The almost-idyllic finale of Downton's third season, with its sharp turn at the last minute, has left its viewers with all sorts of things to contemplate as we await the next installment.
What will the unknowingly widowed Lady Mary do now that she has an heir but no husband? Will she remarry? It seems to me that killing off Matthew was a means of making Mary single and desirable again; once the audience thinks they can see how a character's future will go (in Mary's case the moment she married and intended to have children), they begin to lose interest in that character. Having Mary on the market again, her and her son's fates uncertain, will get the viewers back to the edge of their seats. Aside from the possibility of a romantic interest renewed, will Mary and Branson bond over the loss of their spouses? Will they raise their children side by side or will Branson eventually leave the wealthy world he is still so unaccustomed to?
There is no doubt in my mind that we will see a number of new staff members in season 4, as we have in the past three seasons. My guess would be that the nanny will get a lot more screen time as well, given that she now has two Granthamlets to look after. How will Lord Grantham react to losing the man he came to see as his son? Will the scheming, vindictive O'Brien be redeemed the way the now-dear Thomas was? (Or will she remain a cruel and malicious character who we love to hate and who will, to quote from class, die alone?) How will Thomas and Jimmy's newfound trust and companionship fare? How will the entire family and household deal with Matthew's death?
While we may not all end up watching the next season, I hope that at least a few of us continue to follow along. I know I will.
I honestly hope that they don't take things in too predictable a direction; the show hasn't been too prone to that sort of thing, at least in terms of pulling out twists and unexpected character changes in the long term, but a show getting predictable is never healthy for it.
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