‘Downton Abbey’ season 4, episode 8 preview: Is Laura Carmichael’s Edith finally smiling?

The past few weeks on “Downton Abbey” have been more than rough for Lady Edith; they’ve been torture. After all, we’ve been subjected to watching Laura Carmichael’s character suffer through horrible circumstances as she (spoiler alert!) has to come to terms with the fact that the love of her life 2.0 Michael Gregson is nowhere to be found. This comes after the after her last man in Sir Anthony left at the alter. Can Edith ever get a win?

Well what is is particularly interesting about the photo attached here is simply that there is finally a giant smile across Edith’s face, meaning that she, if nothing else, has come to terms with her situation. We know that in this finale, she will find someone who is both interested and capable of taking care of her unborn child, but there are a number of other hopes and issues that will need to be taken care of first before all is resolved and the situation can be a truly happy one.

Or, who knows? It is possible that Gregson may have been found somewhere, as indications are that the man did find his way into Germany as of late in his attempts to try to get into a position where he and Edith could actually be married. But here is the ultimate conflict for the show when it comes to this character: They do want to see Edith have a happy ever after sort of ending, but at the same time, they also don’t want to take her away from the Abbey and the rest of the characters until the series finale rolls around. It’s a risk to do anything different here, and then find a way to continue to include her character in everything, which we are sure could be difficult at times.

Want to see some more “Downton Abbey” scoop on the finale? Then click here to see a photo featuring Allen Leech’s Tom Branson, or here to watch a sneak peek featuring Lady Rose getting read the riot act.

Photo: ITV