Mary (Michelle Dockery) has set up the meeting with the tax people in London being accompanied by Branson (Allen Leech) and Rose (Lily James) wants to go too. She'll try and work out a payment plan so they can pay off the tax over a period of time and reminds Robert (Hugh Bonneville) of how he says they're the caretaker of Downton and so that's what they're doing. Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) telephones Rosamund (Samantha Bond) to ensure Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen) gets an invite to her house too whilst Mary is there.
The doctor (David Robb) is planning on setting up a clinic and hopes Isobel (Penelope Wilton) can help out which she'll think about. Edna (MyAnna Buring) confronts Branson about their one night stand and he apologizes for misbehaving since he was drunk but she wants more out of it and jumps to the conclusion that she might be pregnant in which case she wants reassurances that Branson will marry her and be a father to her child. He thinks she's being premature and won't promise to marry her. Of course anyone knows what she had up her sleeve once she got his assurance she'd have found someone to have a baby with and pas sit off as his. Thomas (Rob James-Collier) listens to them talking though he doesn't know what it's about.
Anna (Joanne Froggatt) is still avoiding Bates (Brendan Coyle) and at breakfast she sits down next to Green (Nigel Harman) at the table but Tony's leaving today and so will he. It was rather off Anna having to sit next to her attacker and then with the others, Bates and Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) talking about her hitting her head and cutting her lip, with Green still around. She still hasn't told anyone especially not Bates as she still tells Mrs Hughes she doesn't want Bates to kill him and then watch him be hanged. Mrs Hughes thinks he deserves to know and especially since she's cold towards him but says it's got nothing to do with Bates. Mrs Hughes bringing up the question of what Anna will do if she's pregnant, to which she replies "I'll kill myself." Selfish attitude of course, then what does she think Bates will do when he finds out the truth later and take matters into his own hands.
At Rosamund's house, John Bullock (Andrew Alexander) is also there and wants them all to go to the Lotus club for dancing and a jazz band. Rose jumps at the chance and Tony asks Mary so Branson is roped into it too. John being called away whilst he had already started his game of cards and whiskey so he's drunk when they arrive there. Making a spectacle of himself and Rose on the dancefloor, leaving Rose to be rescued by Jack Ross (Gary Carr) who takes over as her dance partner. Though Rosamund is not too pleased with this and sends Branson over to get Rose away from him. As Ross goes into a song about a "rose...by any other name..." Rosamund isn't pleased with Rose and Ross cos she mentions him as a black singer. Was it cos he was black or a singer or both? Obviously it's not the done thing.
Everyone wants Mary to get together with Tony and he confesses his love for her and even asks her to marry him, otherwise he'll have to announce his engagement to Mabel Lane-Fox and with a name like that no wonder he doesn't want to marry her. Tony comes down from London to stay the night and invites himself practically. Anna being relieved he didn't bring Green with him. She's asked Mrs Hughes if she can move back to the house since it will be easier for her. Everyone's noticed Anna's attitude, even Cora but she fobs it all off. To the point where Bate has to have a heart to heart with Robert who advises him that they love each other but all marriages have a rough period. Bates doesn't know what the problem is which makes it harder to fix.
Mary's noticed Branson's been off too lately and suggests he should tell someone. He wants to tell her but can't cos she's Sybil's sister and she won't like what he has to say and hate him for it so he confides in Mrs Hughes, as does everyone. She'd make a fortune as a counsellor if it was the done thing in those days! She helps him out by calling Edna's bluff after finding a Mary Stopes book in her room, yes she was rummaging through her belongings. She tells Branson she's not pregnant cos she's been reading up on how not to be and if he'd agreed to marry her then she'd have found someone to have a baby with. Mrs Hughes even going as far as telling her she'll tie her down and tear off her clothes so the doctor can examine her! This causes Edna to leave in a huff claiming family troubles. Yeah cos she wasn't in the family way herself, ha!
Thomas is relieved to see her go, thought they were buddies, as they exchange insults. Even thought for a second she'd push him down the stairs in her fit of rage. This means Anna has to be Cora's maid too which makes it even easier for her to move back here. Glad to see the back of Edna, don't know why they even had her back!
It's no fun being downstairs either as Ivy (Cara Theobold) gets to cook and Daisy's (Sophie McShera) still pining over Alfred (Matt Milne) who's still piing over Ivy. Alfred finds an ad for training at a school in London and wants to apply. Though there's no guarantee they'll have him, Daisy's upset cos he might be leaving. But Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nichol) tells her it's better if they part as friends instead of her love being unrequited when he doesn't feel the same way as her.
Alfred thinks Ivy might be interested in the training too and Daisy deliberately sends him to the boot room where he sees her kissing Jimmy (Ed Speleers). Who can't understand what the fuss is about cooking and does have dreams of his own, which involves drinking champagne and living the high life.
Edith (Laura Carmichael) is in London with Michael (Charles Edwards) who Robert likes now which is news to the Dowager (Maggie Smith) and Edith spends the night with him. Then sneaks back late night when she's seen by Rosamund's maid. She was careless especially since they just had that conversation about the servants leaving early and coming back at a certain time in the morning so everyone can get back to their own beds. A story told to her by Cora and Robert, who of course were in their right beds already. Rosamund is disappointed in her and tells her she'll regret what she's done in the future if not now, cos of the times they live in which may be changing but not for people like them.
Mary refuses Tony's proposal cos Matthew "still fills my brain" and he will for a while to come as we've been hearing about Matthew now for four weeks. He doesn't want to let Mabel down so Mary tells him to go ahead and do what he must. As he says something similar to Rosamund; that he's in the position where he has to marry. Another repeat of the Matthew/Lavinia storyline, where he was engaged to her cos Mary kept putting him off and couldn't declare her feelings for him. Although this time round Matthew is the cause of her rejection. Which is understandable as she can't be expected to forget him already and move on with her life. Isobel and the Dowager having a similar conversation earlier on about how Isobel doesn't want Mary to be sad and knows she will find someone else.
Glad Edna's gone but it seems Thomas is going to bring in someone else who will turn out to be another troublemaker like O'Brien, but can think of only furthering her own career and prospects. As he tells Robert he has someone in mind to replace Edna, someone older, which Branson is pleased to hear. Mrs Hughes gives Carson (Jim Carter) a framed photo of Alice so he will look at her and remember her, also showing he's human to the rest of the staff.
Some choice words from Branson as he tells Edna "don't speak her name" when she mentions Sybil and also "There is nothing but regret in me," after what he did with Edna, it's no wonder. Not to mention Mary and her reference to Edith as being "about as mysterious as a bucket."
Still there's no justice for Anna, as she refuses to go to the police still and not confide in anyone else, especially her husband. She knows Bates yes, enough to keep going on about him jumping to murder as his first reaction to such news, but she doesn't give him the benefit of the doubt, that he will react in a less violent manner and seek to make things right for her first by being there for her and not judging her. Mrs Hughes's line to Edna, which may have been a little funny, "I'll tear the clothes from your body and hold you down, if that's what it takes," could be seen as insensitive judging from the events of the last episode concerning Anna. Also Mrs Hughes is aware it was Green from the look she gives him from afar when they're leaving.
Another line of wisdom from Mary as she tells Branson that someone else would have been ashamed of her too if she had been honest with them at the time, meaning when she told Matthew about her night with Mr Pamuk in series 1, but he didn't hold it against her. Branson finding Mrs Hughes was the only one he could turn to and not be judged by her. Which is what everyone appears to be doing this ep.
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