'Downton Abbey' Season Three, Episode Eight Recap

News in the house is the annual cricket match. Molesly is excited he gets to be on the House team rather than play for the Village. Robert asks Tom to play but he has never played before.

Lady Grantham is having a young girl named Rose come to stay with her, the daughter of her niece. She apparently hates London and wants to come to the country. Isobel is skeptical.

O’Brien tells James that she has heard Carson is letting Thomas off. She encourages him to tell Carson to give him a bad reference, or he will tell the police. Bates overhears.

Matthew thinks the cricket match has come at a good time. He thinks it will show Robert they can keep up the old traditions while still moving forward. He kisses Mary, but she tells him that’s all he can do—London has tired her out.

James goes to Carson and asks for a bad reference for Thomas. He tells him he won’t turn a blind eye to sin.

The pretty 18-year-old Rose arrives. Isobel has her and Lady Grantham to tea, and Lady Grantham gives Isobel letters in response for the ad for a new cook.

Carson tells Thomas he can’t get a reference. He thinks someone has put Jimmy up to it. He asks to stay for a day or two to come up with a plan, and Carson agrees. He is touched by his standing up for James.

Bates and Anna go to look at their new cottage—it’s rather run down, but they are optimistic about making it nice together.

At dinner, Edith tells them she is going to London to see her editor, and Rose asks to come with her. She claims to be planning a surprise for her mother. Matthew wants to go as well, he asks later. Edith thinks she will need help controlling Rose.

Mrs. Hughes sees Thomas crying outside. She tells him thinks shouldn’t be so bad… he is trained, he can get a good job. He realizes she doesn’t know, and doesn’t want to “shock and disgust” her, but she insists he try.

Isobel tells Ethel about the plan to relocate her. To “wash her clean.”

Mary brings Edith in and asks which train they are all returning from London on. She asks Edith to make sure Matthew doesn’t take an earlier train back.

Mrs. Hughes confronts Carson, and tells him Thomas told her the whole story and he shouldn’t let himself be blackmailed. She also thinks James led Thomas on… not purposefully, but still. Carson reminds her that homosexuality is against the law, and if they stand up to James, he could possibly put Thomas in prison.

Bates sees Thomas in the shadows outside his new “love nest.” Thomas tells him that he envies him, and how everyone is so happy for the two of them.

Edith, Rose, and Matthew go to see their aunt. Rose creeps off on her own, and grabs the telephone.

Ethel tells Isobel she looked over the offers for a job, and nothing appealed to her except the one that would bring her close to where her son is. So she stays on.

Edith meets with her editor, who tells her she looks very pretty. He also likes that she is taking on the position of a man’s topic—the soldier struggle. He encourages her to continue. He asks if he can see her when she’s next free.

Bates and Anna clean up their new home. Bates admits to Anna he feels weird taking Thomas’ job. He wants to talk to Mrs. Hughes, he feels something is going on.

Rose grabs a taxi and surreptitiously takes off.

Bates talks to Mrs. Hughes, and she tells him the truth. He says everyone knew anyway.

Rose is missing. Dinner has been held. At dinner, the driver who took Rose comes to dinner to return her scarf. He admits he knows where she is. He drove her and her “friend” around. He left them at a club.

Rose is at a swing club, having a good time, dancing and clinging to a male friend, kissing at the table. They go to collect her.

“This is like the outer circle from Dante’s inferno!” Matthew is shocked.

They go to the table, shocking Rose. They sit. Matthew grabs her abruptly and takes her to dance. He tells her he can get Edith and Rosamund to keep their mouths shut if she leaves now and never sees that (married) man again.

James asks Carson when Thomas is leaving. He finds it very awkward. Bates makes fun of him. He suggests to Carson who has put him up to this. James gets testy with everyone in the kitchen, who think Carson is being too hard on Thomas.

Matthew goes to see a doctor. He asks if Mary has been to see him, but the doctor said even if she had, he couldn’t speak about it. He tells him he anticipates a Crawley baby before too long. However as Matthew is coming down the stairs to leave, he sees Mary coming in to see the doctor.

The two get lunch. He asks why she would come if he knew the problem was him. She tells him the problem is her… she had a small operation a few weeks ago, but all is well now. Now they can start making babies.

Back home, Lady Grantham overhears Edith and Rose discussing their “secret.”

Bates tells Robert the issue with Thomas. Robert, too, knew about Thomas. He tells Robert that Miss O’Brien has it in for Thomas.

Lady Grantham brings Rose in. She tells her she’s not going to London. She’s going to Scotland with her aunt. Rose gets upset about being separated from “Terrance.”

Bates tells Thomas what is going on. Thomas is oddly subdued. He says he is beaten, well and truly. Bates wants him to go against O’Brien, or at least help him do so.

Robert fights against Branson and Matthew about the property again. Cora takes Matthew’s side about the changes he wants to make.

Edith calls the information desk to get information on Michael Gregson, her editor.

O’Brien comes to see Mr. Bates and Anna. He wants to see her to talk about Thomas. He asks her to persuade James to let Thomas have a reference. She says she won’t do it—but he whispers something in her ear, and she goes to leave. He tells her to sort it out by the evening or her secret will not be safe.

O’Brien talks to James, and tells him it will be the gentlemanly thing to do to take it back. Carson comes in and James asks to speak with him.

Robert finally gets talked into letting Branson and Matthew run the estate their way—on the compromise that Branson plays cricket for the house.

Isobel and Ethel go to see Lady Grantham per her request. She has Mrs. Bryant there—she says the only way Ethel can know how they would react about having her near Charlie is to ask them in person. Mrs. Bryant says she already feels bad about keeping a mother from her son. She encourages Ethel to write and take the position, and she will be allowed to see Charlie. Not as his mother, but as an old nanny.

Bates, Mrs. Hughes, and Anna go to talk to Carson. They encourage him to keep Thomas on somehow. Robert wishes him to stay on as well, so Carson suggests he be the one to bring it about.

Edith goes to see her editor. She tells him she had the impression h was flirting with her… he tells her she’s not wrong. She has discovered, however, that he is married. She hands in her resignation. He asks to explain. His wife is in an asylum. He can’t get a divorce—a lunatic is not considered responsible.

The cricket game commences. Anna asks Bates what she told O’Brien, and he tells her it was “her ladyship’s soap.” He is a little mad that Thomas is staying on, but now he’s ranking higher than Bates. Robert thanks James for letting Thomas stay on, and appoints him head footman to lessen the blow.

At the cricket game, an inspector comes up. He’s asking for Alfred—he’s made a complaint against Thomas. Robert goes to fetch Alfred. He tells him to be kind and let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Alfred tells the inspector he was mistaken.

The cricket game brings everyone together.