The Crawley family is in mourning after the untimely death of Lady Sybil. Everyone misses Sybil and feels the great loss of not having her around. Cora’s grief seems to be the most palpable. Her grief is compounded with anger towards Lord Grantham. Cora still believes that had Lord G. listened to Dr. Clarkson, Sybil would be alive. The anger Cora bears against Robert is causing a terrible strain on their marriage, forcing them to sleep in separate beds. Gasp. The Countess Dowager notices the strain (not because of the bed issue) and devises a plan to help them. The Dowager summons Dr. Clarkson and encourages him to share his findings about the “real” cause of Sybil’s death. Quick thinking Dowager Countess. The information that Dr. Clarkson shares with Lord G. and Cora is just what they needed to hear…..in order to let go of the anger and grieve together. The scene where Cora and Lord G. embrace each other was so emotional and heartwarming. I couldn’t bear it if Cora and Lord Grantham continued to live in disharmony. Or worse. Divorce. Just thinking about it stresses me out. Thank God for the Dowager. Phew.
Branson announces over breakfast that he’s naming the baby Sybil (after her mother) and she will be baptized as a Catholic. Lord Grantham is shocked at the thought of his only granddaughter being baptized as a Catholic …..something about – ”No, Crawley being a Catholic since the revolution”..blah…blah…blah. Light up Lord. G, it’s really not that big of a deal. At least the little one’s soul will be covered should she succumb to the same fate as her mother. Tom is doing a great job holding it together, despite the fact that he is still struggling with the loss of his beautiful wife. I’m beginning to soften towards Tom. It’s obvious that he truly loved and adored Sybil.
Cousin Isobel wishes to throw a little lunch party to lift the spirits of Cora and the girls. This lunch party sets Ethel on a mission to impress Cousin Isobel by improving her cooking skills. Ethel reaches out to Mrs. Patmore for help with cooking lessons. Mrs. Patmore is kind enough to oblige and provides Ethel with recipes and tips along with a few lessons. So kind, that Mrs. Patmore. I know Mrs. P can a be a bit strict with the kitchenmaids but underneath it all I think she’s a real softie.
Mrs. O’Brien is still scheming and working on her master plan to obliterate Thomas. (I’m telling you, this chick needs a love interest ASAP! She’s got too much time on her hands.) O’Brien steps up her game. She is no longer satisfied with just hinting around to Thomas about Jimmy. Nope. She blatantly tells Thomas that Jimmy has a crush on him. Thomas takes the bait due his narcissistic tendencies. This situation could it ugly….
Whoo Hoo! Jailhouse shenanigans have resumed. Mr. Bates and his cellmate are at it again. Anna visits Mr. Bates in jail (for the 800th time) and informs him that Mrs. Bartlett has recanted her story regarding her interaction with Vera before she died. This recantment could affect the outcome of overturning his case. Bates vows to Anna that he will get to the bottom of why Mrs. Bartlett is recanting her story. Anna makes Bates promise he won’t “do anything foolish.” Despite Anna’s loving encouragement, Mr. Bates still puts a hurtin’ on his cellmate. While the inmates are walking around the courtyard (which one can only assume is their form of daily exercise) Mr. Bates grabs his cellmate out of line and shoves in him a nearby corner away from the peering eyes of the guards. Bates then threatens his cellmate with what looked like knife. (The “knife” had a little hook on it, so we really can’t be sure it was a “real” knife.) Mr. Bates threats worked! Out of the blue, Anna receives a letter from Mr. Murray (Bates’ Lawyer) stating that Bates will be released from prison in a matter of a few weeks. So basically, Bates will be back at Downton Abbey in next week’s episode. Can’t wait….
Best Line: “Is it over, when one loses a child. Is it ever really over?” – Cora
To Watch Season 3/Episode 5: Click Here
