We are at the halfway point of the series, and matters are hotting up nicely. Schoolteacher Sarah Bunting continues to wage her one-woman war against the Crawleys - before pushing them too far. Violet is too busy getting flustered about Prince Kuragin to notice, and finally confides in Isobel the truth about their shared past. Following her illicit trip to Liverpool with Lord Gillingham, Mary makes a decision about their relationship - but does it have any future? Thomas returns to Downton a shadow of his former self, and Baxter wonders if there's more to his mystery illness than he's letting on. Rose's father Shrimpie (guest star Peter Egan) is also back on the estate - with shocking news.