It's Rose's (Lily James) coming out and the family and staff are packed off to London for this leaving plenty of turmoil in their wake. The Levinsons also arrive, Cora's brother Harold (Paul Giamatti) and her mother, Martha (Shirley MacLaine) Though she's without a lady's maid and so Baxter (has to help her out for now. Also with them is Ethan Slade (Michael Benz) Harold's valet, though why an American would need one is quite surprising seeing as Martha isn't into all that. Slade makes a play for Daisy (Sophie McShera) in the sense of showering her with compliments and wanting to be with her, which Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nichol) thinks is nice for her as she tells Carson (Jim Carter) it's nice for a woman to be showered in such a way even if it is a little risque to others.
Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) asks Anna (Joanne Froggatt) for some old clothes for the Russian refugees and she gives her Bates's (Brendan Coyle) overcoat which she wants him to throw out and get a new one whilst in London but Mrs Hughes tells her he's a man so not one for shopping. Apparently Anna hasn't checked his pockets and neither has Bates, I mean why would he keep his ticket to London still, especially with news of Green being thrown in front of a car and all that! Anyway Mrs Hughes finds the train ticket and wants Mary (Michelle Dockery) to handle it, a bit of a mistake since Mary isn't very good at that kind of thing. Mrs Hughes thinks if he avenged Anna then she won't "condemn him for that." So why not discard the ticket and not tell Mary. Mary's view seems to differ as she later tells her it was a man's life and she can't go along with it. SO what was she going to do confront Bates. She later not too subtly mentions London and how people can get up to all sorts of things here, which Bates doesn't reply to, but looked rather guilty about, she has to be rescued by Mrs Hughes.
Edith (Laura Carmichael) isn't to happy with her conversation with the Dowager (Maggie Smith) as she keeps calling her baby an 'it', she'd rather call her 'she.' As Edith mentions having to be fitted with new clothes and she had to stay on to wean the baby too. So it's 1923 now and we've moved forward a year as Edith has had her baby and given it up to a Swiss family. The Dowager knows it isn't easy for her but she flippantly comments that at least Edith's French ill have improved. Right about now, Edith must have been thinking of the expletives!
There's not enough room at the London house for everyone and Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) thinks they may have to share with the servants, the men that is and Mary may need to share with Edith. Mary would rather be on the roof than share with her. Mary is so suck up still isn't she, even if she doesn't like Edith she still isn't very sisterly towards her, not even after Sybil said they should be more like sisters a while back. No she's still raving on about Charles Blake (Julian Ovenden) being beneath (no not int hat way!) her and wanting to do away with 'her kind.' As she comments, 'her lot are going out and his lot are coming in'. She meets him at a gallery with Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen) who has been invited to supper by Cora but Charles hasn't. Rose meets Madeleine Alsop (Poppy Drayton) at the Embassy club and she introduces her father Lord Aysgarth (James Fox) as well as Edward, Prince of Wales (Oliver Dinsdale) and Freda Dudley Ward (Janet Montgomery). Rose and Freda talk about a letter the Prince has given to Freda. probably a reference to Wallis Simpson but more like a letter to Freda.
Before Daisy leaves for London Thomas (Rob James-Collier) gives her message for Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) that she should tell her he's waiting to hear all the stories she's got for him. The house is turned upside down and Cora tells Carson she'd like the servants to have a trip and a day off before they leave for home after the ball, but Carson isn't too sure about where they'd like to go. He thinks the science museum or the Crystal Palace at its new site, yeah cos these lot are all into science and architecture, ha!
Edith tells Rosamund (Samantha Bond) she's a kind of editor now since Michael Gregson left his power of attorney to her. There's no word on him and she regrets giving up her baby. Rosamund wants her to forget but if he did leave a will then she wants their baby to have half, it's what she deserves. She's had news of Michael being in a fight with some Brown shirts and being Nazi's of course, which Downton does not know about yet, of course, it's highly unlikely Michael would have fared well.
