Downton Abbey is nearly back! For all you lucky ducks in the UK, this is not new — the fourth season premiered on ITV last month across the pond — but for the rest of us anglophiles over here in the states, we've still got a couple of more months before the series returns. So, there's no better time for a promo! In this new teaser for Downton Abbey , we catch a few glimpses at what to expect from the fourth season — which include Edith getting herself into some hot water by conducting an affair with her married editor, and poor Lady Mary Crawley still in mourning after the death of her beloved husband, Matthew. Luckily, she has Professor McGonagall... I mean, Violet Crawley there to help her out.
Some quick takeaways from this teaser:
Violet's voiceover kicks off the 30-second promo, with the powerful line, "You have a straight-forward choice before you. You must choose either death... or life." It seems that she's addressing Mary, so it's likely that she's trying to talk her into moving on with her life after Matthew's sudden death, since Mary seems to have lost her will to live since it happened. Mary appears somber, but clearly is listening to Violet.
The next voiceover comes from Anna, who tells Mary as she kisses baby George Crawley on the head, "He's not an orphan... he's got his mother." As we saw in the short clip from the new season last month, Mary has taken to denying the child as her own since Matthew's death, and often calls the baby an orphan instead of dealing with the fact that she's the mother.
Next up is Edith, who can be heard in a voiceover saying, "It's getting harder and harder to say no." This one's a little tougher, but the image that it plays over couldn't be more clear: She's speaking to her married editor, and the two are in some sort of illicit affair that is surely going to be juicier than anything the CW could even DREAM of airing. Edith, you bad girl.
Finally, the trailer ends with a voiceover from Robert Crawley, "I'm so pleased seeing the old house at full strength again," hopefully referring to the fact that this season is going to be just fine without Matthew Crawley and star Dan Stevens. Judging by the teaser, things seem hopeful!
You can check it out below. Downton Abbey will air through PBS Masterpiece Theater beginning Jan. 15, 2014.
