Why it Will Be Mary & Matthew in the End!
Ok, I thought I’d do my own post about this, rather than try to explain what I mean in different comments in different places. It was inspired by eolivet's post here, where she talks about the show in general and her own excellent ideas.
Anyway, I have now read the relevant bits of the series 2 press pack (I’m not reading everything, just what pertains to Mary and Matthew) and I have watched the new trailer a lot a few times! You can read the press pack here, but sadly the teaser trailer has been blocked now, darn ITV! I think I’ve also found all the main spoilers out there for this ship, so here are my reasons for why it will be Mary and Matthew in the end! Not that I’ve put a lot of thought into this or anything!
NB - they’re not really in any order of importance, just as I think of them and they are full of series 1 spoilers, series 2 spoilers and my own thoughts on series 3 based on series 2 spoilers, so you have been warned!
Series 1
1. We see Matthew totally and utterly in love with Mary. He loves her so much that he can’t marry her because he can’t be sure. IF he did only like her or love her a bit, he’d have married her, but the fact that he doesn’t is proof of how much he loves her. He is basically unwilling to make do with anything less than the 100% proof she loves him. Is it likely that he’ll be able to move on from her that easily? I think not.
2. Mary loves Matthew. The proud, haughty, keeps her heart in an iron cage Mary, falls in love! That, in itself, is a pretty big thing for a character like her. The fact that it’s to a character like Matthew, so far against her usual sort and someone she looked down on so much, is a pretty good indication of how strong that love and connection is.
3. They are the main series 1 romance. Yes there are other ships, but Mary and Matthew have much more “romantic” screen time than the other ships; we have a kiss, a proposal and lots of talk about love. Heck, they even have their own theme tune and everyone else wants them to get together too!
4. They are perfect for one another! Okay, this is pretty debateable, BUT Matthew seems the only one Mary is really willing to be open with (except for when it comes to her feelings for him!) and Matthew really seems to have helped her become a better person in series 1. Matthew seems to get her in a way other characters don’t - they understand each other more. They have a lot of important stuff in common, like being argumentative, both being stubborn and proud, being “thinkers” more than “doers”, being quite passionate, deep feeling people. Also, Mary, as a member of the “old” world, is a very good counterpoint to Matthew’s “new” world - together they symbolise the theme of the show - the mixing of old and new to make things better.
5. They don’t get married for a stupid reason! Yes, there a few reasons why Mary and Matthew don’t get married, but the MAIN one (in my opinion) is that Mary just delayed too long because of a) Pamuk and b) the uncertainty over his prospects. THOSE are little things that can be worked out. Now if one had cheated on the other or done something really bad, it would be easier to imagine they would just stay apart. But that it’s more a misunderstanding on both sides is something that is very far from insurmountable.
6. The Entail! No matter how you look at it, Matthew will be the Earl, his wife the Countess and his son the heir. IF it’s Mary he’s married to, the whole family will be saved as they’ll stay connected to the Abbey, her mother’s fortune will be saved, as it will rightfully pass to Mary’s son and MARY, the rightful (though not lawful) heir will get what she should get. She may not have full control (it will still of course belong to Matthew) but she’ll have access to it. IF Matthew marries someone other than Mary, then this “fixing” of the entail problem will never be finalised and they’ll be no circle or round about way to sort out what is a pretty major plot point.
7. Matthew is “fussy” about choosing his own wife. In the second episode we see him saying quite clearly that he will choose his own wife. This strongly suggests he holds the institution very highly and as such, doesn’t want to be stuck with someone or make do with a business arrangement. Therefore, the fact that he does propose to Mary shows that he definitely wants to marry her, not just because he should marry her. He is NOT just doing his duty or what is expected of him.
8. Mary’s “unvirtuousness”. Mary has, basically, lost her virtue now, after the whole Pamuk scandal and, if she doesn’t get her happy ending, it could be strongly implied that she’s being “punished” for this indiscretion. As if the TV show is trying to tell us what she did is all “wrong”. I doubt the show will want to go down this route, especially as it’s very questionable how much of a choice Mary had in the whole endeavour. Also, I can’t help but think that because they haven’t yet told Matthew about Pamuk, and a series 2 new character is a newspaper owner, the whole Pamuk scandal is sure to raise its ugly head once more. So if we end with a miserable Mary, won’t that just be sending out the wrong message?
9. They insult each other over Greek myths! This is just such an important point, I feel like it has to have its own paragraph! The fact that they are able to banter over it, shows they are on the same wavelength, are clearly a match for each other, they share things in common, that they both like to banter AND that they are both pretty clever and intelligent. More than that though, I think it explains well why their relationship ever began - they surprise and intrigue each other, they challenge each other and neither is anything like the other suspects or has ever known before. THIS sets things up for a very interesting and happy life long relationship, which will never get boring!
