Downton Abbey/Tear Jerker

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • In Series One, when Sybil insists on helping Gwen find a job as a secretary, Gwen gives a rather touching speech about how members of the working-class do not easily achieve their dreams as the Crawleys seem to:

Gwen: Forgive me, m’lady, but you don’t get it. You’re brought up to think it’s all within your grasp, that if you want something enough it will come to you; but we’re not like that. We don’t think our dreams are bound to come true, because they almost never do.

  • "It was a boy."
  • The whole of episode 205: William dies and marries Daisy on his deathbed, Matthew's spine is damaged and he cannot walk or be "properly married" to any woman, we see Ethel struggling to cope with her illegitimate child, Mary becomes engaged to Richard Carlisle despite still loving Matthew and Bates and Anna still can't get rid of Vera.
  • The last two lines of series 2. Ouch. Can't poor Mr Bates ever catch a break?

Bates, soft but fervent: I love you.
Anna, halfway to tears: And I love you. For richer, for poorer, for better, for worse.
[they kiss passionately before they are pulled apart]

    • It gets worse during the Christmas special. The first shot we see of Mr. Bates is him sitting on his prison cot, clutching a photograph of Anna and breaking down in tears. On Christmas Day. And just when you think it can't get any worse, he's found guilty of Vera's 'murder' and is sentenced to die by hanging. Poor Anna freaks out in the middle of the court, and Bates - who's been quite steely-jawed during the proceedings - breaks down AGAIN, calling for Anna as he's been led away by the guards. JESUS CHRIST.