Robert (Hugh Bonneville) gets a letter form Cora's (Elizabeth McGovern) brother, Harold and we're not made aware of the contents until the end when Robert asks if Cora's read it and she thinks Harold is innocent and it will all blow over, also asking if they know the senator. Rose (Lily James) reminds Cora about the surprise for Robert's birthday but she doesn't tell her what that is. She asks if Carson (Jim Carter) will be able to help with it and keep the secret but Cora suggests she should try Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) as she's better at secrets, as we know from the Anna (Joanne Froggatt) storyline but she didn't keep that for long. Which Rose does and Mrs Hughes goes along with keeping the band down below as long as Cora has her permission. Mary (Michelle Dockery) sees Anna is in better spirits and that she's moved back to the cottage eve if she won't tell her what was wrong.
Anna catches Bates (Brendan Coyle) alone under the stairs (!) having a moment which she thinks is cos of her. He tells her she married a brooder and that's what he's doing, brooding, she tells him to brood about her. Thomas (Rob James-Collier) is adamant Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) keep her side of their bargain and tell him everything she hears upstairs which she does but doesn't know what the secret is. He tries to get it out of Mrs Hughes but she's not obliging either.
Albert (Matt Milne) gets a letter telling him he's been accepted at the Ritz as he was number 5 in line and he tells that to Jimmy (Ed Speleers). Who responds he didn't say he wasn't next in line. Albert's nervous about going but Carson tells him it's only cos he's intelligent and only intelligent people get nervous and not the forward thinkers. Daisy (Sophie McShera) is upset he's leaving cos she thought he'd stick around now even if he was moping around and didn't want to watch her prepare anchovy sauce!
The Dowager (Maggie Smith) finds a Japanese figurine missing and that's the final straw for her as she fires Pegg. He tells this to Isobel (Penelope Wilton) and she's angry at her hasty response. Thus she confronts her and they have an argument over the Dowager not doign what is just and how she just wants to accuse Pegg without finding out the real truth. So when she goes out, Isobel returns in true detective fashion and feigns being dizzy to be able to sit down in her sitting room and nose around. She finds the letter opener lodged in between the Dowager's chair and gives it to Sprat to return to her. Oh and the figurine was found in the maid's cleaning bucket so it must have fallen in, but she thinks Pegg could have placed it in there. These two really do make the show more comedic than it is and that's good cos some scenes make you think you've seen it all before.
Albert thanks everyone for being kind and having him here and even thanks Carson for teaching him so much. But Daisy doesn't say goodbye to him, he does to her though and tells her she couldn't have had him cos he doesn't feel that way about her but she'll make someone really happy so she wishes him luck. Cue Molesley (Kevin Doyle) as he saw Albert whilst working at the station, he came running to secure his position, which Carson doesn't want to offer him even if he was "willing" to take it on. Prompting Molesley to go to Mrs Hughes for help. She comes up with the plan that they'll be busy at the birthday party and so Carson will need someone to serve the servant's tea. So you see the hierarchy is still going strong, depending on which servant you were, the upstairs servants get served too! Carson gives in and tells him he can have the job and reminds him to wear gloves.
Anna and Bates decide they need to go on a date and should go out for dinner. She's still sad that a shadow lies over them and he sees her differently. He tries to reassure her as she says she wants to make good memories and star again. Jimmy wants to take Ivy (Cara Theobold) to see The Sheikh with Rudolph Valentino. But when they return and kiss on the bench outside, he gets carried away and Ivy tells him she's not like that. Was wondering where Jimmy's wandering hand was going to end up seeing as he didn't put it around her! He goes on about taking her to the cinema and theatre and he never does that for any girl. Well she's not just any old girl and Ivy tells Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nichol) and Mrs Hughes about what he tried to do. Daisy has a go at her that she's to blame and she drove Albert away to London which he hates cos she lead him on too after Ivy says Albert wouldn't have tried that on. Mrs Hughes tells Ivy she had that coming.
