‘Downton Abbey’ season 4 spoilers: Julian Fellowes on ‘advantage’ to Matthew’s death

Losing a character is never a good thing, and it can be devastating for many fans that came to believe in them, and want to see big things happen with their character. Unfortunately, there are also times in which you really have no choice other than to put someone out to pasture. This was the situation Julian Fellowes was placed into when it comes to Dan Stevens, and he killed off Matthew at the end of “Downton Abbey” season 3 to squash any false hope that the character could return.

In the end, though, Fellowes (who writes every episode of the show) still believes that he made the right choice here, if for no other reason than that it allowed the show to move on quickly rather than dwell with uncertainty about what happened to the Matthew character. Just take a look at what he has to say about the early days of season 4 per the Los Angeles Times:

“Well the advantage of Dan dying at the end of last season as opposed to the beginning of the new one is we are able to have a six-month gap. So we don’t have to do funerals and memorials and all that stuff. That has all happened — we rejoin the family six months after his death. The sort of subtitle of the series is the rebuilding of Mary, really.”

Mary’s future on the series is at this point well-documented: While she may not be keen to move on with her life altogether quickly, there are going to be a flurry of suitors desperate to win her heart, including Tom Cullen’s Lord Anthony Gillingham. This story may not even be a one-year affair, as it could take time for her to figure out just what she wants now from life.

If you do want to check out some more “Downton Abbey” news, don’t worry: You can read more about Allen Leech and his furry friend over at the link here.

Photo: ITV