Neil Midgley for Forbes said that when the show runners of "Downton Abbey" decided to kill of actor Dan Stevens' Matthew character in Season 3, the show's fans were not thrilled when it was played out, especially when the episode was shown during the holiday season. As such, the show has been threading carefully when killing off characters of the show, whether it's for necessity, like in Steven's case, or if it's dictated by the story.
Actress Lesley Nicol, who plays Mrs. Patmore in the period drama, told Daily Star then that she believed that there would be no deaths in Season 5. She said, "There aren't any plans for any big characters to die this year. There has been such a big fuss in the past, especially with Matthew Crawley. I think it would be very unwise to do any more deaths because the viewers don't like them."
On the other hand, it does not mean that the show would be debuting next year in a more chirpier note. Joanne Froggatt, who plays Anna in the series, shared to Vanity Fair that not everything would be of roses for her character and Mr. Bates, especially with the fact that Anna has suspected that her husband is somewhat involved in the death of her rapist, Mr. Green (Nigel Harman).
She said, "They start Season 5 in a not-so-positive light. Obviously they have a lot to overcome and it won't happen very quickly. And they may never get to the end. There's still this cloud hanging over them. They're trying to find the space to heal themselves and move forward with their lives. There's also the issue of Mr. Green's death. Which keeps getting brought back up. It's difficult to escape this thing they're trying to escape."
On the other hand, Froggatt said that the show will not be as moody throughout the upcoming season. She commented, "There are some moments of happiness though."
Midgley also wrote another piece for Forbes about the press launch of the hit television series, and somewhat seconded Froggatt's comments about the show's upcoming season. He wrote, "(Show creator Julian) Fellowes has perhaps taken some inspiration from ITV's other big recent drama hit, Broadchurch, in his plotting. Before every commercial break, there was a cliffhanger. One of them made me cry: another made me gasp."
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