10. The ending is so angsty and sad! They end it with Matthew close to crying and heartbroken over Mary yet still unable to hate her. We see Mary bursting into tears at the garden party and being comforted by the butler. These are not only pretty strong indications of how much they love each other, BUT that nothing is at all resolved between them. They are at a cliff hanger ending to their relationship designed to make us anxiously await the next series. It’s very much a deliberate “lets break them up to get a cliffe”. Mary and Matthew still love each but they are not together - that is not something that can be resolved, their story has plenty more to tell…
Series 2
1. They make a BIG deal out of them. The trailer focused mainly on Matthew and his connection to Mary, the press pack keeps on talking about and referring to Matthew and Mary and even the newspaper reviews mentions them almost straight away and a lot! They have been mentioned (and the actors seen together at press events!) way more than the other couples in the show. It’s all about Matthew and Mary in the press and spoilers, suggesting strongly that they are, yet again, going to be the main romance of the show. Main romances may go through bucket loads of angst, but nearly always end up together.
2. Mary still loves Matthew. It’s made pretty clear in the press pack that Mary still loves Matthew and regrets delaying accepting his proposal. We see this in the interview with Michelle Dockery (Mary), Zoe Boyle (Lavinia) and Iain Glen (Sir Richard Carlisle). I’ve not read others, so they may be there as well. It’s in the character descriptions and it was definitely in Mary’s face in the trailer. So if Mary is still totally in love with Matthew, how is she going to get her happy ending, if it’s not with Matthew? And is she doesn’t get her happy ending, cue series 1 point No. 8!
3. Matthew signs up straight away. It looks as if Matthew pretty much signed up straight away to the war. Yes, he’s a very honourable man and wants to do his duty, but to sign up to the war so soon suggests he’s definitely running away. He’s running away from Downton, yes, but what is it about Downton? Mary, of course! If she’d accepted him, he would have stayed - he says so! That he’s run off to war to get away from her (and was going to run off to Manchester before the war was announced) strongly suggests there’re still plenty of feelings there. That in the press pack it talks about Matthew wanting to avoid Downton in the future, suggests those feelings are very much still there…
4. Matthew on rebound. Ok, considering how he is in series 1, it seems unlikely he’d marry for anything but what he thinks is love, so I think it’s fair to assume Matthew thinks he does like/love Lavinia enough. So then, how does that happen? Matthew is pretty majorly in love with Mary at the end of series 1 (the press pack even refers to Mary as Matthew’s true love!), so then he runs off to war and, on leave, meets this other woman called Lavinia. She sounds very much NOT like Mary and actually pretty nice as a person, is probably no where near as confusing and complex and will probably be a lot more “stable” and “constant” in her feelings for Matthew - and her ability to express them. So is it any wonder that Matthew, who thinks everything is all lost between him and Mary and who he’s trying to get over, forms an attachment to Lavinia? It very much sounds like Matthew, in his effort to get over Mary, has transferred his feelings onto someone nice, steady and dependable like Lavinia - the complete opposite to Mary in many ways it seems. Is it likely that he’s really gotten over Mary completely and is ready to love again? I doubt it, so Lavinia definitely seems like the rebound girl.
5. The effects of the war. Matthew and Lavinia met during the war when he was a soldier and everything is very much more intense and rushed. No one knew what was going to happen, worries and anxieties abounded and people did not think as straight as they would normally. I think historically there’re lots of stories about men and women who got married during the war only to end up not happy or divorced afterwards. So Matthew and Lavinia’s relationship seems a lot more spurned on by the effects of the war, rather than on the basis of their real feelings for each other.
6. Matthew and Lavinia won’t know each other very well. Yes ok, one could argue, ala Romeo and Juliet, how much do you really need to know about someone to fall in love? I’m not sure, BUT Matthew and Lavinia simply won’t have had chance to get to know one another and, realistically, they therefore won’t have a good basis for a proper marriage yet. They see each other very briefly, only really communicate via letters and at a very intense and emotional stage of their lives (and their entire countries!). How much would they really get on in the real world as man and wife? Also, in letters, how much of the real person are you really showing and how much will you really get to know the “real” person? Mary and Matthew, however, know each other well, get on (most of the time!) and definitely seem to understand each other. They seem to have a much better basis for a marriage than Matthew and Lavinia at the moment.
