No. overall | No. for series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Originalairdate | Viewers (in millions) final ratings are sourced fromBARB | Running time (excluding commercial breaks) |
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1 | 1 | "Episode One" | Brian Percival | Julian Fellowes | 26September2010 | 9.25 | 66 minutes |
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April 1912. Robert, Earl of Grantham, and his American-born wife Cora live with their three daughters and numerous servants in Downton Abbey. Though their way of life has existed for generations, news arrives that threatens the future of the title and estate. Lord Grantham’s cousin James Crawley, who isheir presumptiveto theearldom, and his son, Patrick, have both died in the sinking of theRMSTitanic. Since Robert and Cora have no sons, a distant cousin becomes heir. Since there is anentailon the estate and Lord Grantham, for reasons of tradition, is not disposed to try to break it, this also means that the new male heir to the title will inherit the land and all the money Lord Grantham gained by marrying Cora. The eldest daughter, Lady Mary, had been engaged to Patrick, but now the land and wealth can no longer remain in the immediate family. Violet, Lord Grantham's mother and the Dowager Countess, is determined to break the entail, even though Lord Grantham and his lawyer seriously doubt this is possible. Meanwhile, Lord Grantham hires his formerbatman, the lame John Bates, to be his valet, to the consternation of the butler, Mr. Carson, and the other servants. However, a housemaid, Anna, takes a liking to him. Thomas, an ambitious footman who wanted the job, repeatedly tries to undermine Bates, with the help of Cora's maid, the vindictive Miss O'Brien. Cora and Carson convince Lord Grantham that Bates is unsuitable for the job; Bates is extremely upset at this news. The family is pleased to learn that the young Duke of Crowborough plans to visit, seeing him as an excellent match for Mary, but the Duke seems less interested in Mary than in prying in the servants' rooms, and his manner cools completely when he learns that Lord Grantham does not intend to fight the entail. It is revealed that the Duke had a romantic relationship with Thomas. Thomas had actually informed him about the possibility that Mary would inherit, hoping to get a job as valet in return. As the Duke cannot offer him the job, Thomas tries to blackmail him, but he reveals that he has managed to retrieve his love letters from Thomas's room and quickly burns them before Thomas can stop him. Lord Grantham has a change of heart and asks Bates not to leave. The episode ends with a glimpse of the new heir, Matthew Crawley, as he learns of his good fortune. |
2 | 2 | "Episode Two" | Ben Bolt | Julian Fellowes | 3October2010 | 9.97 | 49 minutes |
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September 1912. Matthew Crawley, a young solicitor and the new heir to the Grantham earldom and estate, arrives at Downton Abbey with his mother, Isobel. He is reluctant to adapt to his new mode of life but his mother feels that they should avoid satisfying the family's assumptions about their class and behaviour. Matthew ridicules the prospect of marrying one of the daughters, when Mary suddenly appears and he is immediately attracted to her. The Dowager is openly hostile towards Isobel, as is Mary towards Matthew. There is also some culture clash between the families due to their differing aristocratic and upper-middle-class backgrounds. Matthew astonishes the Dowager when he declares his intention to continue working as a solicitor. Isobel, too, is determined to hold her own against the Dowager and, as she trained as a nurse during theAnglo-Boer War, occupies herself with the local hospital. Meanwhile, Mr Carson is extremely distressed by a letter, and Anna sees him stealing food. It turns out that Carson is a former music-hall performer and is being blackmailed by his show partner Charles Grigg, now a petty thief hiding from the law, to whom he's been providing food and lodging. However, only Mr Bates, Anna, Lady Sybil and Lord Grantham are privy to this, so there is no fear of exposure. Lord Grantham is merely amused by Carson's background and pays off Grigg, threatening to turn him over to the police if he returns. The hostility between Mrs. Crawley and the Dowager escalates when Isobel pressures Dr Clarkson into performingpericardiocentesison a hospital patient suffering fromdropsy. The Dowager tries to prevent this, but the treatment is successful, and Robert decides to make Mrs. Crawley chair of the hospital board, feeling that his mother has too much control. The Dowager herself begins to consider the possibility of Mary marrying Matthew, but Mary is firmly opposed to this plan. |
