‘Downton Abbey’ season 4 debate: How do you replace [spoiler]?
Following the events of the “Downton Abbey” season 3 Christmas special earlier this month, one thing was very clear: Julian Fellowes has his work cut out for him moving into 2013. He has to try to find a way to appease a group of people over a decision that he really had nothing to do with. (Warning: the following contains major spoilers for American readers.)
At the end of the day, Fellowes had little choice but to kill off Dan Stevens’ character of Matthew Crawley, and the decision in many ways was similar to what “Grey’s Anatomy” showrunner Shonda Rhimes had to do with Eric Dane at the start of the season. There was no realistically way to just write either character out of the show without tainting their own reputation; and in death, they can at least be remembered for being the person that they always were, and not someone who just abandoned ship on their family. Could Fellowes have found a way to make Matthew’s death a little more realistic to the show? Sure. It never felt as though the car that swerved him off the road was driving that fast, and the entire incident came almost out of nowhere.
The question moving forward is just what “Downton Abbey” does now. Tom Branson has been more or less groomed to fill the position left open by Matthew’s death, but in between he and Sybil’s deaths, Robert is now left with two children in Edith and Mary along with a son-in-law in Tom. The only way to bring someone new into this fold now seems to be via marriage, and Edith is the only reasonable candidate to see that happening in the near future thanks to the other two being still very much in a grieving process.
Instead, expect to see “Downton Abbey” fill the void in season 4 by focusing a great deal on the servants. The Thomas / Jimmy storyline is obviously far from over, and there could still be something in play when it comes to Daisy and Alfred. Also, is it too much to ask that Mrs. Patmore find a nice love interest after what happened to her in the Christmas special?
What do you think the “Downton Abbey” writers will do in season 4 to fill the void left by Matthew? Be sure to share your theories below, and you can also read our latest debate when it comes to the deluge of “Downton Abbey” spoilers online over at the link here.
Photo: ITV
LauraL
February 12, 2013 @ 8:42 am
Love Downton Abbey keep them coming. Want – Mary to find new relationship eventually – Not Tom though. Think Edith will live her life – maybe never marry but have a steady friend (editor maybe). Tom find love again. Children grow and become part of story line eventually. Love the sparring between Isobel and Dowager – keep that up. LOL at Dowager’s actions and lines. Jimmy can find love with maid – why not he is cute. You are doing a fine job – just keep it up!
rwarton
January 30, 2013 @ 11:53 pm
You see, I think that Mary and Tom could possibly end up together. It’s very weird but it would be very interesting and a nice twist on show I also think after Matthews death Isobel could have possibly moved to where they lived before they moved to Downton in season 1 episode 2.
Anon
January 10, 2013 @ 6:17 pm
I’m actually glad that there’s a reason to back-burner Mary and focus more on Edith. She’s a complex character and becoming a worldly, independent and modern woman. I’m anxious to see what comes next for her.
Lee
January 6, 2013 @ 9:41 am
I don’t think it would be unholy for Tom to find a new romance in S4. He will have been widowed about two years by then. Since when does remarriage undo your love for your former spouse? That’s nonsense. But not with Mary. They have little in common beyond their shared tragedy and she would still be grieving.
Tom should be allowed to find love again, not stuck at Downton just because the same thing happened to Mary. Someone has to have romance upstairs. I hope Rose will improve.
Clara
January 6, 2013 @ 4:48 am
I would love if they filled it with a Bates-baby! That would be just perfect but still Anna should be a lot on the screen because she is just brilliant!
Mary
January 5, 2013 @ 5:53 pm
Please NO more Jimmy (he’s a bore) and Thomas (he’s a creep). Forget Richard Carlisle too – he was just plain awful. I don’t like floozy Rose either. Maybe Michael’s wife could die in Season 4. Mary should be heiress in her own right – surely by now English law has changed? A romance between her and Thomas would be unlikely given their characters but they should develop a rapport. And Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes should get married. Bates and Anna should move to the USA. Robert and Cora should too when Downton becomes unsustainable. Season 4 should be the end of the show.