7. Matthew and Lavinia happens off screen. Yes ok, we will get to meet Lavinia at some point, but they meet, court and get engaged (it seems) off screen. That’s not a great way to make us as an audience engage with their romance. As Matthew is a pretty major character (and it seems as if they are making him even more of a focus in series 2), it’s pretty unsatisfying if his main relationship (ie the one he ends up marrying) is pretty much all conducted off screen! That’s a pretty big “gap” in the story and is very unfulfilling for us as an audience - we like to see the relationship develop to get engaged and care about it. The fact that we don’t see it, makes me think it’s because we’re not meant to engage with it or want it to happen really. Compare that to his relationship with Mary, which is a pretty main story arc for series 1 and most of the major points are shown to us as an audience - we see their first meeting, their arguments and their falling for each other. We see their first kiss and the stuff that leads up to their break-up. So we, as an audience, are much more invested in them because we see it, so we are rooting for Mary/Matthew! If they wanted Lavinia to be the new and final love interest for Matthew, surely they would want us as an audience to be caring about and rooting for Lavinia/Matthew and how are we to do that if it’s nearly all off screen? Why not show us those key points rather than start the series with a lot already having happened?
8. Matthew’s feelings for Mary. So, considering how much Matthew loves Mary in series 1, could Matthew really have gotten over Mary that easily? AND then fallen equally in love with another woman? Especially considering he just wasn’t sure about Mary, rather than knowing for certain that she didn’t love him, or that she’d done something very bad… I doubt it! Zoe Boyle who plays Lavinia says in the press pack that she’s worried about the history between Mary and Matthew. Also, anyone who’s followed Dan Stevens (who plays Matthew) on twitter will know he likes to tease and joke and is a bit of a cheeky monkey. The way he talks about Matthew “having” to get over Mary in the press pack, it does make me very suspicious that he’s just doing it to spur on the angst and up the anticipation. After all, he can’t give away too much, can he?
9. Their alternative love interests. Firstly, Mary’s alternative love interest is Sir Richard Carlisle, who seems to be a very shady character (though I must admit I’m biased as I’ve seen the actor playing shady characters before in Wives and Daughters and Spooks!). He seems to genuinely like Mary, but the words like control in the press pack make me worried he won’t be the happy, charming character we’d want our leading lady to end up with. If it had been a hunky, brave soldier (obviously NOT Matthew!) he might be a viable end game romance for her, but this somewhat seedy, shady, newspaper owner? I think not, so either Mary’s going to end up alone, there’s another love interest we’re not told about (highly doubtful considering how much we are told!) or she does end up with Matthew. Second then, Matthew’s love interest, Lavinia. She seems like a nice enough girl, but almost quite Mary-Sue like, a bit dull and uninteresting compared to the highly complex and contradictory character of Mary. She just seems more the sort of “girl next door”, friend or safe type, not someone who would share with Matthew even a quarter of the chemistry and passion he had with Mary in series 1. Would Matthew really be happy with someone so seemingly simple? And if she is going to stick around as Matthew’s wife, wouldn’t they have made more of her character? She just seems to be very shoe-horned in as a very angsty plot device, rather than as a new regular cast member and the wife of the future Earl of Grantham and custodian of Downton Abbey!
10. THEIR FACES!!! Okay, this needed its own special point. Their faces in the series 2 teaser trailer are just soooo angsty and full of emotion and feelings. Matthew looks really guilty and torn and Mary just utterly devastated. It seems clear from that, that they both still care very deeply about one another, that there’s still awesome chemistry between them, so seriously, are they just going to push all that under the carpet and have Matthew married off with Lavinia? There’s a wonderful screen shot of Mary and Matthew’s faces in the trailer here. What I want to know though, is just when does this scene take place! That opens up a whole new range of theories, but still doesn’t take away the fact that there’s definitely still lots of feelings between them! I think it’ll be mid to end of the series, especially as Dan says this in the press pack, “Later in the series, Matthew returns to Downton Abbey. However, he is not alone - he is accompanied by his new love interest, Lavinia Swire played by Zoe Boyle.”
Series 3
Yes, I’m sure there will be one and it’s said Fellowes is already planning it! ITV are not going to let this gold mind of an epically awesome TV show be over too soon. So then, in series 3, they need stories and romance for Matthew and Mary! Here’s my idea on what they could do, after the Christmas special of course:
1. Keep up with the will they/won’t they of Matthew and Mary. Basically, end series 2/Christmas special with neither married (but possibly engaged to other people) so there’s still the possibility they could get together. However, this would be too repetitive and really clutching at stories, as what else could they throw in the way of them and how many times are they going to have them get together, then split up! I hope, considering the masterful story teller that Fellowes is, he knows better than to drag them out that much. Not to mention, it means there’s essentially been no growth since the very beginning of series 1, which seems pretty bad storytelling IMO. I guess they could have Matthew marry Lavinia, then she dies and then he ends up with Mary, but not only does that sound too much like soap opera for even Downton Abbey, it would majorly effect the relationship between Mary and Matthew - she’d only appear as the fall back option, and we, as an audience, would be happy because another character dies!?!?! Considering Lavinia sounds like a nice character, I very much doubt they’d go this way. Also, it just seems far too contrived and dragged out and sort of ridiculous!