Edith (Laura Carmichael) is worried she hasn't heard from Michael and can't get hold of him but his office has sent a detective to Germany. She gets a letter from the doctor and it seems she is pregnant after all. Robert notices how upset she is, as does Cora since she's her mother but she doesn't tell them anything. Robert referring to her as his darling girl. That he doesn't play favourites when she tells him she's not his darling daughter.
Isobel, Branson and Mary exchange stories about how they've loved and lost but were still lucky. Isobel recalling how much she loved Reginald that it made her physically sick, how Branson (Allen Leech) didn't think Sybil felt the same about him and Mary reminds them of how it was snowing and she didn't have her coat but was excited cos she knew he was going to propose. Matthew has now been relegated to a 'he.' Isobel was sorry to hear Anthony Gillingham is getting married to Lane Fox and Mary says she's not ready to be happy yet. Branson is still harping on about not belonging here and if he was to stay here he doubts there'd be another Earl's daughter who would marry him. Let's hope the writer isn't hinting at Mary! Of course he says he can't exactly bring an Irish girl into the family even if he does love them all. He still wants to leave but won't go until at least the pigs have settled in.
Yes pigs, Downton is taking them on now. Napier (Brendan Patricks) arrives with Charles Blake (Julian Ovenden) and Mary immediately takes a dislike to him, especially when she finds out they're not here to help estates like Downton but to see which ones are able to produce food. That's all Lloyd George is interested in. They'll probably get sick of their lack of sense of humour and Napier suggests they throw them out if they're too much of a nuisance. Of course Mary and Charles don't like one another, it was the same with Mary and Matthew when they first met. Mary calls him an enemy when Napier refers to him as a traitor.
Anna and Bates dine at a hotel where Cora is having her meeting but the Maitre'D appears to have lost their booking until Cora vouches for them and he finds them a table quick smart. Cora wishes she could join them. Bates regrets he wasn't there to protect her and Anna says she's not a victim but he's treating her like one. Bates thinking she expects him to act like a murderer. Cora interrupts them and offers them a ride back. She tells Mary of their conversation about Anna being hurt and Bates not being there to protect her which Baxter listens to and although Cora tells her she doesn't want it leaving the room, she still tells Thomas. She hates doing that but he tells her she must decide where her loyalties lie. She could always make some things up but doubt she'd get away with doing that.
Jack Ross (Gary Carr) arrives with his band and for a moment everyone is shocked by him. Carson later asking if he doesn't want to got to Africa. He's not from there, though his ancestor were and Carson reminds them Britain was first in abolishing slavery. Mrs Hughes telling Jack he's hit on something which Carson doesn't like which is a first. But Carson thinks he's okay. Rose surprises everyone again with the band but Roberta and the others seem to take it in their stride and dance. That really wasn't expected since no one made such a big deal about it, no fireworks and their reactions turned out to be nothing but a damp squib though the Dowager did have a few things to say as did Edith, oh how very unaccepting of you Edith!
Mary later catches Rose kissing Jack downstairs as she asks him to send the bill to Robert but doesn't say anything to them. The servants enjoyed the jazz even if many didn't, the Dowager asking that's what it is and each of the band were playing something different, more like off key. Mrs Patmore sending Carson in a right tizzy by saying she shivers all over at the sight of Rudolph Valentino and that the band was enough to jig to. As was everyone's description of Jack as being "odd." It was "odd" he was here and Edith asking, "isn't it rather odd?" Think if anyone said anything stronger, they'd never be seen the same way in some viewer's eyes.
So another suitor for Mary, really they must have thought how they could have gone for so long without meeting her! ha. Though if we're not careful it could turn out to be a bit of Pride and Prejudice, Mary's pride in not liking the lowest commoner of the low and always meeting men who are engaged, and Charles's prejudice in that he's got it in for the upper class toffs! ha.
Next time Gillingham returns as does his valet, Green, which is what everyone was waiting for, let's hope for some fireworks then. Also the Dowager is taken ill.
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