Downton Abbey Season 4, Episode 1 Review

Downton Abbey reopened its doors to North American viewers last night on PBS.  Lady Mary was in deep mourning for her husband Matthew (Dan Stevens left the show) while life slowly moved on around her.  Edith resumed her life with her beau; the newspaper editor. Robert spent most of his time trying to protect Mary from the outside world, even offering to handle baby George's wealth- we all know how well he managed his own.

Below stairs the servants were astir with news O'Brien had quit for a position with Lady Flincher.  This left Thomas (Rob James Collier) without a foil, and Cora without a lady's maid. He managed to cause trouble on his own, first by getting Nanny West fired,  then by going after Anna for advising new maid Bratihwaite against being friendly to him.  Anna, and Bates worked together to help Mosely who had fallen on hard times following Matthew's death.  Bates ended up giving Moesley 30 pounds to pay off some debts.

Violet as usual had her hand in a lot of pies last night.  When she wasn't helping Molesley try to find work, she was helping bring Mary out of her depression.  She invited Mary and Branson to her home and proposed that Branson tutor Mary on the estate's affairs. "But what would Papa say about it?" Violet answered: "There is sometimes too much truth in a relationship."By the end Mary  was starting to come out of her depression, and Molesley felt a bit better about himself, and Isobel was starting to find purpose again through nursing an old friend of Carson's.

I loved the pacing in this episode.  It would have been easy to milk the grieving widow storyline for all that's worth, but Julian Fellowes didn't and that helped capture the whole life moving on around Mary story. So much of the last three seasons has been about Mary and Matthew's love affair that you forgot that hey this is an ensemble show and there are other characters.   I love how in the premiere at least we're getting separate storylines for Violet, and Isobel, and Carson, and Daisy.  I hope this is a hint of things to come; if so then I think we're in for a great season.

This week's memorable lines from Lady Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: