Unfortunately, Anna's decision to hide the truth from Bates (for arguable reasons, through her lens) is something Mrs. Hughes can do nothing to fix -- which is why it was so incredibly awesome for her to be able to bring the hammer on the witchy Edna later, regarding her ruse with Branson. Whether or not she and Branson even had sex is up for debate I suppose, but Mrs. Hughes' keen eye (and nose for the unscrupulous) found Edna out, and threatened her enough to send her running off in the night. It was a quick and satisfying end to a character who should have never come back in the first place, but at least she served the purpose in this hour of giving Mrs. Hughes one triumph (in addition to her gift to Carson; more on that later). Even "as mysterious as a bucket" Edith had sex incorporated into her story in (so far) its only triumphant incarnation this season. She signed some papers she didn't read (trouble...) and, bolstered by her belief that Gregson is actually moving to Munich in his quest to be with her, compromises her position by sleeping with him, and sneaking back into her aunt's house in the dawn. This isn't to say that Edith shouldn't be a character acting under the new liberal notions of the era, but did Rosamund's admonishment act as a prescient warning? Was all that talk of pregnancy out of wedlock elsewhere foreshadow an upcoming scandal for Edith? While the Gregson story line is one that has been developing over a long period of time on the show, Mary's interaction with the impulsive Gillingham is one that illustrates the series' issue with burning through plots too quickly. Gillingham basically stalked Mary for three days before proposing to her (and while he was engaged to another woman). What did he expect from her? It's only been six months since the death of the love of her life. While Gillingham seems like he is earnest, the timing is all wrong. While his character did help bring Mary back into the world (and force Isobel to come to terms with Mary moving on, paving the way for more suitors), the timeline was a little absurd. But of course, what else is new? (Matthew's spine, anyone ...)