ATM4940
January 5, 2013 @ 4:43 pm
Richard Carlisle may not have gotten revenge out of the Pamuk/Mary scandal, but he and his temperament were nasty. I’d prefer not to see him return; and, in fact, I wanted to see him implicated somehow in the demise of the equally vile tempered Vera Bates.
If any character were given a chance to return, I’d like to see Lord Hepworth be allowed to redeem himself; no longer the fortune-hunter under the influence of Shaw. Nigel Havers fit in beautifully with the cast.
Rose is a silly, obnoxious little tramp, who needs to go back to London. Let her be Shrimpy’s problem.
As for the regular cast:
It is just too bad for Dan Stevens, Burning bridges with DA was handled badly, and it may have done more to hurt his career than help it.
The scene at the end of the cricket match of Robert with Tom and Matthew was one of the best from S3. I knew the rumors about Stevens’ leaving and had hoped it was a ploy to bump his salary and keep viewers on edge pending the beginning of S4. It would have been nice to see the storyline of Matthew’s vision for making the estate self-sustaining continue; there is a lot of potential for that aspect of DA.
Stevens was offered the chance to film a few scenes to keep the Matthew alive. With Matthew and Mary happily married, there was no UST to build upon, but there was the chance to see them “… build their kingdom…” and the chance to see Matthew become more prestigious. With Mary and Matthew secure enough in their relationship that he could accept a career with an embassy or a seat in Parliament would have been an ideal way to cover Stevens’ absence for most of S4.
Over Series 2 and 3, Mary learned to think beyond herself and care for others. Let us hope that Mary doesn’t spend S4 in constant mourning. The storyline of Matthew’s guilt over Lavinia’s death dragged on too long.
I like Tom Branson. He’s a much better man than Robert realized; he’s honest, he’s down-to-earth, and Tom has learned to fit into the family without having to compromise too much on his values. Tom had a lot of class when he told off his brother in front of the downstairs staff. (Mr. Carson, thank you for recognizing that.) Tom matured over S3, and I believe Robert will come to value Tom as much as he valued Matthew.
With the Downton succession in place, it will be Robert and Tom’s job to keep the estate in place. Having Mary work through her grief with the loss of Matthew by becoming involved in the workings of the estate would seem a good idea. It would also be a good way to build a closer alliance between Mary and Tom. Building a romance between Mary and Tom would seem a bit far-fetched, though.
While I may not be fond of Edith, I do think she’s been hurt enough and she doesn’t need another doomed relationship. Her becoming involved with Michael would be as pitiful as her involvement with Anthony Strallan. Edith should be allowed the chance to find a man without baggage – Strallan by his age and his injury; Michael by his inescapable marriage – neither is/was a decent prospect. Maybe Robert should give Edith the “… to go to America and … find a good man …” talk.
It’s time for Daisy to realize that Mr. Mason is offering her a chance to better herself beyond the confines of the kitchen. It would be good to Daisy “wise up” with Mr. Mason’s advice and become a successful, enterprising young woman.
Mrs. Hughes turned down a chance to rekindle an old flame, so her heart is at Downton. She knows the ol’ boy cares; how much more of a push does Mr. Carson need?
As for Thomas Barrow, it’s interesting how an unusual alliance with Bates was formed. Anna’s no fool, so it won’t take long for her to figure out the significance of “… her ladyship’s soap.” Thomas won’t allow himself to be made a target again. Should O’Brien persist in targeting him, she may find herself in hot water for a change.
Jimmy and Alfred can either learn to work with Thomas as the “under-butler”, or they can jolly well take a hike. Unlike William, I won’t miss either of them.
Laura
January 4, 2013 @ 9:14 am
I want to see Mary grieve and let her guard down and steer away from her otherwise untouchable and perfect state. I think this is a great acting opportunity for Dockery.
I want to see more of Thomas! I think I’m developing a crush on that guy actually. I hope he finally gets some love scenes. He’s been deprived too long.
What I do NOT want to see is a romance between Mary and Branson. That would be unholy or immoral or something. They should get close, be friends, raise the kids together but a romantic relationship would just undo all the love they had for Sybil and Matthew.
