‘Downton Abbey’ season 4 Christmas special: New Laura Carmichael, Hugh Bonneville details
The holiday season is officially upon us, and in a few short weeks, so will the “Downton Abbey” Christmas special. It’s an annual tradition and an opportunity for some merriment. Then again, this is also the same special that previously saw the end for Dan Stevens’ Matthew. While producers have said that nobody will spend Christmas Day knocking on death’s door, that is by no means a guarantee that we are going to see a special that is a bed of roses.
ITV has just released the lengthy official synopsis for this episode, and it shares a few dramatic developments for the likes of Laura Carmichael, Elizabeth McGovern, and Hugh Bonneville’s characters. Since it has been so long in the timeline of the show since the finale (there’s a significant time jump), it’s fair to say that almost everyone will be in a very different place than where we last saw them:
“It’s the summer season and as part of Rose’s ‘coming out’ she is to be presented at Buckingham Palace. The family and servants are at Grantham House, their London residence, preparing for the busy social program. Not one to miss such a grand occasion, Cora’s mother, Martha Levinson makes the journey from New York with her playboy son Harold, fresh from his recent brush with the law. Both outspoken and larger-than-life, they make quite an impression amongst certain members of London’s high society, in particular with Lord Aysgarth, played by James Fox.
“Isobel finds herself with an admirer while Edith is wrestling with a moral dilemma. Downstairs, Daisy gets an unexpected invitation and Carson treats the staff to a special day out. When the Crawleys are implicated in a scandal that threatens to engulf the monarchy, Robert will go to great lengths to protect the royal family, and his own.”
This special will likely set some sort of cliffhanger for the fifth season, though we don’t expect one as dramatic as what we have seen on the show before. This will probably be more along the lines of an event or two that will further shape the story, which may or may not be the end of the series.
Is there anything you want to see in the special? Share below, and also click here to see the first full trailer for the show. We’re going to have some more news as it develops, so be sure to check back for more on that.
Photo: ITV