2. Have Matthew married to Lavinia. Well, as it’s all off screen and Lavinia seems pretty uninteresting and Mary-Sue-ish, are we really going to care about a married Matthew and Lavinia enough for a whole third series? I doubt they’d relegate Matthew to the backwaters of the story - he is the heir after all! And what would become of Mary? Would she STILL be pining after him, or would they throw new love interests at her? And what would be the point of making them the MAIN romance for 2 series, if in the third, they throw another at us which we are not going to be as emotionally invested in?
3. Have Matthew married to Mary. Considering their relationship so far, they are certainly a pretty dynamic, challenging, fun and interesting couple and I think a married Mary and Matthew would be pretty entertaining, what with all their bantering and flirting and argumentative, stubborn behaviour. We’ve had two series worth of angst, a nice happy third series would be very welcome. I’m sure there’s still plenty of ways they could add in angst for them too. It also makes sense that it will solve the entail problem and give them both a nice happy ending. Also, series 1 seemed to focus A LOT on Mary and it seems series 2 will focus A LOT on Matthew (he does seem very prominent in the press/pictures/trailers/advertising etc) so it would then make sense to focus on Mary/Matthew as a couple in series 3 - completes the cycle as it were.
So, I reckon a married Mary and Matthew would be not only the most likely plot in series 3, but provide ample fun and entertaining stories - especially if Mary has to adjust to life in Crawley House and then if Matthew becomes Earl. Shameless plug here, but I’ve written a fun story for a married Mary/Matthew which shows how they could still remain a pretty interesting couple even when married. It’s called The Unexpected Visitor.
In Conclusion
There are many reasons why I’m almost certain that it will end with Mary and Matthew together. I’m not, obviously, unbiased, but hopefully my reasons are still well thought out and relatively accurate and evidence based (and make sense!). Some reasons, though separated into series, obviously fit into all. I split them into series because series 1 we know for certain what happens, series 2 it’s all assumption and conjecture at this point and series 3 is just my musings based on nothing much at all! LOL!
I’d like to make one last point though, and that’s about the overall style of Fellowes writing and Downton Abbey. Despite bad stuff happening in series 1 (and the likelihood of even more bad stuff happening in series 2), Downton Abbey is still an entertaining, relatively light hearted and happy show. Nothing that bad has happened to the characters yet and there’s certainly a chance of a happy ending for them all. To have two of the main, main characters, Mary and Matthew, end up unhappy and miserable, seems very contrary to what the show has been so far and what it seems to represent. Therefore, I do think Fellowes intends a happy ending for the characters, eventually, and, as my reasons above show, that can only really be with each other!
I would just like to add though, not to blow my own trumpet or anything, but a lot of what we’ve learnt so far is what I predicted. I knew Matthew would most likely go run off to war pretty soon, that he would be a brave and heroic officer and that he would look mighty fine in uniform! I also predicted, as soon as the new cast members were announced, that Lavinia would be a love interest for Matthew and Carlisle a love interest for Mary. I also guessed he’d have some sort of controlling influence over Mary, (I reckon about Pamuk) which would affect their relationship. The only thing that surprised me was having Matthew actually engaged, but that actually makes a lot of sense (and I did think it was a possibility). I’m saying this, not to prove my points or to pretend to be clever, but because, IMO, so far Mary and Matthew’s story, whilst full of angst, has been pretty predictable and “by the rules”. I mean this in a very good way (I don’t think I need to explain again how much I LOVE Mary and Matthew!) but it definitely makes me think that, as they haven’t broken the mould with them so far, they won’t in the future either. Therefore, in all likelihood, they really will get Mary and Matthew together!
So I’m not worried about IF they will get together properly, but WHEN! I have my eye on them getting together at the end of series 2 and then getting married in the Christmas special - that really would just be so cute and romantic! If we have to wait until series 3 I will not only be incredibly annoyed and frustrated, but also disappointed in Julian Fellowes for dragging it on even longer!
Anyway, I’d love to know what you think of my reasonings and your counter-arguments or agreements, or if there’s anything I’ve missed! Oh and feel free to play Devil’s Advocate or be really paranoid and over-analytical!
