Downton Abbey kicked off its fourth season with a jam-packed 90-minute episode. Taking place six months after the death of lead character Matthew, played by Dan Stevens, this week's episodes reintroduces Lady Mary, now a widow and obviously in mourning. Outside the bubble of Downton, however, Britain is going into austerity following the post-war boom.
Audience reaction so far has been pretty positive, with a whopping nine million viewers tuning in to watch the season premiere. Showrunner Julian Fellowes has indicated that this season is focused on Lady Mary attempting to get her life back on track and recuperating from the devasting loss of her husband. It's pretty cool to see Lady Mary very much trying to stand on her own two feet and not rely on her father or those around her.
Elsewhere, Edna has returned and she's already stirring up shit with Mrs. Hughes and Carson. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out over the course of the season and if it'll be a repeat of her past drama with Branson.
Next week's episode goes out at 9PM on ITV1.
