Downton Abbey - S04E03

I've been enjoying this season of Downton Abbey way more than I imagined, and considerably more than I enjoyed the first few episodes of season three. As much as Matthew's death annoyed the hell out of me, and I'm pretty sure everyone - write better contracts, Julian Fellowes! -, it ended up giving a lot more material for story than if he had stayed alive, and the writing is not shying away from that.
I really appreciate how focused on the women this season has been, possible exception being Tom Branson, and his great struggle of not feeling part, or wanting to feel part of this strange section of society he married into. And now that the reason for him being in this part of society is gone - write better contracts, Julian Fellowes! - the awkwardness and the emptiness are just to strong for him not to ignore. But back to the women...
      Mary is now butting heads with her father as far as Downton and decisions that have to be made with the estate. I love Mary the business woman! She was born for that, and, even though we know that the great depression is right around the corner, I, for one, sided with her. Don't sell! Make the estate self sufficient! And, if that's not distraction enough, there's a new suitor in town and he falls head over heels over Mary, who isn't ready to officially give up Matthew. It's a beautiful arc, since we're right there with her. We, too, are not ready to move on Matthew, but we too know it's a decision that she will regret. Edith is affirming her independent spirit, even if she's caught in the act by... who's that lady again? Anyway, it's the same lady that gave a Lady Rose a hard time for dancing with the black singer, so, like Edith, we know her advice is one to pretty much ignore. And Anna, poor Anna! I usually feel that rape story lines are used by writers who have run out of ideas and need something to shock the audience. What's the worst possible thing that can happen to her? But here's it's handled very smartly. It's early 20th Century. There are no women's center for her to go to and hear she shouldn't feel guilty, although Mrs. Patmore's advice is of an experienced woman who knows what she's saying. And as much as we want her to tell her husband, we also know that she's right. He would kill the guy for it, and he would be hanged for it. Great stuff! And, let's not ignore the best flirting scene of the whole series, between Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Carson. Just get together, already! And, to finish, I would like to give Mr. Carson the "most quotable character of the week". My two favorites: "I always thing there's something rather foreign about high spirits at breakfast". Thanks, Carson. you just transformed my life's view into one sentence. And, this beautiful thought, which ties in so well with Mary's dilemma: "The business of life is the acquisition of memories, in the end, it's all there is."