Robert Earl of Grantham
His male heirs die on the Titanic, but he opts not to fight the entail to save the family fortune.
Violet Dowager Countess of Grantham
Vows to break the entail, and wonders: “What is a weekend?”
The Titanic hits an iceberg and sinks, killing more than 1,500 passengers.
Lady Mary Crawley
Her fiancé, Patrick, sinks with the Titanic, so she pursues the Duke of Crowborough.
Mr. Bates
He’s Robert’s new valet, but his bum leg makes him unpopular with other servants.
Thomas Barrow
Tries to blackmail the Duke of Crowborough, his former lover, for a new job.
Sarah O'Brien
Conspires with Thomas to get Bates fired.
Lady Mary Crawley
Is cold to Matthew, the new heir.
Matthew Crawley
The new heir arrives at Downton, takes a job at a law firm, and flirts with Mary, who’s not interested.
Isobel Crawley
The ex-nurse bullies her way into the hospital and saves a random guy’s life, over Violet’s objections.
Mr. Carson
His pre-Downton vaudeville career is revealed by his former show partner, who blackmails him into providing food and lodging.
William Mason
Develops a crush on Daisy.
Lady Mary Crawley
Sleeps with a Turkish diplomat, Pamuk, who dies in her bed. Moves the body with Cora and maid Anna.
Lady Edith Crawley
Pursues Matthew, since Mary’s not interested in him. Gets rebuffed.
Daisy, the maid, sees everything. Tells Edith.
Lady Sybil Crawley
Shocks her family by wearing harem pants.
Mr. Bates
Tries to fix his leg with a bogus brace.
Sarah O'Brien
Yells at maid Gwen for taking a typing class.
Robert Earl of Grantham
Takes a liking to Matthew. Reconfirms decision not to fight the entail.
Violet Dowager Countess of Grantham
Asks Matthew to find a way to break the entail. Is baffled by a swivel chair.
Lady Sybil Crawley
Shocks her family by connecting with politically radical chauffeur Tom Branson.
Mrs. Hughes
Rejects a farmer’s marriage proposal.
Cook Mrs. Patmore ruins dinner and tells Mr. Carson it’s because she’s going blind. He tells Mrs. Hughes.
Mr. Bates
Cares for Anna when she’s sick.
Anna tells Bates she loves him.
Thomas Barrow
Flirts with Daisy to annoy William.
Cora Countess of Grantham
Tells Robert there’s a rumor going around about Mary. Suggests they marry her off quick to rich widower Anthony Strallan.
Violet Dowager Countess of Grantham
Wins an award for her flowers, but gives the prize to a more deserving winner.
Lady Mary Crawley
Flirts with Matthew.
Lady Edith Crawley
Writes a letter to the Turkish Embassy about Mary and the diplomat.
Lady Sybil Crawley
Takes maid Gwen to a job interview.
Mr. Carson
Practices using Downton’s new telephone: “Hello, this is Mr. Carson.”
Anna visits Bates’s mom. Learns he once went to jail to take the rap for his thief wife.
Mr. Bates
Is almost framed by Thomas and O’Brien for stealing Robert’s snuff box.
Thomas Barrow
Steals wine.
Lady Mary Crawley
Makes out with Matthew.
Lady Edith Crawley
Goes driving with Anthony Strallan.
Lady Sybil Crawley
Shocks her family by attending a political rally and nearly dying.
Matthew Crawley
Proposes to Mary.
Mr. Bates
Is almost framed by Thomas for stealing wine.
Tom Branson
Rescues Sybil when things turn ugly at the rally.
William Mason
His mom dies.
World War I begins.
Robert Earl of Grantham
Sends Mrs. Patmore to a London doctor to get her eyes fixed.
Cora Countess of Grantham
Learns she’s pregnant. Slips, falls, and loses the baby, which was a boy.
Lady Mary Crawley
Sabotages Edith’s relationship with Anthony Strallan.
Matthew Crawley
Dumps Mary because she won’t give him an answer.
Thomas Barrow
Is caught stealing from Carson’s wallet; joins the army to avoid getting fired.
Sarah O'Brien
Trips Cora with a bar of soap and kills her unborn child in the process. Discovers evidence of Bates’s criminal past.
William Mason
Punches Thomas.
The Battle of the Somme begins in France. It lasts for four months and causes 1 million casualties.
Robert Earl of Grantham
Tries to rejoin the army, but they won’t let him fight.
Lady Sybil Crawley
Trains to be a nurse.
Matthew Crawley
Goes to war—and comes back on leave with a fiancée named Lavinia.
