'Downton Abbey' Season 5 Spoilers: Will Mary Make it Down the Aisle? Downton is 'At Its Best,' EP Says
"Downton Abbey" returns for a fifth season in January, and new details about the upcoming season have been revealed. Creator Julian Fellowes has already promised that no one will die, but what else is in store for the Crawley family?
"In the new season, we have the high-stakes drama, the laugh-out-loud comedy and the romance," executive producer Gareth Neame told TVLine. "We have all of the characters doing the things people love to see them doing, but we have a few really nice twists and turns as well."
One of the major storylines this season includes a new romance for Lady Mary, who lost her husband Matthew in a previous season.
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"Everyone wants Mary to be happy and for her to marry again, but nobody would want that to happen too quickly because they want to respect the memory of Matthew. It's about timing all those things correctly, and I really like the way we juggled two, maybe even three, suitors in the last season. She's still not quite sure, and I think there's a good hook for the audience in the fifth season to see which decision she's going to make," Neame revealed.
The Dowager Countess will be at her best this season, Neame added. "She has a brilliant storyline this season. It's 'Downton' at its best, this storyline. It's fantastic."
Of course, there is still the matter of Anna's rape last season and the question of whether her husband, Mr. Bates, killed her rapist.
"There are certain stories on this kind of show that you pick up for a few episodes, then let fall away," Neame said. "This doesn't seem like something that could happen to a character and be easily forgotten."
One more relationship possibly in the works is between Carson and Mrs. Hughes, who were last seen standing in the water, holding hands and smiling at one another.
"I think it has more to do with the chemistry we saw between Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan," Neame explained. "I saw them as sort of a husband and wife very early on. 'Downton' is about romantic love and companionships, and in that sense, they are one of the 'Downton' relationships, even if they're not married. Obviously that was a lovely tease at the end of last season, so we'll see what happens to them."
"Downton Abbey" returns to the U.S. on January 4, 2015, on PBS.
