‘Downton Abbey’ season 5, episode 3 preview: Maggie Smith, Brendan Coyle, and secrets

Next week, “Downton Abbey” is going to be back with an episode that is going to take many stories up a notch, and hopefully also unleash some surprises along the way. (Spoilers ahead for Americans!)

By and large, though, the theme of the week here seems to be secrets. Many of the characters are having to handle the fact that their past has come back to haunt them; in the case of Lady Mary, meanwhile, she will have to deal more with a secret she is keeping in her present with Tony Gillingham. The official synopsis, via the ITV guide, gives you a better idea of what you can expect:

“Mary’s secret assignation is very nearly blown, but Violet’s quick thinking saves the day. Robert is left red faced and furious when things do not go as planned. The events surrounding Green’s death come under scrutiny once again, while Mrs Patmore is devastated when old wounds are reopened but Carson is unsympathetic. Branson receives an interesting proposition concerning the future of the Downton estate, and a figure from Violet’s distant past suggests she has buried secrets of her own.”

We do wish that ITV would make some of their episode previews a little earlier to find online, that way we could attach a video to this article for you to also enjoy. If nothing else, though, we feel like this is a pretty nice (and substantial) tease for what you can expect moving forward.

What do you want to see on the next “Downton Abbey” episode? Share your thoughts with a comment, and head over here to get some more updates (including a full review for tonight’s episode). You can also sign up in the event you want some further TV updates on everything we cover right now via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: ITV