Julia
January 3, 2013 @ 4:59 pm
I’d love to see more of the new friendship between Thomas and Jimmy; and how it hopefully will develop into a romance. Thomas deserves to be happy with a beloved and I can’t help thinking that Jimmy behaves as if he is really closeted.
It would be wonderful to see a working gay romance in such a popular TV series!
DWN
January 3, 2013 @ 10:44 am
don’t care what happens. won’t be watching downton anymore as well
dina
January 3, 2013 @ 5:10 am
i like to see mary pick up what matthew left for Downton Abbey. Mary would be a formidable woman and now she has hers and matthews son to protect as the future heir of Downton. She will fight for him.
I do not want to see richard carlise back…that ship has sailed but I do want mary to find love again, much later and with a new character introduced.
I want to see how she dealt with Matthews death, the half of her who is now gone.
Michelle dockery acting would really come into play and she is a FABULOUS actress.
I will still miss Dan Stevens. His Matthew was perfect.
Codelia
January 2, 2013 @ 9:25 pm
I was shocked and hurt by Mathews death, but it’s not the end of the world… I will continue to watch with my two teenage daughters… I speculate and kind of hope that Tom and Mary will eventually fall in love, maybe by the end of the season or even season 5, the relationship could evolve much like Mary and Mathew or even Tom and Sybil’s did. Raise the babies together… Why not?
Jessijojo
January 2, 2013 @ 3:32 pm
I hope Lady Mary and Tom become closer as they will both know what it is like as their situation is the same. I am eager to find out what will happen between Thomas and james/jimmy. From reading the comments, people are being a little silly about Dan Stevens leaving. He has been in the show a long time and may want a change.
Karen Wasylowski
January 2, 2013 @ 11:28 am
I hope someone magnificent comes in to sweep Mary off her feet. And, like her attitude toward Matthew in the beginning, she hates him. But he’s persistent and gorgeous and maybe Rupert Penry Jones? Richard Armitage? I hope it’s a sensational shot in the arm to the show and that Dan Stevens will realize he bolted a bit too early. I think that was rather rude of him and disloyal to a show that made him well known. He may be counting his academy awards a little too early.
Christina Reeve
January 2, 2013 @ 12:20 am
By all means, bring back Sir Richard. He is one of the few people who possesses the strength to stand up to Lady Mary and be of actual service to the family. His departure created some sympathy for his character, and apparently he has cared enough about Mary and the family to keep their dirty laundry from being aired. Perhaps the most attractive aspect of Downton for many of us is Julian Fellowes’ interest in molding and reforming character. (So few television productions these days have similar elevated purposes!) Sir Richard’s becoming a better person and commanding Mary’s respect and perhaps affection would fit into this line of plot development. Like the best characters in Downton, he is larger than life, so his return would create an infusion of interest from his first sentence!
Anonymous
January 1, 2013 @ 5:25 pm
I’m thinking Tom and Rose may be the be next couple. He’s enough part of the Grantham family not to be too much of a disappointment to Rose’s parents who are despairing of what will become of her now they are facing ruin…who knows, Tom may be able to use his mouse to save the Scottish estate just as he and Matthew saved Downton! And he is an unconventional enough choice for Rose to feel like she’s sticking it to her parents :)
rachel
January 1, 2013 @ 12:15 pm
I expect we’ll see more of Edith and Michael–though lurid, that plotline has a lot of potential, and it would be nice to see Edith get a bit of happiness. I expect, too, that Branson will start to come into his own as a full member of the family. I would like to see grief help Mary develop into a more sensitive and thoughtful person, since nothing else seems to have done the trick yet. Edith displayed a lot of character development in seasons 2 and 3, but Mary much less. I think Isobel, in her grief, will be severely tempted to marry Clarkson in order to have a shoulder to lean on–but I hope she ultimately has the sense not to. Heaven only knows what Rose will get up to if she already slept with a married man (in 1920!) when apparently she’s not even making her formal debut until 1922.
Belowstairs, I would love to see a substantive plotline for Carson and/or Mrs. Hughes. I’d like to know more of their backstories. Mrs. Hughes is becoming one of my favorite characters. I’d also like to see Daisy make a decision about whether to take over William’s father’s farm. I think we will eventually see Anna and Bates expecting a child, but not until the very end of the series’ run, because there is no realistic way they could have a child and not leave service. And I agree with the commenter above that the Thomas/Jimmy storyline definitely isn’t over yet.
