OMG! They killed Matthew!

Monday, February 18, 2013

For those of you who are avid Downton Abbey fans, the final seconds of Season 3 has left us reeling. Matthew Crawley, so crucial to the series since the outset, died of an automobile accident just after seeing his newborn son. 

As tragic as the death of Matthew was, his departure clears the way for new plot lines in Season 4. The actor who played Matthew, Dan Stevens, wanted to pursue other projects, as did Jessica Brown Findlay, who was killed off in childbirth earlier in Season 3.

Matthew and Mary with their newborn son

Downton's creator, Julian Fellowes, told The Telegraph of London that portraying a happy marriage between Matthew and Lady Mary would have been of little interest to viewers. “Actually, nothing is harder to dramatize than happiness. When two people are happy, that's it,” he said.

"So now we've got Mary widowed, trying to control the estate, feuding with various other people about what the right way forward is, looking for a new life, dare one say it," Fellowes said. "All of that is more interesting than two people sitting by the fire having a cup of tea."

Maureen Ryan, the TV critic for The Huffington Post (and no fan of Downton Abbey), agrees. "So what would a fourth season have held for Matthew? More trumped-up arguments with Mary? More gentlemen's disagreements on how to run the estate? There just wasn't a lot left for Stevens to do with the character, and why shouldn't an actor on a hot show strike while the iron's hot and try to branch out into other kinds of projects when he gets the chance?" 

From hospital to fatal car crash in a flash

One critic was shocked by Matthew's death. Patrick Stoner, whose Flicks program is syndicated to public broadcasting stations from its home base at WHYY in Philadelphia, went on air to raise money for the station right after the finale. He was visibly moved. Stoner said he watched the finale along with other viewers, and the death was totally unexpected.

In Season 4 we may have to get used to other deaths or departures. An obvious possibility is Maggie Smith, the acerbic Lady Violet. She was one of the last actors to sign on to Season 3. She may have had her fill of the series; in the hiatus between seasons he has worked on two films. Moreover, the aging Lady Violet is slowing down; the death of Lady Sybil staggered her. And she has been caught napping unexpectedly at various points during Season 3 episodes (though her mind remains as clear as ever).

Fellowes has hinted that Season 4 may bring back another appearance of Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson, Cora's mother and the nemesis of Lady Violet. But without Lady Violet, what is there for Mrs. Levinson to do?

Friends but not lovers

What's a gay man in rural Yorkshire in 1921 to do? Especially when the man is an under-butler who must spend most of his waking hours tending to the upper crust at their estate. There are, of course, no rural bars anywhere near Downton Abbey. I've read that there was only one in all of England at that time, and its presence was strictly secret. Committing a homosexual act was grounds for imprisonment.

Rob James-Collier as Thomas Barrow

That's the situation facing Thomas Barrow, a servant at the estate, who was outed and nearly arrested for his advances on another male co-worker. In the next-to-last episode of Downton Abbey, the scheming Thomas was brought down by the even more devious Miss O'Brien, a lady's maid who was once Thomas's ally. Season 3 concluded on Sunday evening.


Thomas finally seems to be reaching out favorably to his co-workers. His nemesis, O'Brien, is away tending to the Crawley clan as they visit Scotland. At the estate, there is no sign of friction between Thomas and Carson, the butler. And, as we saw in last week's episode, Lord Grantham decided that, despite the commotion over Thomas's outing, he would stand by him.

But Jimmy (or James, as he is known upstairs) is another matter. Jimmy, the object of Thomas's affections, remains deeply uncomfortable. When the servants attend a local fair, Jimmy refuses Thomas's offer of a drink even though Thomas had extended the same offer to everyone.

Ed Speleers as Jimmy Kent

Their relationship soon takes a new twist. When two rowdies at the fair attack a slightly inebriated Jimmy for his money, Thomas rushes to his aid. Thomas gets a severe thrashing while Jimmy runs away, fetching the doctor. 

Later as Thomas lies alone in his bedroom, recuperating from his injuries, Jimmy enters. He said Thomas was brave for taking on the muggers while he is ashamed for fleeing. Jimmy wonders, though, why Thomas had been following him. Thomas explains that he felt Jimmy had had too much to drink. When Jimmy asks why he was so concerned about him, Thomas replies, "You know why." Jimmy emphasizes that he can never reciprocate Thomas's desire for him. Thomas says he understands that but would like to be friends. Jimmy consents and, to show his good faith, begins reading a newspaper to the ailing Thomas.

And so ends Season 3 for the only gay servant downstairs at Downton Abbey. Will Thomas ever find any love interests? Perhaps elsewhere on the estate, maybe a field hand? A farmer? A visitor to the estate? Will he really regard Jimmy as a friend, or try again for something more?

And what happens when O'Brien returns from Scotland; will she seek revenge against Thomas? She must realize, after all, that it was Thomas who revealed the secret that forced her to call off attempts to have him fired and arrested.

So many questions. We'll have to wait another 12 months for answers.

The gay character in 'Downton Abbey'

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Season 3 of Downton Abbey comes to a close this evening. One thing I'll be looking for is how Thomas Barrow, the scheming gay footman-turned valet, handles his survival from last week's emotionally wrenching blackmail at the instigation of his onetime compatriot in evil, Miss O'Brien.

