Plot

The fate of Downton Abbey hinges on a letter from a dead man. Edith and Sir Anthony face their own fateful moment. Mrs. Hughes confronts a crisis.

The feud continues between O'Brien and Thomas, who suggests that the ladies' maid intends leaving. Carson suspects that Mrs Hughes is unwell and tricks Mrs Patmore into confirming the cancer and, in a misguided effort to help, informs Cora. Anna visits a friend of Vera, Mrs Bartlett, though she offers no fresh evidence whilst, John falls foul of cell-mate Craig. Mary finds a letter which could persuade Matthew to take the inheritance and save the family home. Edith prepares to marry Sir Anthony.—don @ minifie-1

Everyone at Downton Abbey prepare for yet another wedding as Edith and Sir Anthony Strallan are to marry. Lord Grantham can't quite bring himself to approve of the marriage but accepts it without objection. Cold feet set in and one of them is left standing at the altar. Lord Grantham has been waiting for Edith's wedding to be out of the way for him to formally announce their intention to sell Downton. However, Matthew begins to have second thoughts about accepting Reggie Swire's money. O'Brien and Thomas continue their battle of wills and Anna is still trying to find information that will exonerate her husband. Mrs. Hughes receives the news of her medical tests.—garykmcd

The earl being 'broke', he prepares the family to move to a smaller country house to be renamed Downton Place, after Sibyl's wedding at the Abbey. So everyone goes visit the country home for a picnic, leaving the staff unaware as their number would be reduced drastically. Matthew still refuses to accept Lavinia's father Reggie Swire's huge inheritance, or even to read a letter he has delivered by solicitor, but Rose does and finds proof he knew enough to chose his heir, so insists it be used to save the Abbey. Vindictive Thomas tricks Molesley to inquire about O'Brien's position for a kin, Cora is not amused. Bates is warned in time to avoid being set up by his cellmate, Anna finally gets to speak Vera's hostile friend. Former maid Ethel Parks admits to Isobel having become a prostitute, but refuses to say what she needs help with. Mrs. Hughes is assured she can stay and expect all medical care, regardless of the diagnosis, while Carson gets the family's permission to redivide her work load, but the lab test is benign. Tom Branson is finally welcome visiting with pregnant Sibyl to attend the wedding, but at the altar Sir Anthony Strallan decides he can't 'condemnd her to a life as his nurse', so the staff gets to eat the lavish nuptial dinner.—KGF Vissers

"Downton Abbey" - Episode #3.3 - January 20, 2013

This episode starts out so well, you just know it's going to end in tears.

The house servants are preparing for Edith's big day and she can scarcely believe there's something happening that's actually about her.

Unfortunately, the financial situation is such that it will be the last such big day. Robert and Cora want to hold off on telling everyone until after Edith's wedding so as not to put a damper on her joy.

But they do make plans to take a picnic lunch to a nearby, much smaller home that Robert figures everyone will move into after they sell Downton. He is sad about it but Cora tries to be upbeat saying they can call it Downton Place. Sybil notes that it looks "cramped" but Tom points out that it looks like a fairy palace to most regular people.

Matthew receives a letter from Reg Swire, Lavinia's father but he can't bear to read it. So Mary absconds with it and does the honors herself. The letter details that Reg and Lavinia did in fact know about Matthew's indiscretion but wanted him to have the money anyway. Matthew can scarcely believe it, but Mary confirms that Daisy sent a letter to Reg from Lavinia on her deathbed.Reg actually says in the letter to not let guilt keep Matthew from accepting the money. Mary is ecstatic. Matthew offers to Robert to save Downton but Robert proposes instead of simply giving him the money, he "invest" in Downton and become co-executor of the estate. Matthew happily agrees.

This will be the last of happiness for the day, however, because as Edith arrives at the end of the aisle and is ready to say "I do" to Sir Anthony, he abruptly, in front of the entire church says "I don't." He apologizes. She comes close to begging him to stay until the Dowager Countess intervenes and wisely counsels her to let him go, which he does, quickly. Jerk.

Edith, understandably, takes to her bed in tears and Cora tries to console her. The next day when Anna comes to her and asks her what she needs, she asks for a different life. And then instead of taking breakfast in bed she says she is a useless spinster, and useless spinsters get up for breakfast. Bless her heart.

Downstairs more sabotage is afoot. Thomas implies to Moseley that O'Brien is leaving. Moseley then puts forth to Cora that he wants to nominate a friend's daughter. But this is all news to Cora who is hurt by the idea that O'Brien would leave her and not give her any inkling. When O'Brien gets wind of this she is, of course, livid. Moseley rats out Thomas and O'Brien makes it clear to him that somehow, some way, he will pay for this treachery.

Speaking of which, Anna shows up with money for Mrs. Bartlett to spill her story about Vera Bates' last day on earth. Mrs. Bartlett crows that she hates Bates, she calls Anna a trollop, and says she won't be much help. All she remembers is that Vera was cooking and then scrubbing her fingernails for dear life after she made the pastry. She claims Vera was afraid of Bates and can't believe he didn't hang.

Meanwhile, in prison, Bates gets word from an informant that they're going to search his bed and find something so he better find it first. He finds a small item in it just before the guards enter and manages to ditch it into a crack in the wall. It is clear his evil cell mate and the evil guard are surprised and disappointed not to have framed him.

Mrs. Hughes, finally gets word back that she's in the all clear from Dr. Clarkson, much to the relief of Carson who was very sad indeed to hear that she might be ill but then literally sings a happy tune when he hears the good news. She is as heartened by this as she was when Cora told her, after Carson let slips Hughes might be ill, that no matter what that they would take care of her and that she shouldn't worry about anything if the diagnosis came back as cancer. It was a touching moment with Cora telling her that they would hire and nurse and tend to her every need and Hughes was truly touched.

Daisy asks Anna for advice about boys, wondering if it's alright in this modern age to ask a boy out. Anna isn't so sure saying most men would likely be frightened by this kind of assertiveness and frightened in general.

Ethel comes to see Isobel Crawley again, and yet again runs away. Isobel goes to Mrs. Hughes and asks for Ethel's address. She explains Ethel has fallen on hard times and wants to help her out of her life of prostitution.