Sorry it ended up so long!
Anyway, I have now read the relevant bits of the series 2 press pack (I’m not reading everything, just what pertains to Mary and Matthew) and I have watched the new trailer a lot a few times! You can read the press pack here, but sadly the teaser trailer has been blocked now, darn ITV! I think I’ve also found all the main spoilers out there for this ship, so here are my reasons for why it will be Mary and Matthew in the end! Not that I’ve put a lot of thought into this or anything!
NB - they’re not really in any order of importance, just as I think of them and they are full of series 1 spoilers, series 2 spoilers and my own thoughts on series 3 based on series 2 spoilers, so you have been warned!
Series 1
1. We see Matthew totally and utterly in love with Mary. He loves her so much that he can’t marry her because he can’t be sure. IF he did only like her or love her a bit, he’d have married her, but the fact that he doesn’t is proof of how much he loves her. He is basically unwilling to make do with anything less than the 100% proof she loves him. Is it likely that he’ll be able to move on from her that easily? I think not.
2. Mary loves Matthew. The proud, haughty, keeps her heart in an iron cage Mary, falls in love! That, in itself, is a pretty big thing for a character like her. The fact that it’s to a character like Matthew, so far against her usual sort and someone she looked down on so much, is a pretty good indication of how strong that love and connection is.
3. They are the main series 1 romance. Yes there are other ships, but Mary and Matthew have much more “romantic” screen time than the other ships; we have a kiss, a proposal and lots of talk about love. Heck, they even have their own theme tune and everyone else wants them to get together too!
4. They are perfect for one another! Okay, this is pretty debateable, BUT Matthew seems the only one Mary is really willing to be open with (except for when it comes to her feelings for him!) and Matthew really seems to have helped her become a better person in series 1. Matthew seems to get her in a way other characters don’t - they understand each other more. They have a lot of important stuff in common, like being argumentative, both being stubborn and proud, being “thinkers” more than “doers”, being quite passionate, deep feeling people. Also, Mary, as a member of the “old” world, is a very good counterpoint to Matthew’s “new” world - together they symbolise the theme of the show - the mixing of old and new to make things better.
5. They don’t get married for a stupid reason! Yes, there a few reasons why Mary and Matthew don’t get married, but the MAIN one (in my opinion) is that Mary just delayed too long because of a) Pamuk and b) the uncertainty over his prospects. THOSE are little things that can be worked out. Now if one had cheated on the other or done something really bad, it would be easier to imagine they would just stay apart. But that it’s more a misunderstanding on both sides is something that is very far from insurmountable.
6. The Entail! No matter how you look at it, Matthew will be the Earl, his wife the Countess and his son the heir. IF it’s Mary he’s married to, the whole family will be saved as they’ll stay connected to the Abbey, her mother’s fortune will be saved, as it will rightfully pass to Mary’s son and MARY, the rightful (though not lawful) heir will get what she should get. She may not have full control (it will still of course belong to Matthew) but she’ll have access to it. IF Matthew marries someone other than Mary, then this “fixing” of the entail problem will never be finalised and they’ll be no circle or round about way to sort out what is a pretty major plot point.
7. Matthew is “fussy” about choosing his own wife. In the second episode we see him saying quite clearly that he will choose his own wife. This strongly suggests he holds the institution very highly and as such, doesn’t want to be stuck with someone or make do with a business arrangement. Therefore, the fact that he does propose to Mary shows that he definitely wants to marry her, not just because he should marry her. He is NOT just doing his duty or what is expected of him.
8. Mary’s “unvirtuousness”. Mary has, basically, lost her virtue now, after the whole Pamuk scandal and, if she doesn’t get her happy ending, it could be strongly implied that she’s being “punished” for this indiscretion. As if the TV show is trying to tell us what she did is all “wrong”. I doubt the show will want to go down this route, especially as it’s very questionable how much of a choice Mary had in the whole endeavour. Also, I can’t help but think that because they haven’t yet told Matthew about Pamuk, and a series 2 new character is a newspaper owner, the whole Pamuk scandal is sure to raise its ugly head once more. So if we end with a miserable Mary, won’t that just be sending out the wrong message?
9. They insult each other over Greek myths! This is just such an important point, I feel like it has to have its own paragraph! The fact that they are able to banter over it, shows they are on the same wavelength, are clearly a match for each other, they share things in common, that they both like to banter AND that they are both pretty clever and intelligent. More than that though, I think it explains well why their relationship ever began - they surprise and intrigue each other, they challenge each other and neither is anything like the other suspects or has ever known before. THIS sets things up for a very interesting and happy life long relationship, which will never get boring!