3 | 3 | "Episode Three" | Ben Bolt | Julian Fellowes | 10October2010 | 8.97 | 49 minutes |
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March 1913. Cora is pleased when Lady Mary informs her that Evelyn Napier, the wealthy son of a peer and a possible suitor, will be visiting. However, he arrives with a dashing Turkish diplomat, Mr. Kemal Pamuk, who is in London for theAlbanian independencenegotiations, and Mary is completely smitten with him. Mary is not the only one: Thomas gets a little too close to the Turk. Pamuk offers to spare Thomas punishment for his indiscretion, provided he will do something in return. Edith tries to interest Matthew by offering to show him the local churches. To her disappointment, he is far more interested in the buildings than herself. Bates purchases a device to correct his limp, but this proves to be extremely painful and injurious, until Mrs. Hughes discovers it and makes him get rid of it. Gwen's (a housemaid) secret is revealed: she has been training to be a secretary, by correspondence. She is dejected by the other servants' scepticism and disapproval of her choice, but Bates and Anna encourage her, as does Lady Sybil. During and after dinner, Lady Mary has eyes only for Mr. Pamuk, but when he surprises her by forcibly kissing her, she rejects him. Undeterred, he goes to her room that night, led by Thomas. He seduces her, but in the middle of the night he suddenly dies in her bed. To avert a scandal, Mary is forced to seek the help of Anna and her mother to move Pamuk's body back into his own bed. Unknown to them, Daisy, thescullery maid, sees them carrying the body. Cora is horrified by Mary's behaviour but promises not to tell Robert, as it would break his heart. Mary is extremely upset by Pamuk's death. In the aftermath, from Mary's behaviour, Napier realises he does not have a chance with her. |
4 | 4 | "Episode Four" | Brian Kelly | Julian Fellowes,Shelagh Stephenson | 17October2010 | 9.70 | 47 minutes |
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May 1913. A travelling fair arrives in the neighbouring village. Anna becomes sick and stays in bed for a day, visited by Mr. Bates who brings her up a tray with a flower. Mrs. Hughes (the housekeeper) is reunited with a former suitor, who proposes to her again; She discusses her choices in life with Mr. Carson and eventually turns down the proposal after serious consideration but seems satisfied with her decision. Thomas asks Daisy to accompany him to the fair simply to annoy William, who is fond of her. Although Mr. Bates physically threatens Thomas, he is unabashed and leaves with a smirk. Molesley suffers from an allergic reaction torue, which Violet correctly diagnoses after Isobel assumed it waserysipelas(much to the amusement and pleasure of Violet.) Carson fears there is a thief at Downton after doing inventory of the wine cellar and discovering quite a few missing. Lady Sybil continues her experimentation with feminism with the aid and inspiration of the new, politically minded Irish chauffeur, Branson. After visiting her dressmaker, she surprises the whole family by displaying an outfit consisting ofbloomers, and Branson is seen admiring her from the window. |
5 | 5 | "Episode Five" | Brian Kelly | Julian Fellowes | 24October2010 | 9.40 | 49 minutes |
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August 1913. Bates discovers that Thomas is stealing wine from the cellar. Worried that he will be reported, Thomas attempts to frame Bates for stealing one of Lord Grantham's antique snuffboxes, but his plans are thwarted. Anna makes her feelings known to Mr. Bates, but he says they can't be together. Meanwhile, rumours are beginning to circulate about Lady Mary and the "handsome Turk". Daisy is finding it increasingly difficult to keep quiet about what she has seen, and after some cajoling from Miss O'Brien, she tells her story to Lady Edith, who reveals the truth to the Turkish ambassador. At the annual flower show, Isobel questions Violet's history of winning every year, and instead supports Molesley's father's arrangements, much to Violet's dismay. |
6 | 6 | "Episode Six" | Brian Percival | Julian Fellowes, Tina Pepler | 31October2010 | 9.84 | 48 minutes |