Mr. Bates
His evil estranged wife shows up and threatens to tell the press about Mary and the Turk unless Bates leaves with her.
Tom Branson
Tells Sybil he loves her.
Thomas Barrow
Gets shot on purpose (in his hand) so he can quit the war.
Sarah O'Brien
Plays a prank on new maid Ethel.
William Mason
Gets drafted.
Ethel Parks
Is sassy on her first day of work as a maid.
Robert Earl of Grantham
Hires a PTSD-suffering valet to replace Bates.
Lady Mary Crawley
Brings war-profiteering newspaper owner Richard Carlisle to Downton.
Lady Edith Crawley
Drives a tractor. Kisses a married farmer.
Isobel Crawley
Convinces the Crawleys to turn Downton into a convalescent home.
Mr. Carson
Owing to a war-related man shortage, he lets women serve in the dining room.
Mr. Bates
Anna finds him working at a local pub.
Thomas Barrow
Returns to Downton.
William Mason
Asks Daisy to marry him.
Cora Countess of Grantham
Becomes annoyed with the hospital in her home.
Violet Dowager Countess of Grantham
Tries to break up Matthew and Lavinia with a rumor about Lavinia and Carlisle.
Lady Edith Crawley
Takes up nursing.
Isobel Crawley
Acts bossy, gets yelled at by Cora, and threatens to leave.
Mr. Bates
Returns to Downton with plans to marry Anna, just as soon as his divorce goes through.
Tom Branson
Anna thwarts his plan to spill an urn full of poo on a visiting general.
Thomas Barrow
Gets put in charge of Downton’s medical staff.
Sarah O'Brien
Arranges for Thomas to run the Downton hospital.
William Mason
Goes Missing in action.
Ethel Parks
Flirts with visiting officer Major Bryant.
Matthew Crawley
Goes missing in action.
Isobel Crawley
Splits for a hospital in France.
Mrs. Hughes
Fires Ethel.
William Mason
Returns to Downton terminally injured. Marries Daisy, then dies.
Ethel Parks
Sleeps with Major Bryant, gets pregnant, and is thrown out of Downton.
Lady Mary Crawley
Convinces Carlisle to buy off Mrs. Bates and keep the Pamuk affair a secret.
Matthew Crawley
Comes home paralyzed from the waist down; dumps Lavinia.
Isobel Crawley
Comes back to care for her paralyzed son.
Mrs. Hughes
Takes pity on Ethel. Feeds her and the baby.
Mr. Bates
Learns his wife has died.
Tom Branson
Puts his hand on Sybil’s waist.
Thomas Barrow & Sarah O'Brien
Both quit being evil for just long enough to show concern for William and Matthew.
World War I ends.
The Spanish flu pandemic begins.
Robert Earl of Grantham
Flirts with new maid Jane.
Lady Mary Crawley
Tries to hire Carson for her new house.
Lady Edith Crawley
A burn victim convinces her he’s really dead heir Patrick Crawley.
Mr. Carson
Calls Ethel a harlot.
Mrs. Hughes
Invites Major Bryant’s parents to dinner.
Ethel Parks
Learns that Major Bryant is dead.
Lavinia returns.
Robert Earl of Grantham
Kisses Jane.
Lady Mary Crawley
Rescues Sybil (with Edith’s help).
Lady Sybil Crawley
Almost elopes with Branson, but comes home first.
Matthew Crawley
He can walk again!
Mr. Carson
Rejects the job offer when he finds out Carlisle asked Anna to spy on Mary.
Thomas Barrow
Tries to make it as a black-market businessman, but blows his savings on fake goods.
Ethel Parks
Barges into the dining room to ask her dead baby-daddy’s parents for money.
Robert Earl of Grantham
Jane resigns.
Cora Countess of Grantham
Gets Spanish flu, but lives.
Lady Mary Crawley
Kisses Matthew.
Lady Sybil Crawley
Shocks her family with plans to marry Branson.
Matthew Crawley
Lavinia catches him kissing Mary, then dies of Spanish flu.
Mr. Bates
Marries Anna, then gets arrested for the murder of his wife.
Thomas Barrow
Pretends to lose Robert’s dog so he can find him and get promoted to valet.
Ethel Parks
Major Bryant’s dad wants her baby, but she decides to keep it.
Lady Mary Crawley
Dumps Carlisle; tells Matthew about the Pamuk affair.
Matthew Crawley
Proposes to Mary.
Mr. Bates
Is convicted of murder, but spared the death sentence.