While a good episode, it is not a great follow-up to the excellent season 4 opener. Carson and Mr. Grigg are reconciled, and we get to understand why they aren't friends anymore, because of a woman from their past. You get to see why Carson, beyond the simple fact of being an upper crust family butler, is so staid and conservative, keeping his emotions in under all the circumstances. Thanks to Mrs. Hughes and Isabel (two characters who really had a great understated friendship), Grigg is able to recover and gets a good job so it's a happy ending. One week of decent behavior from Mr. Barrow doesn't last long as he seems to take on Edna as a new partner in crime, for some reason, putting the blame for a burnt item of clothing on Anna. That doesn't really have any consequences and diminishes the achievement he's made to not be so nasty.
Not much going on for Edith in this episode but Anna and Rose go out dancing and Rose finds affection from a working class young man who shows up at Downton looking for a job. The discovery of a letter Matthew never intended to mail indicating his wishes for Mary and son George to inherit his estate becomes a subject of discourse between Mary and her father. Eventually, legal investigation settles everything involving the document. Anna and Bates go out of their way to help Mr. Mosley, showing their generous nature.
While a lot of viewers were put off by Rose being brought on to replace Sybil as the young feisty heroine who gets into trouble while mixing with lower classes, I enjoy her, and Lily James is a shining light among the sometimes stuffy Granthams. Her enjoyment of life shows her as a positive reflection of changing times, and it's obvious more are coming.
Not much going on for Edith in this episode but Anna and Rose go out dancing and Rose finds affection from a working class young man who shows up at Downton looking for a job. The discovery of a letter Matthew never intended to mail indicating his wishes for Mary and son George to inherit his estate becomes a subject of discourse between Mary and her father. Eventually, legal investigation settles everything involving the document. Anna and Bates go out of their way to help Mr. Mosley, showing their generous nature.
While a lot of viewers were put off by Rose being brought on to replace Sybil as the young feisty heroine who gets into trouble while mixing with lower classes, I enjoy her, and Lily James is a shining light among the sometimes stuffy Granthams. Her enjoyment of life shows her as a positive reflection of changing times, and it's obvious more are coming.