITV started to lift the veil officially on the upcoming season 5 Christmas Special for “Downton Abbey,” and just as you would probably expect given the sensational show and also the subject matter here, there is quite a bit of story to comb through.

Before we do anything else, though, why not start by sharing what is the official synopsis for the special. Obviously, there are massive spoilers ahead for season 5, so if you are American or you just are not caught up, now would be the time to stop reading:

“The drama will pick up in autumn 1924. It’s grouse shooting season and Rose’s father-in-law, Lord Sinderby, has rented out Brancaster Castle in Northumberland and invited the Crawley family to a shooting party. While good sport is enjoyed, Stowell has an axe to grind and a scandalous secret threatens to undermine the holiday. Surprises are in store as the families become better acquainted with each other and some new faces arrive on the scene.

“Meanwhile the servants hold the fort back at Downton. As Anna faces an uncertain future behind bars, Bates takes drastic measures in a bid to clear her name. Baxter and Molesley are busy on a joint plan and Carson and Mrs Hughes consider a business venture.”

We do not quite feel like there is anything too egregiously surprising about the synopsis, mostly because the majority of this probably qualifies very well as story that you saw coming a mile away. Seeing Rose’s in-laws is a chance for the Crawley family to get away from Downton, and based on what happened to Joanne Froggatt’s character in the finale, it made sense that we would pick up with Bates doing everything that he possibly can in order to help her.

We’re going to have some further updates when it comes to this special very soon, but for now just hope for a worthy send-off to what has already been a vast improvement over the fourth season