At the Embassy club the next night, Sampson (Patrick Kennedy) is also there, the card sharp from series 4 and he overhears them speak of that letter. Whilst the others are dancing he steals it from Freda's bag. Though it's a wonder why she's carrying it around. Rose has to tell Robert about this and he thinks they should steal it back, it's not stealing if it's already been stolen. He thinks if they have a distraction someone can sneak into Sampson's place and steal it back. He suggests a card game and the ladies could go to the theatre. He asks Bates if he knows a good forger as they can give the note to the porter and be let into his place. Mary's brought in too since she'll have to help and they can't confide in the Dowager cos she won't be able to keep it to herself. Robert knows Sampson can make a lot of money out of it and Robert is a monarchist, he knows the sort of trouble it can cause the Royal Family. Bates forges the letter himself cos we know he learned all sorts of things in prison and is only too happy to help Robert.
Rose is now out as the family arrives at Buckingham Palace and is taken out by her sponsor Cora. The Dowager will join them for supper afterwards as will Harold and Martha. King George V (Guy Williams) knows about Rose's father, Shrimpy and helped out the Prince in his tour of India. Queen Mary just sat there looking as stern as ever. Odd that the King should have spoken to Rose at all. Harold tries to introduce himself to the Prince who wonders why he's calling him Harold. Lord Aysgarth meanwhile tries to latch onto Martha as he's interested in looking for a rich woman who's after a title for herself. He thinks she'll be hard pressed to resist him. Harold has a liking for Madeline but tells her all the women he's met just wants him for his money and a good time, expecting a diamond bracelet by way of goodbye. Little do they know they aren't that rich and mind you he doesn't want mention of that scandal Robert helped him out of. He and Martha are touring the Continent.
Sarah Bunting (Daisy Lewis) drops her books like a right proper commoner, ha and Branson (Allen Leech) just happens to be it the village to help her pick them up. She tells him he hasn't been to see her and thinks he's avoiding her, well who'd blame him, she's not very appealing or exiting. TO put it bluntly, you're no Sybil, love! Ha. The Dowager drives past to wish him goodbye incase she missed him since the others are in London already and tells Bunting she's been invited to supper at the palace. Bunting, as boring as her name, then invites herself to lunch with Branson at the pub, having a change of mind and also wants a tour of Downton. She goes upstairs to the gallery to look at the view and Thomas finds them there, Branson leaves thinking he's been sprung and that they were in the bedroom! Branson having to explain himself to Thomas the next day, why bother, it's Thomas and we all know he'll twist whatever he sees into whatever he wants. Just as he tells Robert when he arrives in London about Branson and Bunting being on the bedroom floor. Branson tells Robert she's just a friend.
Seems everyone still wants Branson to fit in and as the Dowager later tells him, this is his family and these are his people. He's not sure about the people but it is his family. As he asks her to dance at the ball. Mary, sneaks into Sampson's place with Charles and Rose but they don't find the letter. Sampson mentions Michael and how he doesn't think they were playing above board last time but since he's missing he'll say no more about him, of how charitable. Edith thinks they should speak out more about things that matter and shout if they want to. Mary saying in her monotonous tone, that she's not "quite sure how one would get it back in." Agh sometimes she's just so annoying.
So there's a picnic with the Dowager and Isobel (Penelope Wilton) also in attendance and Lord Merton (Douglas Reith) she feels is chasing her, so why does she encourage it. Isobel and the Dowager still having their delightful conversations but this time round, the Dowager has Martha to aim her venomous insults at, as she talks of how she needs to change out of her outfit when they're attending the theatre and then at the ball she tells her how she's barley able to look in the glass at herself. Martha replies she can look at herself in the mirror cos the future it's all how she wants it to be and not like the good old days the Dowager wants to hang onto, all aristocracy and stiff upper lip. Also telling her that she doesn't want Aysgarth nor a title but she tells him she'll introduce him to wealthy American women who do. Harold has a good effect on Madeleine as he makes her see what her father's really like and she doesn't want to be like that.
