Set in December 1919 and January 1920. The household is bustling with all the Christmas preparations. Mr Bates is put on trial for the murder of his ex-wife Vera. The Earl of Grantham and Mrs Hughes testify but Bates is not portrayed in a good light and the evidence for prosecution look much more convincing than for the defence. Bates is found guilty and sentenced to be hanged. Anna breaks down and decides that she will have to leave Downton if worst comes to worst. Matthew tells Anna there's still a chance to fight and towards the end of the episode the death sentence is commuted to life imprisonment. Also the relationship between Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary Crawley takes another twist. She jilts her fiancé Sir Richard Carlisle despite his threatening to reveal her dark secret regarding Kemal Pamuk. She decides to tell Matthew about Pamuk knowing that he'll have to find out eventually and is surprised to hear that Matthew isn't worried about it. He says that they both lived their lives in different ways and it's in the past. In the final scene Matthew proposes to Mary but only after she insists he get down on one knee. She accepts.
Cast List
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Notes
- So far, this is the only Downton Christmas Special actually set at Christmas.
- Violet uses the phrase Mais où sont les neiges d'antan? quoting the French poem Ballade des dames du temps jadis. It literally translates to Where are the snows of yesteryear?, or more figuratively, Why does life fade so quickly?[1].
External links
Transcript Part 1 at Script Line
Transcript Part 2 at Script Line
References
- ↑ Ballade des dames du temps jadis by François Villon