Downton Abbey: 10 Best Ranked Episodes (According To IMDb)

Downton Abbey follows the lives of the Crawleys, an aristocratic family who dwell in a sprawling Edwardian estate in the English countryside, along with the men and women who serve them. Throughout the six seasons (which aired from 2010-2015), viewers are transported back to a time in England when social standing was everything. The series follows the characters as the upper class must face the harsh realities of changing political, social and economic climates.

For anyone eager to escape the day to day drudgery of the 21st century, there’s no better show than Downton Abbey. Here’s a list of the top 10 ranked episodes according to IMDb.

10 Episode #2.1

This episode provides a few glimpses at life in the trenches during WWI where Downton’s former heir, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), and former valet Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier) share tea and memories of home. Most of the action takes place in Yorkshire, where the death and destruction of war were just beginning to encroach on the lifestyles of those left behind.

Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) distances herself from her family as she begins to reject the traditional gender roles embraced by her sisters in favor of a more independent lifestyle. War blurs the line between the classes and generations of a strict social hierarchy are rapidly coming to an end. Conflict arises as some embrace impending change while others are determined that nothing – not even a war – disrupts the status quo.

This episode serves as the perfect transition: the grandeur of season 1 giving way to a darker and far less glamorous season 2.

9 Episode #5.8

Rose’s  (Lily James) wedding is the perfect amalgam of all the elements that make Downton Abbey so darn watchable. There’s no shortage of scheming, romance, melodrama and a bit with a drunken maid. The religious bigotry that exists on both sides of the family casts a bit of a pall over the event, but there are enough silly subplots to keep the mood light.

The Crawley’s look like the sanest and most liberal ones out of the entire bunch (even though viewers know they harbor plenty of prejudices of their own).

Anna’s (Joanne Froggatt) arrest is just another exhausting and unnecessary chapter for the unfortunate Mr. and Mrs. Bates. How can two household servants from a small town in the English countryside get into so many scrapes with the law?

8 Episode #2.8

If fans are hoping for a reprieve from the ongoing grim tone with Lavinia Swire (Zoe Boyle) and Matthew’s wedding quickly approaching, they won’t get it. This is the penultimate episode of season 2, and it proves to be a pivotal one for all of the major couples. The show’s writers are pretty tricky tossing in the death of a character when it’s least expected.

Robert’s (Hugh Bonneville) saucy on the side fling with the maid is completely out of character, so it’s good to see it this storyline resolved quickly and satisfactorily for all involved (except the maid). Even more of a shock is O’Brien’s  (Siobhan Finneran) lingering guilt over her past misdeeds and her unwavering devotion to one very sick and sweaty Cora (Elizabeth McGovern).

7 Episode #6.3

Upstairs and downstairs collide as everyone involves themselves in Carson (Jim Carter) and Mrs. Hughes’ (Phyllis Logan) wedding. The complexity of the interpersonal dynamics between the family and the servants is also dissected for the first time. Carson’s tendency towards obsequiousness gets a bit grating both for viewers and his bride to be. Their wedding ushers in a season full of satisfying endings to many of the show’s storylines.

Mary (Michelle Dockery) cuts her hair short, dabbles in birth control and picks out prize pigs, but it’s Edith (Laura Carmichael) who effortlessly embraces feminism by both destiny and design. It’s hard not to root for Edith in spite of her tendency to be woefully pathetic, and her determination to step out of Mary’s shadow is a welcome change.

6 6.Episode #1.7

Season 1 of Downton Abbey ends as it began with Lady Mary’s future very up in the air. She continues to be properly British as she keeps Matthew hanging. Both she and Lady Edith get what they deserve after going toe-to-toe, and the episode leaves no doubt that their dislike for one another goes above and beyond normal sibling rivalry. Their futures as aging bitter debutants seems all but certain.

O’Brien solidifies her position as Downton’s worst villain, and because viewers know her ire is unfounded and undeserved it makes her actions that much more reprehensible.

It’s a dark turn for the show, ending on a very uncertain note.

5 Episode #3.5

Not all great episodes of a show are happy ones, and season 3 deals one of the series’ greatest emotional blows. The hits keep coming as the news spreads throughout the great house. Viewers experience grief vicariously from the perspective of a mother, sisters, a husband, a father, a grandmother and friends. It’s Tom Branson (Allen Leech) who bears the worst of it as he’s forced to mourn among strangers.

The one downside is Anna playing amateur sleuth so she can make sure her husband is acquitted of murder. The crime drama aspect just doesn’t play alongside the rest of the story.

4 “A Moorland Holiday” (Season 5)

Downton Abbey’s holiday specials tend to be a pleasant mix of mirth and morose. The dodgy bits come first as the Crawley’s visit Rose’s new in-laws, Lord and Lady Sinderby (James Faulkner, Penny Downie). Mary enlists Barrow to commit subterfuge, and the twosome’s antics almost cause a divorce as well as nearly getting someone sacked just for the fun of it.

What is fun is the arrival of a handsome new love interest for Mary and a seemingly drab one for Edith. It’s a banner trip for Edith (the Jan Brady of the Crawley girls) who finally gets some validation from her father.

The Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) receives an indecent proposal and divulges a juicy bit of information about her past which explains her ability to empathize with her granddaughters’ messy love lives. Violet Crawley can always be counted on for impeccably timed-zingers, but this time, she steals the whole show.

3 3.”Christmas at Downton Abbey” (Season 2)

This isn’t your run of the mill feel-good Christmas tale. There’s a murder trial, some extortion, death, and deception. But in the spirit of the holidays, it all (well almost all) turns out okay in the end.

All the rest of it is simply leading up to what fans have been craving: the coupling up of Lady Mary and Matthew. She has one very big skeleton in her closet which he’s willing to overlook that Mary is a fallen woman whose actions could disgrace her entire family, and there’s the fact that they’re related, so it isn’t Pride and Prejudice. But if you’re into swooning romantic moments underneath a gently falling slow, spend Christmas at Downton.

2 Episode #6.8

After kissing several frogs, Edith finally finds her prince, but she still manages to be the star of her own Greek tragedy.

This episode centers around the contemptuous relationship between Mary and Edith as the former is determined to hold onto her title of HBIC. Mary is always ruthless where Edith is concerned, but this time Edith’s claws come out as well. It’s the most reserved and refined catfight in TV history.

1 “Christmas Special”/”The Finale” (Season 6 Episode 9)

Downton Abbey’s series finale isn’t just about leaving the characters in a good place, it’s about giving viewers only the best possible outcomes they can envision. It isn’t about endings; it’s about new beginnings. Edith finally gets her holiday wedding, and she finally gets her long-awaited moment in the spotlight.

For some happiness means big life changes like a marriage or babies, but for others, it’s just finding a place to call home. Unlike some shows, The storylines are tied up neatly, but it doesn’t feel rushed since many have been organically unfolding for months if not longer.  No wonder it’s number one on IMDb’s list.

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