Piccadilly Circus by James Allen Mitchell

Who: Evil first wife of Downton's valet, John Bates Would have been much sadder if the saintly Lavinia had been a fully-realized human rather than a plot device invented to keep Mary and Matthew apart. Awkward! She then comes down with the flu and quickly succumbs, but not before telling Matthew that he and Mary truly belong together. Tragedy factor: Lower than it should be, given the dramatic circumstances: Days before her wedding, Lavinia walks in on Mary and Matthew mid-makeout. Who: Matthew's impossibly selfless but super-boring fiancé Sorry, gotta go, these onions I'm chopping are making me tear up! Daisy accepted even though she wasn't in love, and the two exchanged vows a few hours before he passed away peacefully in his sleep. Knowing that he faced certain death, William proposed to Daisy, Downton's scullery maid and the object of his long-unrequited affection, so that she could receive his pension. How: Lung injuries sustained in France after throwing himself in front of Matthew Who: Sweet-natured second footman at Downton Abbey We never meet Archie and only learn about his fate many years after it's happened. How: Shot for cowardice after deserting his post in the war A whole lot of people died during the war. How: Shot by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb Who: Okay, so he wasn't a character on the show, exactly, but he was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and his death triggered World War I, and certainly affected everyone on Downton Abbey Who: Lord Grantham's first beloved Labrador retriever He and Mary shared some serious chemistry, and the fallout from his death would have a ripple effect on the plot for several seasons to come

How: A heart attack…while in bed with Lady Mary Who: A dashing Turkish diplomat and friend of Evelyn Napier If he'd lived, Matthew Crawley never would have inherited Downton, or fallen in love with Mary! Sorry Patrick! (And, unlike Lady Edith, we're going to assume that guy who showed up in Season 2 with the scarred face claiming to be Patrick was an impostor because, come on.) Who: James' son, Mary's fiance and the next in line to inherit the estate.

Piccadilly Circus by James Allen Mitchell