Keeping Up With the Crawleys: Where Downton Abbey Left Off

In case you forgot, season three starts out on a happy note, with Matthew and Lady Mary's much-anticipated marriage. After wondering would they or wouldn't they for the entire series, fans could finally feel satisfied that the future of Downton is secured and Mary and Matthew are finally together. But it doesn't last long. The season ends with Matthew unceremoniously dying in a car crash.

During his fateful car ride, Matthew is on his way home from the hospital, where he's just met his new son and heir. Considering much of season three is dedicated to the whether or not Matthew could even have children after his war injury, this is quite a miracle and means the fate of the estate should be safe with Lady Mary's little boy.

Ahead of Matthew's untimely death, the Crawley family loses the youngest daughter, Sybil, to childbirth complications. But before her death, the spirited beauty who married the family chauffeur, Thomas Branson, gives birth to a baby girl, also named Sybil.

Following Sybil's death, Branson is accepted by the aristocratic family at Downton, despite his humble past. But when new housemaid Edna Braithwaite sets her eyes on him, things get complicated. Edna begins flirting with Tom and even comes into his room while he's changing one night and kisses him. After Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes catch wind of what's going on, Edna is fired.

Edith's adventures in magazine writing bring her to London, where she crosses paths with a handsome editor, Michael Gregson. He encourages her to explore her talents, and it finally seems Edith has found someone who can give her attention and appreciation. Unfortunately, there's a catch: he's technically married to a mentally insane woman and cannot get divorced under English law.

In season three, Downton Abbey gets wind that longtime servant Thomas Barrow is gay when he makes a pass at footman Jimmy after misinterpreting some flirtation. Jimmy reports the incident, and Mr. Carson orders Thomas to leave without reference. But after former Thomas-rival Mr. Bates surprising intervenes with a generous-minded Lord Grantham, Thomas's job is saved. Plus, Jimmy and Thomas eventually make up, after Thomas protects Jimmy when he is attacked.

We meet Lady Rose MacClare, the daughter of Lord Grantham's first cousin, in season three, when she comes to Downton for a visit and manages to find her way to London for an inappropriate night out at a jazz club. Later, in the season finale, the Crawley family travels to Scotland to stay at the MacClare's Duneagle Castle and find the young Rose is not getting along with her parents, especially her mother, Susan. By the end of the trip, it's determined that Rose will move to Downton while her parents travel to India.

Mr. Bates spends much of season three in prison for murder with his loyal wife, Anna, never losing faith that he will get out. He eventually does, and the finale ends on a happy note, at least for these two, as they enjoy being together at last.

Robert Crawley, aka Lord Grantham, puts his wife, Cora, through quite a bit in season three. He's lost her fortune in a bad investment and did not listen to Cora's concerns over Sybil's health, which eventually led to her death. With a little help from Lady Violet, who asks Dr. Clarkson to tell Cora that there's nothing that could have been done to save Sybil, she is eventually able to forgive Robert and allow him to comfort her.