OMG! They killed Matthew!

For those of you who are avid Downton Abbey fans, the final seconds of Season 3 has left us reeling. Matthew Crawley, so crucial to the series since the outset, died of an automobile accident just after seeing his newborn son. 

As tragic as the death of Matthew was, his departure clears the way for new plot lines in Season 4. The actor who played Matthew, Dan Stevens, wanted to pursue other projects, as did Jessica Brown Findlay, who was killed off in childbirth earlier in Season 3.

Matthew and Mary with their newborn son

Downton's creator, Julian Fellowes, told The Telegraph of London that portraying a happy marriage between Matthew and Lady Mary would have been of little interest to viewers. “Actually, nothing is harder to dramatize than happiness. When two people are happy, that's it,” he said.

"So now we've got Mary widowed, trying to control the estate, feuding with various other people about what the right way forward is, looking for a new life, dare one say it," Fellowes said. "All of that is more interesting than two people sitting by the fire having a cup of tea."

Maureen Ryan, the TV critic for The Huffington Post (and no fan of Downton Abbey), agrees. "So what would a fourth season have held for Matthew? More trumped-up arguments with Mary? More gentlemen's disagreements on how to run the estate? There just wasn't a lot left for Stevens to do with the character, and why shouldn't an actor on a hot show strike while the iron's hot and try to branch out into other kinds of projects when he gets the chance?" 

From hospital to fatal car crash in a flash

One critic was shocked by Matthew's death. Patrick Stoner, whose Flicks program is syndicated to public broadcasting stations from its home base at WHYY in Philadelphia, went on air to raise money for the station right after the finale. He was visibly moved. Stoner said he watched the finale along with other viewers, and the death was totally unexpected.

In Season 4 we may have to get used to other deaths or departures. An obvious possibility is Maggie Smith, the acerbic Lady Violet. She was one of the last actors to sign on to Season 3. She may have had her fill of the series; in the hiatus between seasons he has worked on two films. Moreover, the aging Lady Violet is slowing down; the death of Lady Sybil staggered her. And she has been caught napping unexpectedly at various points during Season 3 episodes (though her mind remains as clear as ever).

Fellowes has hinted that Season 4 may bring back another appearance of Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson, Cora's mother and the nemesis of Lady Violet. But without Lady Violet, what is there for Mrs. Levinson to do?

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