I thought the penultimate episode was much better than the final episode. The final seemed much to be setting up a fourth season. The death of Matthew rang to me as the desire for an actor to move to another series. Which is understandable...but geeze. The car crash during extreme happiness...too pat.

Does Dan Stevens really have a better offer outside of Downton Abbey? He´s got a nice face (but a saggy neck for such a young guy). Why do these actors and actresses thing that one good show will equate automatically into untold riches?

I wish we could be happy for just one episode on Downton. Matthew (Dan), you could have stayed on one more season, for goodness´ sake!

Frankly, Season 3 was a major disappointment. DA has definitely jumped the shark. I´m done with it.

I haven´t watched the episode yet, but I had read spoilers since I´d seen hints that it would end tragically.

I knew Dan Stevens was moving on and the character of Matthew simply has to be killed off for it to make any sense when Mary stays on. Sybil´s death was more annoying to me, although now I see they wanted to keep using the Tom character.

I understand the younger actors wanting to move on. The more popular the show, the more likely they are to be stuck as that character forever. And since they´re playing younger characters, writing them out is likely to come out as something tragic. It´s too bad really.

I think they should have let the series go after three seasons. Then they wouldn´t be killing people off and it would have had a decent run with three decent season arcs. I agree that season 3 has been slap dash story telling and I think part of that is the technical junk of writing out characters.

Now I have to decide whether or not to give my husband a heads up on this season having a rough ending.

I actually thought the last two episodes were terrific, that side, Abbey 4, whatever..

Sorry to double post but I will always remember when the actor who played Adam Cartwright on Bonanza thought it was time for him to do other projects. Which were?

The story line may be getting a little repetitive, but this old codger still enjoys the superb acting. I look forward to Season 4.

I should have far preferred it if the Downton Gods had sorted out O´ Brien by sending her off to India with Shrimoy´s unhappy wife as her ladies maid, only to be eaten by a tiger or bitten by a cobra, rather than knocking off Matthew. Lady Mary will soldier on; the dynasty is secured. The tarty Rose will give Edith a run for her money on who will prove to be the biggest scandal-maker in Season 4.

#7, Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright) continued a long and successful career in music, on Broadway, and on television. He was a singer (with several successful albums), a television actor, appearing in dozens of TV shows, and a star on Broadway. He got involved as an activist with the civil rights movement along with Harry Belafonte and Joan Baez. He died in his eighties just a few years ago.

It´s a tv show people, get over it.

I spot a trend. Screenwriters are killing off major characters instead of writing them out of their scripts. They´ve been doing this since Adrianna and Christopher in The Sopranos.
The Walking Dead; Mad Men; H*el on Wheels; and Game of Thrones are a few more examples.
(Wow. Shame on me. I watch waaay too much television!)

#9 - Unfortunately, O´Brien will outlast everyone else (unless she also decides to decamp for greener pastures). I read an interview with Julian Fellowes, and he said that she was his favorite character, inspired by an old aunt´s maid who was treacherous and turned the aunt against everyone else. Everyone around the old aunt knew it, but she never saw it.

Mathew´s and Mary´s son will be old enough to participate and die in WWII without producing a male heir, which will necessitate a search for a husband for Sibyl Crawley Branson.

A whole year to wait...No one can do such a good job as Matthew (Dan), wish him success, however, he was getting that with Downton! I love the friction between Ms. O´Brian and Thomas and with each caper, one or the other lands on top. Super acting, wish season 4 could be sooner.