I don’t think I’ve ever written about a TV show before, so that’s a little off topic for this blog. But, whatever…it’s my blog, so I get to write about what I want to, and I felt like I had to get this out of my head and share it with someone. Enjoy!
The subconscious is an amazingly powerful thing. Our minds are always working working on something under the covers, behind the scenes. Then, out of the blue, as we are walking along the street or taking a shower or doing the dishes we have an ephipany. A flash of insight, moment of lucidity…something that we didn’t understand before is revealed to us and suddenly becomes as clear as the day.
Cody, at the Rover.com office
Such a thing happened to me this afternoon, as I was walking from my office to where I park my car a few blocks away. I have no idea why, but suddenly it became painfully obvious to me what will happen in Season 4 of Downton Abbey. I guess my mind was working on this puzzle subconsciously, and the only reason I can figure why is that there was a dog in our office that looked a lot like the Earl’s dog in the show.
Before you go any further, be prepared for a spoiler alert. Of course, I have no idea if Season 4 has been written, and there’s a good chance my prediction may be wrong. But, at this moment, I’m pretty confident this is what’s going to happen.
Let’s start by thinking about what happened towards the end of the last season, Season 3.
First, we had Tom Branson, the Irishman widower, moving deeper within the family fold. First, he was appointed to be the manager of the estate, and then agreed to remain at Downton while his infant daughter, Sybil, grew up. Tom has given up on returning to Ireland, has moderated his revolutionary spirit and is becoming increasingly comfortable with his aristocratic role. Day by day, he continues to become more accepted by the family.
Next, we had the season finale where Matthew dies in a terrible car crash immediately after having become father to an heir for the Downton estate. The result, of course, was to leave his wife, Mary, a widow with the baby infant, and also living under the same roof as Tom.
By now, you must see where I’m going. If not, let me spell it out for you: Mary and Tom will become a couple and raise their children together at Downton Abbey.
Mary has always been sympathetic to Tom, and treated him more compassionately than the others in the family. By the end of the last season, her father, the Earl, had come to accept Tom into the family, and will accept the arrangement now that the issue of an English heir to the estate has been settled.
With each being widowed at childbirth, Mary and Tom will have a special bond. They have always felt a kinship, and that will strengthen. The question is whether that will transform into romance. In other words, whether or not they marry or simply co-habitate. I suspect they marry because I don’t think many people co-habitated in those days.
The only real question in my mind is whether Season 4 will begin shortly after Season 3 left off, or start a few years later. In the first case, we get all sorts of drama with the conclusion being their coming together as a couple. Basically, a redux of Season 1 with Tom substituted for Matthew. To be honest, this sounds boring…a fairly linear plot line where every episode would be plain old soap opera drama until the ultimate conclusion.
I prefer the second option—with the story picking up a few years later, after Mary and Tom have come together. By then, the family will have come to terms with all the drama surrounding Matthew’s death, and Mary and Tom’s…how shall we say it?…coupling. This arc leaves more to the imagination, allows for greater creativity in the writing, and sets up Season 4 to be about Mary, Tom and how they prepare to take the leadership roles at Downtown.
What do you think? Amirite?