10. The ending is so angsty and sad! They end it with Matthew close to crying and heartbroken over Mary yet still unable to hate her. We see Mary bursting into tears at the garden party and being comforted by the butler. These are not only pretty strong indications of how much they love each other, BUT that nothing is at all resolved between them. They are at a cliff hanger ending to their relationship designed to make us anxiously await the next series. It’s very much a deliberate “lets break them up to get a cliffe”. Mary and Matthew still love each but they are not together - that is not something that can be resolved, their story has plenty more to tell…
Series 2
1. They make a BIG deal out of them. The trailer focused mainly on Matthew and his connection to Mary, the press pack keeps on talking about and referring to Matthew and Mary and even the newspaper reviews mentions them almost straight away and a lot! They have been mentioned (and the actors seen together at press events!) way more than the other couples in the show. It’s all about Matthew and Mary in the press and spoilers, suggesting strongly that they are, yet again, going to be the main romance of the show. Main romances may go through bucket loads of angst, but nearly always end up together.
2. Mary still loves Matthew. It’s made pretty clear in the press pack that Mary still loves Matthew and regrets delaying accepting his proposal. We see this in the interview with Michelle Dockery (Mary), Zoe Boyle (Lavinia) and Iain Glen (Sir Richard Carlisle). I’ve not read others, so they may be there as well. It’s in the character descriptions and it was definitely in Mary’s face in the trailer. So if Mary is still totally in love with Matthew, how is she going to get her happy ending, if it’s not with Matthew? And is she doesn’t get her happy ending, cue series 1 point No. 8!
3. Matthew signs up straight away. It looks as if Matthew pretty much signed up straight away to the war. Yes, he’s a very honourable man and wants to do his duty, but to sign up to the war so soon suggests he’s definitely running away. He’s running away from Downton, yes, but what is it about Downton? Mary, of course! If she’d accepted him, he would have stayed - he says so! That he’s run off to war to get away from her (and was going to run off to Manchester before the war was announced) strongly suggests there’re still plenty of feelings there. That in the press pack it talks about Matthew wanting to avoid Downton in the future, suggests those feelings are very much still there…
4. Matthew on rebound. Ok, considering how he is in series 1, it seems unlikely he’d marry for anything but what he thinks is love, so I think it’s fair to assume Matthew thinks he does like/love Lavinia enough. So then, how does that happen? Matthew is pretty majorly in love with Mary at the end of series 1 (the press pack even refers to Mary as Matthew’s true love!), so then he runs off to war and, on leave, meets this other woman called Lavinia. She sounds very much NOT like Mary and actually pretty nice as a person, is probably no where near as confusing and complex and will probably be a lot more “stable” and “constant” in her feelings for Matthew - and her ability to express them. So is it any wonder that Matthew, who thinks everything is all lost between him and Mary and who he’s trying to get over, forms an attachment to Lavinia? It very much sounds like Matthew, in his effort to get over Mary, has transferred his feelings onto someone nice, steady and dependable like Lavinia - the complete opposite to Mary in many ways it seems. Is it likely that he’s really gotten over Mary completely and is ready to love again? I doubt it, so Lavinia definitely seems like the rebound girl.
5. The effects of the war. Matthew and Lavinia met during the war when he was a soldier and everything is very much more intense and rushed. No one knew what was going to happen, worries and anxieties abounded and people did not think as straight as they would normally. I think historically there’re lots of stories about men and women who got married during the war only to end up not happy or divorced afterwards. So Matthew and Lavinia’s relationship seems a lot more spurned on by the effects of the war, rather than on the basis of their real feelings for each other.
6. Matthew and Lavinia won’t know each other very well. Yes ok, one could argue, ala Romeo and Juliet, how much do you really need to know about someone to fall in love? I’m not sure, BUT Matthew and Lavinia simply won’t have had chance to get to know one another and, realistically, they therefore won’t have a good basis for a proper marriage yet. They see each other very briefly, only really communicate via letters and at a very intense and emotional stage of their lives (and their entire countries!). How much would they really get on in the real world as man and wife? Also, in letters, how much of the real person are you really showing and how much will you really get to know the “real” person? Mary and Matthew, however, know each other well, get on (most of the time!) and definitely seem to understand each other. They seem to have a much better basis for a marriage than Matthew and Lavinia at the moment.
