'Downton Abbey' creator talks Season 4

[joeybee12]

Many stateside "Downton Abbey" fans knew what was coming in Sunday night's Season 3 finale, given that it aired in England months ago and the Internet exists. But that didn't stop us all from collectively shedding a tear when Matthew, feeling jubilation over the birth of his son, died in an episode-ending car accident.

Turns out, had creator Julian Fellowes had his way, Matthew would have lived ... for one more episode.

"I had hoped that we would have one episode of this fourth season that I'm writing now, so we could have ended the Christmas episode on a happy note, and then kill him in the first episode of the next series. But he didn't want to do that," Fellowes tells The New York Times of star Dan Stevens' desire to leave the show. "I didn't want his death to dominate the Christmas special, so that's why we killed him at the very, very end. In a way I think it works quite well because we begin Series 4 six months later. We don't have to do funerals and all that stuff. That's all in the past by then."

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=791332#scptid

[Skinner]

1. I thought it was a cheap and gimmicky way to end the season.

I didn't know it was coming, and I'm not someone who gets overly sentimental about TV characters dying. But this just had the feeling like it was tacked on at the end. We need some kind of cliffhanger, so let's just kill someone in the last frame.

[joeybee12]

2. I think it was tacked on...I think they shot it after they had

finished when they realized they couln't get Dan Stevens to agree to one more episode...

[Arkansas Granny]

3. Yeah. Kind of like a "Who shot JR?" quality.

[jumptheshadow]

5. The actor wanted out

They brainstormed about how not to kill him. They talked about sending him overseas in the plot, then asking him for the odd guest appearance. He said no, that the shooting of the show dominated his life and he would not do any more shows. He wanted to expand his career and, when I last heard, was in NY doing a play.

[greatauntoftriplets]

4. I always enjoy reading this recap.

http://www.xojane.com/entertainment/downton-abbey-final-recap