3. Banana: Anna and Bates, never simple with those two. Their love is pure, sure, but there is always that weasly wife that someone has to kill. Wait, what? Bates killed someone? We don’t know yet, but given the scars and broken pottery, we know there was a marital scuffle that ended in Vera’s demise (PS — FINALLY) and Bates returning home earlier than expected with a shifty look in his eyes. Anna says the “thing about business is to mind your own,” but I think we all know that the bobbies in London will not be keeping this one quiet. And neither will O’Brien; she finally has the ammo she needs to ruin Bates. If only we knew why she hated the guy so much! Did she birth Thomas, who was passed over for valet a million years ago? Is she just really bored? Cliffhangers, all around.
4. Daisy: Daisy may be the most troubled person in the house at war’s end. In a way, she lost everything; not only William, but her entire sense of self. Despite the staff’s best efforts to convince her that marrying William on his deathbed was an act of kindness (and that she should take the damn widow bonus already), she insists that she didn’t love him and that all she is now is a liar and a disservice to her black armband. Her story is a nice contrast to the insanity above ground, where a real imposter is fibbing his way into Edith’s heart. Daisy can’t see the goodness in what she did, only the guilt. It’s devastating, but feels like one of the most authentic storylines going.
5. Sybil: Who cares about Sybil and Branson now that the war is over? Anyone? Bueller? Branson says he will wait “forever” for Sybil, and it feels like that’s what we are doing. Get it together already, you two.
6. Grantham and Cora: Marital strife! When Cora is in cahoots with the Dowager (in a genius storyline that deliciously ousted Isobel from Downton and perhaps the country), then you know there is trouble brewing in the house of Grantham.
7. Ethel: The war also left Ethel in shambles; penniless, husbandless, living in a dirty shack with her bastard baby. She is indeed, ruined. And all this from a girl who used to read Photoplay and talk down to the other maids. This is what you get, apparently, for having big dreams beyond service.
8. Carson and Hughes: These two are the soul of Downton Abbey, the partnership that keeps everything humming and civil in and out of the house. The fact that they will be separated is perhaps the war’s biggest casualty. They love each other, you see. In a platonic, I’ll ring the gong, you do the dusting way. Carson is the show’s elegant heart, with his unwavering allegiance to monarchy and measuring the distance between soup spoons. Hughes is the more maternal center, bringing food to the needy and constantly righting the ship of staff conflict. Together, they are one of television’s most powerful asexual couples. Letting Carson go may be the death of that duo — and also of one of best friendships to come out of this or any show. If this is what the war ending looks like, who wants it?
BONUS! The best Dowager lines:
- ”I suppose you must decide what is more important. Exercise classes and lectures on pottery or helping men and women build a new life?”
- “And I accept your apology, with no trace of I-ron-y either.”
- “When his face was blown away he thought every cloud has a silver lining.”
(MORE: Which Downton Abbey Character Are You?)
In past lives, Rachel Syme has been Books Editor of NPR and Culture Editor of The Daily Beast. She is currently at work on a biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Hollywood years. You can find her on Twitter at @rachsyme.