7. Matthew and Lavinia happens off screen. Yes ok, we will get to meet Lavinia at some point, but they meet, court and get engaged (it seems) off screen. That’s not a great way to make us as an audience engage with their romance. As Matthew is a pretty major character (and it seems as if they are making him even more of a focus in series 2), it’s pretty unsatisfying if his main relationship (ie the one he ends up marrying) is pretty much all conducted off screen! That’s a pretty big “gap” in the story and is very unfulfilling for us as an audience - we like to see the relationship develop to get engaged and care about it. The fact that we don’t see it, makes me think it’s because we’re not meant to engage with it or want it to happen really. Compare that to his relationship with Mary, which is a pretty main story arc for series 1 and most of the major points are shown to us as an audience - we see their first meeting, their arguments and their falling for each other. We see their first kiss and the stuff that leads up to their break-up. So we, as an audience, are much more invested in them because we see it, so we are rooting for Mary/Matthew! If they wanted Lavinia to be the new and final love interest for Matthew, surely they would want us as an audience to be caring about and rooting for Lavinia/Matthew and how are we to do that if it’s nearly all off screen? Why not show us those key points rather than start the series with a lot already having happened?
8. Matthew’s feelings for Mary. So, considering how much Matthew loves Mary in series 1, could Matthew really have gotten over Mary that easily? AND then fallen equally in love with another woman? Especially considering he just wasn’t sure about Mary, rather than knowing for certain that she didn’t love him, or that she’d done something very bad… I doubt it! Zoe Boyle who plays Lavinia says in the press pack that she’s worried about the history between Mary and Matthew. Also, anyone who’s followed Dan Stevens (who plays Matthew) on twitter will know he likes to tease and joke and is a bit of a cheeky monkey. The way he talks about Matthew “having” to get over Mary in the press pack, it does make me very suspicious that he’s just doing it to spur on the angst and up the anticipation. After all, he can’t give away too much, can he?
9. Their alternative love interests. Firstly, Mary’s alternative love interest is Sir Richard Carlisle, who seems to be a very shady character (though I must admit I’m biased as I’ve seen the actor playing shady characters before in Wives and Daughters and Spooks!). He seems to genuinely like Mary, but the words like control in the press pack make me worried he won’t be the happy, charming character we’d want our leading lady to end up with. If it had been a hunky, brave soldier (obviously NOT Matthew!) he might be a viable end game romance for her, but this somewhat seedy, shady, newspaper owner? I think not, so either Mary’s going to end up alone, there’s another love interest we’re not told about (highly doubtful considering how much we are told!) or she does end up with Matthew. Second then, Matthew’s love interest, Lavinia. She seems like a nice enough girl, but almost quite Mary-Sue like, a bit dull and uninteresting compared to the highly complex and contradictory character of Mary. She just seems more the sort of “girl next door”, friend or safe type, not someone who would share with Matthew even a quarter of the chemistry and passion he had with Mary in series 1. Would Matthew really be happy with someone so seemingly simple? And if she is going to stick around as Matthew’s wife, wouldn’t they have made more of her character? She just seems to be very shoe-horned in as a very angsty plot device, rather than as a new regular cast member and the wife of the future Earl of Grantham and custodian of Downton Abbey!
10. THEIR FACES!!! Okay, this needed its own special point. Their faces in the series 2 teaser trailer are just soooo angsty and full of emotion and feelings. Matthew looks really guilty and torn and Mary just utterly devastated. It seems clear from that, that they both still care very deeply about one another, that there’s still awesome chemistry between them, so seriously, are they just going to push all that under the carpet and have Matthew married off with Lavinia? There’s a wonderful screen shot of Mary and Matthew’s faces in the trailer here. What I want to know though, is just when does this scene take place! That opens up a whole new range of theories, but still doesn’t take away the fact that there’s definitely still lots of feelings between them! I think it’ll be mid to end of the series, especially as Dan says this in the press pack, “Later in the series, Matthew returns to Downton Abbey. However, he is not alone - he is accompanied by his new love interest, Lavinia Swire played by Zoe Boyle.”
Series 3
Yes, I’m sure there will be one and it’s said Fellowes is already planning it! ITV are not going to let this gold mind of an epically awesome TV show be over too soon. So then, in series 3, they need stories and romance for Matthew and Mary! Here’s my idea on what they could do, after the Christmas special of course:
1. Keep up with the will they/won’t they of Matthew and Mary. Basically, end series 2/Christmas special with neither married (but possibly engaged to other people) so there’s still the possibility they could get together. However, this would be too repetitive and really clutching at stories, as what else could they throw in the way of them and how many times are they going to have them get together, then split up! I hope, considering the masterful story teller that Fellowes is, he knows better than to drag them out that much. Not to mention, it means there’s essentially been no growth since the very beginning of series 1, which seems pretty bad storytelling IMO. I guess they could have Matthew marry Lavinia, then she dies and then he ends up with Mary, but not only does that sound too much like soap opera for even Downton Abbey, it would majorly effect the relationship between Mary and Matthew - she’d only appear as the fall back option, and we, as an audience, would be happy because another character dies!?!?! Considering Lavinia sounds like a nice character, I very much doubt they’d go this way. Also, it just seems far too contrived and dragged out and sort of ridiculous!