DApper
December 31, 2012 @ 8:21 pm
I fear S4 will bring a heavy focus on Rose. Her ‘season’ and wild ways, and I’d guess she’d be a natural match for arrogant wild boy Jimmy Downstairs since I don’t think she’s choosy who she snogs. Thomas may play wingman for Jimmy. The other major storyline will hopefully be Mary recovering and taking her place beside her Papa in running the estate in Matthew’s stead. She is headstrong and determined and also understands her father in a way no one else in the series does. I’d hope their relationship helps both of them get through the grief. Clarskon/Isobel undoubtedly began as a reason to keep Isobel with a storyline now that Matthew isn’t in the picture. I hope with the loss of the surrogate son, O’Brien’s soap chronicles resurface. And I definitely think we need more of existing relationships instead of introducing new ones, and I hope to see more of the Bates/LordG bromance as Robert deals with grief. Their scene in the pub from way back remains one of my favorite honest moments in the series. Robert feared losing Matthew then when he was missing in the war, and confessed to Bates that he loved him like a son. More of that, please, but no estrangement between Robert and Cora. Been there, done that.
Frances
December 31, 2012 @ 6:57 pm
Julian Fellows could have found an actor to replace Dan Stevens!
Call the midwife is now my favorite show. Their Christmas special left everyone feeling great! The tears were tears of joy!
36500
December 31, 2012 @ 11:38 am
I am a bit disappointed that Matthew died because everything seemed so perfect like they said they would be building their kingdom while they make their little prince and they wern’t far off well untill this happened i’d hate it if tom became the knew air because then it would mean all the fuss of mary having a boy would be for nothing she might as well been a girl so maybe im a bit more than disappointed!
TJ12
December 31, 2012 @ 7:27 am
Dan Stevens has always been the weak link in Downton Abbey. I’m so looking forward to S4 without him. Julian Fellowes did the only reasonable thing he could do and shouldn’t be blamed for spoiling anyone’s Christmas.
The show is an ensemble. No one character/actor is more important than the rest. DA will survive fine without Mr. Stevens.
Kg
December 30, 2012 @ 9:34 pm
Matthew and Mary were the foundation of the show; losing one fundamentally alters it. There were ways of writing Matthew out without destroying the marriage. He could’ve gone to America for something to do with Cora’s mother, for example. That would’ve given Dan Stevens the option of maybe appearing in a future episode or two. He’s been quoted as saying he wouldn’t do that but who’s to say he wouldn’t have changed his mind in the next year or two? The show isn’t the same anymore and I almost feel that the first two seasons were a sham. I’m not sure I’ll watch it again.
Steve
December 30, 2012 @ 8:14 pm
Do not care what happens. Will not be watch Downton anymore.
Marion
December 30, 2012 @ 4:03 pm
I would like to see the return of Sir Richard in Mary’s life. He was left with a broken heart . He has never blown the gaff on Mary and the ‘Turk’ . His character could be developed more over a period of time showing a softer side than the cold hearted businessman he was portrayed previously.
C
December 30, 2012 @ 3:17 pm
Tom Branson, Mary and Edith are my favourite characters snd I can’t wait to see hoe their storylines evolve. Cora fought so hard to keep her granddaugter at Downton Abbey and she has never even been seen holding her. I look forward to seeing how the next generation and the new character of Rose is written into the script. The servants of course are brillant and are not utillised nearly enough, I feel. More downstairs next season please.
Natasha
December 30, 2012 @ 2:53 pm
I would love to see a romance between Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes! It would be perfect. And I’m not a fan of Branson (I don’t like calling him Tom) so I wouldn’t be happy if he got a bigger role, but he probably will. I would also like to see more scenes between Cora and Robert. I’m a big fan of Cobert! And yes please let Mrs. Patmore find a fancyman and no, the Thomas/Jimmy-thing is not over yet, but I feel sorry for Thomas because Jimmy is just so coldhearted.