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May 1914. Lady Sybil's interest in politics and women's rights is kindled by the upcoming by-election and is the cause of major disagreement between her and Lord Grantham. Meanwhile, presumably as a result of Lady Edith's letter, rumours about Lady Mary and the "handsome Turk" intensify, reaching the ears of Carson and the Dowager herself. Violet confronts Cora, who is forced to tell her the truth, leaving Violet almost as shocked by her behaviour as Mary's. Edith finds an admirer in Sir Anthony Strallan, after he is impressed by her thoughtfulness and genuine interest in him. Miss O'Brien and Thomas continue to plot against Bates, trying to frame him for the theft of a wine bottle – which in fact Thomas stole as witnessed by Bates. Thomas persuades Daisy to testify against Bates, but her conscience leads her to retract her statement. However, Bates surprises Carson, Mrs Hughes and Anna by revealing that he was once a drunkard and has been in prison for theft; Carson is unwilling to let him go, realising that there is more to his story. Sybil makes Branson take her to Ripon under false pretences to attend the by-election count. She is injured during a brawl when the count gets out of hand, but is rescued by Matthew as he is returning from work. Lord Grantham blames Branson but Sybil defends him. Later that night Mary and Matthew talk and reminisce, leading to them confessing their love for each other. Lord and Lady Grantham are delighted to learn that Matthew has asked Mary to marry him, but to Cora's chagrin, Mary feels she cannot accept his proposal without telling him her scandalous secret. The Dowager apologises for her earlier harsh treatment of Cora, and they decide that if the match between Mary and Matthew does not come off, they will marry her off to some "Italian who is not too picky". |
7 | 7 | "Episode Seven" | Brian Percival | Julian Fellowes | 7November2010 | 10.77 | 64 minutes |
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July–August 1914. Tensions abound followingthe assassinationof theArchduke Franz Ferdinand. The family returns from London after Sybil’sdebutanteball, with the exception of Mary, who is staying with her aunt and has yet to give Matthew his answer. When, to everyone’s great surprise, Cora discovers that she is pregnant after eighteen years, Mary’s aunt, Lady Rosamund Painswick, advises her to reconsider marrying Matthew, since his situation would change completely if the baby turns out to be a boy. Mary learns from Evelyn Napier that it was Edith and not he who originated the rumours about her and Pamuk. Through a letter to O'Brien, Carson has discovered the details of Bates’ crime: while he was a soldier he stole the regimental silver. However, Carson, the Earl and Anna realise that Bates is keeping something back. After Mrs. Patmore’s condition worsens, Lord Grantham sends her to London to havecataractsurgery.Anna goes with her and discovers from Bates' mother that he took the blame for the silver theft on behalf of his wife, as he believed that he had ruined her life, although his mother does not agree with him. Mrs. Patmore is temporarily replaced by Mrs. Crawley’s cook, Mrs. Bird, whose cooking she fears will be preferred to her own. Mrs. Patmore accordingly asks Daisy to spoil the family’s meals, but her actions are discovered. Mrs. Bird sympathises with Daisy's loyalty, and upon Mrs. Patmore’s recovery and return, Mrs. Bird manages to win her over. Matthew is angered by Mary’s hesitancy following Cora’s pregnancy, declaring that her decision should purely depend on whether she loves him or not. Anticipating the war, Thomas finds a non-combatant role in the Army Medical Corps with the help of Dr. Clarkson. When Molesley finds Thomas trying to steal from Carson’s wallet, the Earl tells Carson to wait until after the upcoming charity garden party to act on it. Thomas opportunely hands in his resignation to join the Corps. Mary confronts Edith about revealing her secret and implies that she will exact revenge. Learning that Sir Anthony Strallan intends to propose to Edith at the garden party, Mary manipulates him into thinking Edith finds him old and boring, so he leaves in haste without explanation. O'Brien is angry when she mistakenly believes that Cora is going to replace her, and takes advantage of an opportunity to punish the Countess by leaving soap below her bath. She regrets it immediately but is unable to warn Cora, who slips and miscarries. There is further heartache when they find out the baby would have been a boy. O’Brien is extremely upset but the callous Thomas ridicules the staff for their sympathy for the family, and William for mourning his mother so deeply, leading to a fight between the two. Telephone service is installed in the house, and Sybil manages to get Gwen an interview as secretary for the phone company. When Branson conveys the good news that Gwen has secured the post, his obvious friendliness with Sybil leads Mrs. Hughes to warn him against getting too close to her. Molesley’s interest in Anna leads Bates to imply that he returns her affections. Mary is now prepared to marry Matthew and is heartbroken when he tells her he cannot be sure of her motives and intends to leave Downton. In the final scene, during the garden party, Lord Grantham receives a telegram and announces to all that the United Kingdom is at war with Germany, marking the beginning ofWorld War I. |