Dark Days Ahead at Downton Abbey

I've watched Sunday night's episode of Downton Abbey three times and I still can't make it through without crying. Tragedy has befallen the Crawleys, and I daresay, it will be a long healing process for the entire household--upstairs and downstairs.

Without giving too much away, I must admit the direction they are taking Lord Grantham's character isn't appealing to me. His pig-headed ways have endangered the future of Downton and played a role in the most recent tragedy. He is trying to hold onto a world that is slowing slipping away, but he won't admit it. He is the master of the house and he expects the women to obey him and support his decisions.

Now, that's not a problem for Lady Mary. Playing a typical oldest daughter to perfection, her father has no faults in her eyes. She is entirely against her husband Matthew's interference in running the estate, despite the fact that she encouraged him to become familiar with the business and his money is what saved their home. When she overhears him talking to the lawyer about the mismanagement he has discovered, she takes him to task. Lady Mary, like her father, wishes to maintain the traditions and hierarchy that are becoming a thing of the past. I fear, like her father, she is going to have a hard time adjusting to a post-World War I world.

Edith gets some good news, but her father still thinks he knows better than she does. And unknowingly, Lord Grantham pokes a stake in Matthew's tender heart when he tells him he'll understand when he's a father, not realizing Matthew desperately wants to have children and is afraid the injuries he sustained in the war might have affected his fertility.

Finally, we see a total clashing of the social classes as Dr. Clarkson and Sir Philip Tapsell, the obstetrician hired by Lord Grantham, argue over what is best for Lady Sybil during childbirth. One can understand why Lord Grantham is unsure of Dr. Clarkson based upon past experiences, but how he could ignore the common sense pleadings of his wife Cora when she says that Dr. Clarkson has known Sybil all her life? And that Sir Philip, in the end, isn't even willing to admit he made a mistake is unconscionable.

Rougher days are ahead for the people of Downton Abbey. Tom wants his daughter christened as a Catholic, which will cause more turbulence in the house. The only bright spot is that Bates and Anna might have finally found a way to free him.