Thomas complains of how Branson would be under him, a chauffeur and how he has to serve him now. Er, Thomas lets a Freudian slip there, ha, since it feels like he's got a thing for Branson the way he's always complaining about him, not to mention how he said he'd have to sit in the back seat with him since there's no room for the baskets and Thomas at the front. Thomas also badgering Baxter for news and knows she's holding back on him. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) stops him but he tells her she needs to stick up for herself irrespective of what Thomas has over her, which is definitely not his leg, ha! Which she does do at the end and tells Molesley he made her strong and she stands up for herself against Tomas, but he'll probably get round that, being Thomas. Hey Thomas making a fist when Branson was speaking to him.
Charles makes it obvious he's jealous of Gillingham and he can't stop watching Mary as she dances with him and then leaves the room with him. She says she thought she'd be alone a year ago and now knows she has a destiny not full of loneliness. But she has to fight and protect Downton for George against Charles and people like him. Gillingham hates himself for telling her but Charles is titled at least he will inherit the title of Baron from his cousin, which is news to Mary but now she knows he's not against her but is one of them. That was snooty of her since hearing this she thinks Charles may have a chance and she dances all night with him, Gillingham wanted it to be a fair fight and Charles didn't want to tell her of the title due to her prejudices. He wanted to win her for himself by being himself.
Bates thinks Sampson has the letter in his coat and takes it back for Robert after the card game and tells him if it was so important he wouldn't keep it in his home. Sampson finds the letter gone when he finds some paper on the floor in his room, knowing someone has been there. So that's another one up on him. Don't know why he even bothers.
Edith decides to get her daughter back and asks the pig farmer if he will take her in with his wife. Pretending it's a friend's baby and her parents won't let her in the house. He knows it's really her baby and swears it'll be a secret between the two of them and no one will know. Of course anyone can tell it's her baby.
Carson finally gets the hint from Mrs Hughes and agrees to an outing to the beach. Daisy doesn't want to be Harold's cook in New York but is flattered Slade wanted her so and wanted to court her. She thinks Ivy (Cara Theobold) should go in her place cos she wants to go to America. Mrs Patmore thinks she did a good deed for her. Carson dips his feet into the sea and Mrs Hughes tells him to take her hand to steady himself and he can feel free to "take my hand anytime to steady yourself." Which he thinks is risque too. Carson tread the boards but has never waded in the sea!
SO the mystery of why Bates was in London still stands but Mary burns the ticket cos he helped out with the letter, even though she calls herself a "realist monarchist." Also we get the battle between Charles and Gillingham next series. This Christmas special was just normal Christmas fare since nothing interesting or exciting really happened, it was just like watching a normal episode of the show. It was funny having Rose and Mary rummage through Sampson's belongings, surprised Mary agreed to it with her morals, ha. As for the Prince carrying around that letter or rather Freda, what was the point of it all and who cares if the Royalty would be all aflutter, apparently the Crawley's did.
As for Mary's suitors, Evelyn Napier was a no show and there wasn't much an amusing scene between Charles or Gillingham, though he had to even the playing field by revealing Charles's secret as if it was his to do so. Also Slade providing some laughs when he tells Carson Levinson is his employer not him and when commenting on the nibbles he was serving and how good they are, only to be shot down by Carson again. Jimmy (Ed Speleers) complaining about only being the footman for the umpteenth time. And Daisy mentioning Alfred is hired by the Ritz as an under chef, well he had to be.
Bates telling Anna at the end, "you could always buy me a penny lick! That'd get Carson's ears on risque alert if he heard it! Only for Mrs Hughes to reply they're getting on a bit now so...it's okay.
The Dowager speaking some French in an attempt to put one over on Harold: "I've fallen through the looking glass into Dejeuner sur l'Herbe." The Dowager being big on looking glass comments this ep. Seems Martha had the last laugh though. Robert telling Cora he can't wait for Branson to arrive and her thinking it's nice of him to say that, no it's cos "I miss Isis." The Dowager commenting it's like being in a whodunit and Robert adding no one has, that's the problem! Referring to the letter of course. Perhaps if they had a good old fashioned murder that'd liven things up and I don't mean the continuation of whether Bates did or didn't off Green!
Still plenty to keep fans happy for series 5!
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