2. Have Matthew married to Lavinia. Well, as it’s all off screen and Lavinia seems pretty uninteresting and Mary-Sue-ish, are we really going to care about a married Matthew and Lavinia enough for a whole third series? I doubt they’d relegate Matthew to the backwaters of the story - he is the heir after all! And what would become of Mary? Would she STILL be pining after him, or would they throw new love interests at her? And what would be the point of making them the MAIN romance for 2 series, if in the third, they throw another at us which we are not going to be as emotionally invested in?
3. Have Matthew married to Mary. Considering their relationship so far, they are certainly a pretty dynamic, challenging, fun and interesting couple and I think a married Mary and Matthew would be pretty entertaining, what with all their bantering and flirting and argumentative, stubborn behaviour. We’ve had two series worth of angst, a nice happy third series would be very welcome. I’m sure there’s still plenty of ways they could add in angst for them too. It also makes sense that it will solve the entail problem and give them both a nice happy ending. Also, series 1 seemed to focus A LOT on Mary and it seems series 2 will focus A LOT on Matthew (he does seem very prominent in the press/pictures/trailers/advertising etc) so it would then make sense to focus on Mary/Matthew as a couple in series 3 - completes the cycle as it were.
So, I reckon a married Mary and Matthew would be not only the most likely plot in series 3, but provide ample fun and entertaining stories - especially if Mary has to adjust to life in Crawley House and then if Matthew becomes Earl. Shameless plug here, but I’ve written a fun story for a married Mary/Matthew which shows how they could still remain a pretty interesting couple even when married. It’s called The Unexpected Visitor.
In Conclusion
There are many reasons why I’m almost certain that it will end with Mary and Matthew together. I’m not, obviously, unbiased, but hopefully my reasons are still well thought out and relatively accurate and evidence based (and make sense!). Some reasons, though separated into series, obviously fit into all. I split them into series because series 1 we know for certain what happens, series 2 it’s all assumption and conjecture at this point and series 3 is just my musings based on nothing much at all! LOL!
I’d like to make one last point though, and that’s about the overall style of Fellowes writing and Downton Abbey. Despite bad stuff happening in series 1 (and the likelihood of even more bad stuff happening in series 2), Downton Abbey is still an entertaining, relatively light hearted and happy show. Nothing that bad has happened to the characters yet and there’s certainly a chance of a happy ending for them all. To have two of the main, main characters, Mary and Matthew, end up unhappy and miserable, seems very contrary to what the show has been so far and what it seems to represent. Therefore, I do think Fellowes intends a happy ending for the characters, eventually, and, as my reasons above show, that can only really be with each other!
I would just like to add though, not to blow my own trumpet or anything, but a lot of what we’ve learnt so far is what I predicted. I knew Matthew would most likely go run off to war pretty soon, that he would be a brave and heroic officer and that he would look mighty fine in uniform! I also predicted, as soon as the new cast members were announced, that Lavinia would be a love interest for Matthew and Carlisle a love interest for Mary. I also guessed he’d have some sort of controlling influence over Mary, (I reckon about Pamuk) which would affect their relationship. The only thing that surprised me was having Matthew actually engaged, but that actually makes a lot of sense (and I did think it was a possibility). I’m saying this, not to prove my points or to pretend to be clever, but because, IMO, so far Mary and Matthew’s story, whilst full of angst, has been pretty predictable and “by the rules”. I mean this in a very good way (I don’t think I need to explain again how much I LOVE Mary and Matthew!) but it definitely makes me think that, as they haven’t broken the mould with them so far, they won’t in the future either. Therefore, in all likelihood, they really will get Mary and Matthew together!
So I’m not worried about IF they will get together properly, but WHEN! I have my eye on them getting together at the end of series 2 and then getting married in the Christmas special - that really would just be so cute and romantic! If we have to wait until series 3 I will not only be incredibly annoyed and frustrated, but also disappointed in Julian Fellowes for dragging it on even longer!
Anyway, I’d love to know what you think of my reasonings and your counter-arguments or agreements, or if there’s anything I’ve missed! Oh and feel free to play Devil’s Advocate or be really paranoid and over-analytical!
Sorry it ended up so long!