O'Brien still sticking the knife in encourages James to go to Carson and tell him not to give Thomas a reference otherwise he'll have no choice bit to get the police involved. Knowing full well Carson hates a scandal and will do most anything to protect his Lordship's name. Thus leading him to change his mind and tell Thomas he won't be getting a reference. Didn't Carson think that giving in to this type of blackmail will only stand him in lesser stead. Who will follow orders from him if he can't keep the hired help in check?
Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) gets involved when she finds Thomas outside in the rain and he refuses to tell her what happened, lest she be shocked. Which intrigues her even more so he has to spill now. Her conversation with Carson shows how different the two of them are even if they are close in age and do come from similar times. She is more open minded and admits to Carson she has come across men like Thomas before. Still I can't believe they had Thomas just give in, this wasn't the same Thomas from last season and it's a wonder why they changed his character so much. He would have given O'Brien everything he could to get back at her but no it seemed O'Brien and her scheming ways had won.
Infact Thomas finds an unlikely alley in Bates (Brendan Coyle) who takes up his cause. They've had their differences in the past but he doesn't wish to see him dejected and knows how it is to feel powerless in that way and fights for him even if Thomas has given up. Thus asking for a weapon he can use against O'Brien, even if he doesn't. Knew it would be the baby storyline from Series 1, where O'Brien made Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) slip on the soap outside the bathtub so she'd lose her baby; the male heir to Downton. To think she got away with that all this time and continues to do so. Bates invites her over to their newly found cottage much to Anna's (Joanne Froggatt) chagrin and she can't help feel that Bates shouldn't be helping Thomas after everything he's done to him. Bates can't see him suffer though and especially not see him go to prison either.
Would have thought Carson et al would have realized James didn't have the nouse to be behind such a scheme. Bates realizes when he sees the two together and Carson should have too when he saw O'Brien listening in outside his door. Oh and another thing O'Brien thinking she could get away with this, did she not imagine Thomas could blab about her baby stunt, it's a wonder why he didn't.
Didn't like the bit where Cora stated O'Brien would scold her for being late to change, who's in charge anyway? Bates whispers what Thomas told him to O'Brien which sends her hurriedly away all flustered and she convinces James to let Thomas get his reference since he's had his way now and they'll think him the better person for it. Which again makes you ask why James didn't cotton on that he was just being used by O'Brien, she's Alfred's (Matt Milne) aunt, why would she be doing James any favours, since setting him up with Thomas was just a convenient way of getting rid of two birds with one stone, leaving promotion open for Alfred, well it backfired on her. Bates finally reveals to Anna what Thomas told him, "his Ladyship's soap" which puzzles them both, but it works. Good to see continuity here and this being brought up again.
Bates tells Robert ((Hugh Bonneville) of the goings-on which lead him to remark of the number of times he was kissed on the mouth at Eton, showing he's more open minded to such things than even Carson, but not to others. Robert wants to keep Thomas on and not least for the cricket, he's the best player the House team have got. Bates thinks it may be cruel to dismiss him after the game, but Robert wants him to stay permanently. He thinks Carson should find some way to make James see sense otherwise he'll be undermined for always if he gets away with this blackmail. Thomas gets promoted to under butler which makes him Bates's superior, ironically he helps him and Thomas gets promoted! James is promoted to first footman by Robert. Something he clearly didn't deserve and to think women are accused of being fickle!
This all leaves Albert annoyed and he calls the police, leaving Robert to sort this mess out too. They've all made mistakes which is what Robert tells him and Albert tells the police he was too hasty in calling them and was drunk. Those policemen didn't look convinced. No scenes with Albert and Ivy this week, so much for him wanting to know if James had any intentions towards her which led to the whole mess last episode, so that was forgotten about.
Elsewhere Matthew (Dan Stevens) finds out Mary (Michelle Dockery) was unable to conceive due to a 'woman's problem' she can't explain to him but it's all better know, after he catches her at the same doctor he visits. Branson (Allen Leech) agrees to stay on at the house with baby Sybil, now called Sibbie, until she's older which Cora is delighted with. Branson also convinces Robert to come round to Matthew's idea about asking the farmers to sell and gets to play cricket, even though he can't; as the 'aristocrat-ization' of Branson continues. Well he's becoming more like one of the landed gentry every episode.
Some nitpicks, everyone at Downton knew of Thomas's sexual orientation, not just a few but everyone, (going back to Series 1 and Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nichol) warning Daisy (Sophie McShera) to say away from him;) so much for idle gossip, but Robert as I mentioned is very understanding of it, yet he wasn't about many things. Such as Ethel being a tainted woman and not wanting the Crawley women to mix in her company. He was against Edith's (Laura Carmichael) marriage to Sir Anthony and her writing her newspaper column. Yet he 'approves' of Thomas, a practise which as stated earlier, was a criminal offence. Not to mention his treatment of Branson and his beliefs, not only when he left Sybil behind in Ireland and made a run for it to England, but generally, including the christening of baby Sybil a Catholic.
Elsewhere, the boring part was the arrival of the Dowager's (Maggie Smith) great niece, Rose (Lily James) neither needed in the episode nor made a slight bit of difference to it. Just used as a filler (unless she returns nest series to cause more trouble) and her dalliance with a married man is also frowned upon, to the point of the Dowager ensuring she gets to Scotland to live with a boring aunt. Edith checked up on her editor after he flirted with her and found he's married, but as he explains his wife is in an asylum and as she's a lunatic, he can't divorce her. A plot stolen from Jane Eyre no doubt. Did I say stolen, I meant 'borrowed.' Again showing the times and laws that were prevalent at the time, thank goodness for liberalism some may shout.
Funny moment , though it wasn't meant to be when it was mentioned they shouldn't treat someone who served his country in that way, when talking about Thomas, considering the lengths he went to get out of the trenches! Oh and the Dowager admitting to Isobel (Penelope Wilton) that she spent an hour with her own children every day.
Ethel found a position nearer to her son, Charlie and the Dowager made this possible by ensuring Mrs Bryant (Christine Mackie) approved of her working nearby. Leaving the Dowager and Isobel to be in agreement over something, at last. All in all, some highs and some lows this season of Downton Abbey but I'm sure you'll agree one of the best scenes was Sybil's death, okay I don't mean it to sound like it wasn't sad, but it allowed the cast to get their teeth into their roles, along with O'Brien's scheming and Thomas become a changed man, let's see how long that lasts?
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