Catherine: Hi, Andrew. So here we are for Episode 3. It felt like the show was letting us catch our breaths after the bomb it threw with Anna last week. And that’s okay by me. Downton excels at the small dramas and there were plenty tiny dramas afoot this time around. Were you relieved to catch your breath? Or were you hoping for some big drama in justice for Anna?

Andrew: I was glad for the reprieve. Of course, I would’ve loved to see some justice for Anna—and I’ll be hoping for it in future episodes—but this episode did what I think it needed to: establish in no uncertain terms that being raped was not Anna’s fault, full-stop. Thank God for Mrs. Hughes! I don’t know what Downton would do without her intelligence and moral clarity.

Catherine: The scene with Anna crying out that she was dirty and at blame for the rape was a heartbreaking and an entirely truthful scene. Anna is behaving how people who’ve been sexually assaulted do behave, and the show isn’t shying away from that. With the massive audience Downton reaches, this is an educating moment for a lot of people who have no idea what sexual assault symptoms look like and how the after affect plays out for the victim and for those who love her/him. I’ve been bored with Downton for a few years but I’m growing majorly interested due to Anna’s story line. I’m looking forward to justice for Anna though in that particular world and even now, the law won’t do much to protect her nor bring justice. I’m very curious how it all will play out, particularly in regards to her husband. Mr.Bates said he will find out what’s causing her behavior and no doubt he will. I hope however, through some act of vengeance, he doesn’t end back in jail. Once was enough. Bates has gotten a bit craftier however, as we witnessed with him tricking Molesley into taking money. Surely some sort of psychological warfare of slander and innuendo could be launched at the rapist valet, Green. No doubt Thomas could lead the charge on that one. On a side note, I was incredibly relieved when Gillingham claimed he didn’t like his valet. It’s a shame WWII is decades away for Green. I agree—thank God for Mrs. Hughes! I highly doubt she’ll be able to sit on that one for very long.

Andrew: Yes, Team Hughes all the way. And I definitely think Mary’s reference to when she told a secret was about Pamuk. Telling Matthew the truth about that definitely worked out well for her. The question is, what’s next for Mary now? She turned down Lord Gillingham’s marriage proposal—but that kiss on the Downton grounds sure looked like the kiss of two people who were meant to be together, even if Mary’s not ready yet. And what she said to Tom in the car moments later—that she’d just done something she’d regret for a long time—makes me hope that Gillingham isn’t lost to her forever. I want Mary to be happy!

Catherine: I want her to be happy too—as much as Mary can be happy. That Mary—there’s always an edgy growliness about her no matter what. She’s not demure or passive. She’s a cranky fun lady. Takes after her Granny that way. I wanted to see her sail off with Gillingham but I respected her for saying, “no.” Mary’s true to herself no matter what and that’s why we love her. And there’s your theme once more about honesty being the best policy. Overall, I thought it was a good episode. I could do without the younger staff drama (Daisy, Albert, etc) but besides that, it was good. Rose keeps cropping up in interesting little dance dramas. She’s one to notice in the upcoming episodes. What were the worst or best points for you?

Andrew: After being a bit critical of last week’s episode, I find myself at a loss to find much I didn’t like this week. Even the downstairs love rectangle is starting to work for me—I genuinely want to know how things work for Daisy and Albert. Lady Edith has grown as a character from a cardboard villain and a bit of a down-on-her-luck joke to being genuinely interesting (though I’m still concerned about what might happen should she move to Germany). And Rose—well, a subplot with the bandleader Jack Ross could be interesting, and a long overdue tackling of the topic of race for the show. But my favorite moment of all had to be Braithwaite and Thomas on the stairs, where they said what they thought of each other. It was a little meta-moment, and I laughed out-loud when each delivered their diagnosis of the other’s character flaws.

Thanks for this conversation, Catherine. See you next week.