Thomas tries to seduce a sleeping James

Thomas constantly was trying to improve his station in life, yet always failing. He engaged in a mountainload of nasty actions to get ahead. He conspired with O'Brien to get rid of Mr. Bates, one of Downton's sympathic characters, and undercut William, another good soul. Thomas had his own hand shot during the war so he could escape the horror of trench warfare. Post-war Thomas tried to be his own man by setting up a black market in rationed goods. That failed, and having no other option, he had to beg to return to Downton as a servant. He hid Lord Grantham's dog so he could become the hero by retrieving it; Instead the dog was found by someone else.

Thomas, played by Rob-James Collier

Throughout Seasons 1 and 2 Thomas aligned himself with the spiteful Mrs. O'Brien. Their relationship fell apart in Season 3 when Mrs. O'Brien secured employment for her nephew, Alfred. O'Brien was more cunning than Thomas, and she punished him for his criticism of her nephew.


"With Thomas and O'Brien, you've got these two forces, and it's kind of a paradox--they work for this great house that keeps them off the streets and from starving, and yet they absolutely despise the system they're in, because there is no other option," Rob James-Collier, the actor who plays Thomas, explained in Out magazine. "In a weird way, Thomas wants to bring down the system, but if he did he'd be putting himself out of a job and a home."

Miss O'Brien, played by Siobhan Finneran

Thomas craved love with another man. His only dalliance was with the visiting Duke of Crowborough, who enjoyed the sex but would not hire him away from Downton. In Season 2, Thomas experienced unrequited love with a war-blinded soldier (the soldier committed suicide rather face relocation to another hospital where he would no longer be with Thomas).
Late in Season 3, Mrs. O'Brien schemed to place Thomas's homosexuality on center stage. In the 1920s in England, attitudes toward same-sex relationships were illegal and punishable with hard labor. Socially homosexuals were condemned harsher than prostitutes. 

O'Brien encouraged one of the new footmen, James, to become friendly with Thomas. Then she hinted to Thomas that James was keen on him. The result was disaster for Thomas. One night he entered James's bedroom and tried to kiss his him; James hollered and O'Brien's nephew, Alfred, witnessed the event. 

Footmen Alfred, left, and James

A pitiful Thomas was about to lose his job when Mr. Bates, of all people, intervened and, in the process, thwarted O'Brien's machinations. O'Brien was forced to yield, urging James to forget Thomas' indiscretion.

The final episode of Season 3 may leave many questions unanswered. Will Thomas, recovering after his brush with catastrophe, change his ways? Or will he try to punish O'Brien or the footmen who acted against him? Ironically Thomas, having survived, is promoted to under-butler, only because no other job at Downton happens to be available. Will he and Carson, the head butler, finally establish a cordial working relationship? Will Thomas move on to another estate where in the hope he finally has an opportunity to find love?

We may not know the answers to any of these questions. Other important plot twists must be resolved before the season ends. If you're like me, you're devoted to Downton Abbey and would love to see a Season 4.

The downstairs staff, left, and the upstairs family of Downtown Abbey. 

Clear your calendar for Sunday. 'Downton' is back!

Saturday, January 5, 2013

The wait is finally over. Season 3 of "Downton Abbey" starts Sunday evening.

Sparks fly between Martha and Lady Violet 

When we last left the series, Downton Abbey has weathered the Great War, and Mary and Matthew are engaged to be married. Series 3 takes Downton into the 1920s, a period of upheaval not only for the world but the house and its inhabitants. 

Robert, Lord Grantham, and Carson the butler

Cora's mother from America, Martha Levinson, is arrives, setting up the inevitable clash with the formidable Lady Violet. The two headstrong personalities, played by Shirley McLaine and Maggie Smith, respectively, represent the New World's modernity and the Old World's history.

"You Americans never understand the importance of tradition," huffs Lady Violet.

"Yes, we do," responds Martha. "We just don't give it power over us. Maybe you should think about letting go of its hand."


The bigger stage is the changes wrought by the war. The economy is transformed, thanks to the growth of the labor movement. Women have made strides gaining their rightful place in society. 

The great houses have been crippled financially and psychologically. Downton may not be exempt. Robert tries valiantly to maintain Downton at all costs. But can he succeed? 

Viewers will see the heartache, lust, woes and much more of the human condition that makes up the series. Questions abound. Will Matthew and Mary, with so much personal tensions in their past, become happily wed? 

Matthew and Mary

Sybil and Branson return to Downton; will Robert be accepting as he promised? Will John Bates, suffering in his prison cell, win release and a return to his beloved Anna?

What of the replacement for William, the footman who was mortally wounded in battle? 

And will the downstairs managers, Carson the butler and Mrs. Hughes the housekeeper, be able to manage the affairs of the house as well as they did in the past?

We'll get our first clues to these answers Sunday evening. Watch your Public Broadcasting Service station at 9 p.m. local time. 

In the meantime, you can visit a wonderful series of features on PBS's Masterpiece Theater site online. You can get a refresher course on Seasons 1 and 2, watch interviews with key actors, and get glimpses of each new episode of Season 3.