‘Downton Abbey’ season 3, episode 3 review: Did Edith’s [spoiler] happen?

As always in the world of “Downton Abbey,” there was quite a bit of drama that unfolded during Sunday night’s episode; some of it was uplifting, some was sad, and some was intriguing. Overall, it was an hour that gave us another look into the struggling institution and the stress that comes with dealing with this situation at the same time as trying to plan a wedding.

First things first, one major theme this week was servants getting called out on whether or not they were going to be leaving their post. First of all, there was talk that Mrs. O’Brien was going to be departing the Abbey, which is far from something that she appreciated; meanwhile, there were all sorts of questions about whether or not Mrs. Hughes was going to be well enough to even work the grand occasion. We did learn that there is an announcement coming soon concerning Hughes’ condition, but we really don’t know whether or not it is true that the tumor is fact benign.

While all of this story made for compelling television on its own, it really pales in comparison to what was the true stunner of the episode: Edith being left at the altar by Anthony as he was looking at her in the eye. Really, it felt in many ways the like Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big’s wedding the first time in the “Sex and the City” movie. He couldn’t handle the thought of her being married to him forever, and he took off. Her heart was of course smashed on the floor,

While we were still tearing up over some rather tragic and terrible news, there was a glimmer of hope presented in the minutes that followed: after a lengthy debate, Matthew agreed to give a sizable chunk of money in order to keep the Grantham estate present at Downton. There was one twist that came along with it, as the Lord would only go through with it if Matthew agreed to become a part-owner in the property.

Overall, we had another compelling episode of “Downton Abbey,” and are pleased that the show will not have to change its name to “Downton Place.” What did you think about this episode?