‘Downton Abbey’ recap: A day at the races takes a tragic turn

“Downton Abbey” takes a tragic as it heads into the final stretch – though, for once, it’s just some poor sap named Charlie who dies and not anyone we (really) care about.

With the entire Crawley family in tow, Mary heads south to watch her beau, Henry Talbot, race at Brooklands. As we all probably could have predicted, the race ends in disaster when Henry’s friend dies in a fiery crash. It’s a bummer not just because it puts a damper on what had, until then, been an elaborate action sequence and an excuse for some truly fabulous daytime wear (check out Lady Mary’s shades!).

The tragedy also prompts Mary to squelch her burgeoning romance with the speed-addicted Henry, and, to he honest, I can’t say I blame Mary for cutting him loose. While she chalks it up to the differences in their lifestyle, one suspects the breakup had more to do with his taste for car racing. Can you blame her for objecting to his dangerous (and probably very expensive) hobby?

Not that I’m shedding too many tears over these two. First, I doubt the breakup will be permanent. Second – and more critical -- I don’t really buy these two as a couple anyway. Yes, Matthew Goode is and always will be dreamy, but the whole romance strikes me as forced and uninspired. To date, Mary and Henry have probably shared a grand total of 15 minutes of screen time, and we have barely any sense of his personality other than his penchant for racing cars.

This storyline leaves me with the distinct impression that Julian Fellowes is ticking off his to-do list before the series ends (Lady Mary love interest: check). Perhaps I’d feel more excited if the show hadn’t already presented Mary with a more interesting and suitable match (Charles Blake, obviously), only to send him off to Europe for no good reason after a protracted love triangle with Lord Gillingham. (Not that I’m hung up on this or anything!)

In other romantic developments, Bertie pops the question to Edith, as we also knew he would. It’s all very sweet and spontaneous, and Edith seems smitten. But she tells Bertie she’ll have to consider his proposal. What’s she waiting for, exactly? Edith doesn’t really seem the type to care that Bertie’s a modest estate agent. Maybe she’s simply grown accustomed to her fabulous single lifestyle. Or, more likely, she’s worried about how to tell him about Marigold. Gulp.

With the family away at Brooklands, the servants enjoy a bit of downtime. It’s always fun to see the staff off-duty, and this episode is no exception, particularly the moment when Carson and Mrs. Hughes, feeling rather mischievous, take a seat on the couch in the library. Gasp!

But more than usual, the servants also find themselves contemplating a life after during this downtime, a mood no doubt occasioned by Molesley’s triumphant exams. “Is that the end of service for you?” Daisy asks her friend, who lands a teaching post nearby. “Service is ending for most of us, Daisy,” he replies. And so it is. Mrs. Patmore has also prepared her escape route, opening up a bed and breakfast – but what’s with that fellow lurking outside?

Thomas has been less successful in his efforts, a fact made all the more painful by Carson’s incessant (and uncharacteristic) hectoring. Poor Thomas can’t even catch a break when Andy’s illiteracy is revealed. Instead of receiving a warm “well done” from his fellow servants, it’s quickly decided that the village teacher should take over Andy’s lessons and Thomas is, once again, left out in the cold. There may be a silver lining, however. With Molesley headed off to greener pastures, perhaps Carson won’t have to make any cuts.

One thing is certain: Carson certainly won’t want to increase his workload after cooking dinner for an “injured” Mrs. Hughes. While I don’t condone faking injury, I have to hand it to our girl Elsie for meting out revenge in the cleverest way imaginable. Something tells me that going forward, Carson will happily accept all the bubble and squeak his wife can whip up.

The servants aren’t the only ones hatching plans while the Crawleys are at Brooklands. Violet also uses their absence to sneak off on a vacation to the south of France, but not before buying Lord Grantham a puppy and doing a bit of meddling on Isobel’s behalf. “Tough nutcracker” that she is, Violet learns that Lord Merton’s soon-to-be daughter-in-law, who seems to be a sweet peacemaker, has more selfish motivations. “You want a free nurse to take a tiresome old man off your hands,” Violet says. The question now is just how much Isobel wants to be a free nurse.

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