Summaries

Synopsis

Tom Branson (Allen Leech), the Earl of Grantham's widowed son-in-law, marries Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton), the illegitimate daughter and sole heir of Lady Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton), Queen Mary's Lady-in-waiting. Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), the Dowager Countess of Grantham, astonishes the family with a visit from the family lawyer George Murray (Jonathan Coy), revealing that years ago she had been gifted a villa in the South of France by the Marquis De Montmirail (Jonathan Zaccai). She has decided to give it to her great-granddaughter, Sybbie, the daughter of Tom and the late Lady Sybil Crawley. 60 yrs ago Violet spent a few days with the Marquis in the South of France and a year later he gifted a villa to Violet. The family can only speculate why he did what he did, and Violet won't help them. Now Eduoard has died, and his present wife and family have decided to take the Grantham's to court over ownership of the Villa.

A film production company requests the use of Downton for location shooting of a silent film called "The Gambler". Robert (Hugh Bonneville) (7th Earl of Grantham) initially turns them down; however, his eldest daughter, the Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery), convinces him that the income would cover replacing Downton's leaking roof. John Bates (Brendan Coyle) and Phyllis Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) travel with the Crawley's to the South of France to take care of them, while the rest of the crew prepare for the filming crews' arrival. Lady Mary convinces Robert to take Mr Carson (Jim Carter) with him, as he is against using Downtown as a venue for the film shooting, in exchange for money and had vowed to stand on top of the film crew and keep an eye on things.

While much of the household staff are eager to see the film stars, the starlet's arrival immediately becomes disruptive and less than impressive.Anna and Daisy were excited to meet the heroine Myrna Dalgleish, but she turns out to be rude and impolite to both of them. Myrna makes impolite remarks at dinner and yells at the household staff, which Robert does not appreciate.

The new Marquis De Montmirail (son of Eduoard) has invited the family to visit the French villa (he won't allow them to stay at a hotel). The ailing Violet is unable to travel, but Tom and Lucy, Lady Bagshaw, Robert Crawley (Lord Grantham) and his wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), and their daughter Edith (Laura Carmichael) (the Marchioness of Hexham) and her husband, Bertie Pelham (Harry Hadden-Paton) (the Marquess of Hexham), accept. Lady Mary remains at Downton to oversee the filming. She is supported by Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan), who keeps an eye on the household staff.Butler Thomas Barrow admits to Mrs Hughes that he is gay.

The marquis Eduoard welcomes the family to the villa while his mother, Madame Montmirail (Nathalie Baye), wants to contest Violet Crawley's ownership. The marquis insists the villa is legally Violet's. He stuns Robert by implying that Robert's birth date, nine months after the Dowager Countess visited in 1864, could mean they are half-brothers. When Cora reveals she may be fatally ill, Robert breaks down at the prospect of losing his mother, the Crawley name, and his wife in short succession.

At Downton, the studio cancels "The Gambler" because silent films are no longer profitable. Lady Mary suggests dubbing in dialogue. Actor Guy Dexter's (Dominic West) voice is suitable, but actress Myrna Dalgleish's (Laura Haddock) regional accent is inappropriate for her upper-class character. Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy) (The movie director) persuades Lady Mary to dub Dalgleish's voice. Fearing her career is ruined, Dalgleish quits, but Downton servants Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt) and Daisy Parker (Sophie McShera) convince her to complete the film. Former Downton footman Mr Joseph Molesley (Kevin Doyle), who can lip-read, reconstructs the dialogue (since there wasn't any script to begin with and no-one remembers what the actors actually said) and suggests additional scenes.

The family returns to Downton while filming continues. Lady Mary rebuffs director Jack Barber's flirtations, although her husband Henry's prolonged absence for a car rally has strained their marriage. Downton's closeted butler, Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), accepts Dexter's offer to manage his Hollywood house and be a travelling companion. Dr Charles Clarkson (David Robb) diagnoses Cora with pernicious anemia, a treatable condition.

Cora helps Dalgleish develop an American accent, potentially saving her career. Edith, unfulfilled and constrained as a marchioness, intends to resume working at the London-based magazine she owns. Newlywed servants Daisy and Andy (Michael Fox) scheme to romantically pair Daisy's former father-in-law, Mr Albert Mason (Paul Copley), and Downton cook Mrs Beryl Patmore (Lesley Nicol). When the financially troubled film's unpaid extras walk out, the Downton staff replace them, ensuring its completion. Barber offers Mr Molesley a lucrative deal as a screenwriter. Mr Molesley then proposes to Miss Phyllis Baxter (Raquel Cassidy), unaware that he is being overheard on an open microphone.

Letters from the Marquis are found in Violet's possession, but they say nothing of the relationship between Violet and the Marquis. Robert is stressed, beyond comprehension. Isobel Grey (Penelope Wilton), Lady Merton speaks to Violet who says that nothing happened between her and the Marquis. She led a happy life with Lord Grantham and wants to make sure that her legacy is not tarnished by one week in the south of France.

Violet assures Robert that the late Lord Grantham is his father and says nothing happened between her and Montmirail (Robert's birth was a clear signal that what he wished for was never going to happen). Violet's health deteriorates further, and she dies soon after, surrounded by loved ones. Mary asks Mr Carson to train footman Andy as the new butler. Months later, Tom and Lucy return to Downton with their infant. In the main hall, a new portrait hangs: of the late Dowager Countess.