Downton Abbey: Season Four, Episodes One and Two

I'm not going to rehash the plot lines from these episodes because you've already seen the show and so have I so you know that it's not worth my time to rehash.
I'll deal with the good moments, bad moments and problems with the episode.
The acting is still great, with Mary (Michelle Dockery) struggling to deal with Matthew's death. Even though it has been six months since his death, she is still in a zombie-like stupor. She can't deal with her infant son, George (poor baby) and she can't focus on her future. All she has to say is that Matthew died fifty years before his time, which is the truth. She even snaps at Carson (Jim Carter) but finally comes to grips with everything and quickly, thanks to a great talk with Granny (the brilliant and witty Maggie Smith), she suddenly comes back to life, arguing with her father over the state of Downton.
Which brings us to a problem. My mom had main issue with this. The first season was all about how Matthew had to be Downton's heir while Mary could not be solely because she's a girl. Now, Matthew's impromptu will has been discovered, made before the birth of Master George and he wants Mary to make the decisions. How is this possible? It certainly did need to be explained more. But either way, Robert (Hugh Bonneville) needed to stop babying Mary, she has a baby of her own. Hopefully, Mary will pull herself together fully soon and become a good mother.
Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) is back to his scheming ways. He doesn't like the new nanny and tells so to Cora (Elizabeth McGovern). Then, while the nanny is fawning over baby George, she criticizes young Sybil, calling her that chauffeur's daughter and a half-breed. This leads to the best scene in the whole two hours, when Cora fires her on the spot. The nanny attempts to explain that she's just joking, but you know she's not. It's awful, a truly heart-wrenching scene. But the best, other than when Maggie Smith was telling off her son.
Now to Edith (Laura Carmichael). Okay, I just want to get my extra crazy prediction out there. Edith is still seeing Gregson, who decides to become a German citizen solely so he can divorce his wife and thus marry Edith. My prediction is that Edith will become pregnant out of wedlock and then Branson (the ever handsome Allen Leech) will marry her just so the baby won't be illegitimate. Yes, crazy, but possible. As for the German citizen thing, we (history) knows that that will be a horrible decision. Here's looking at you, Hitler.
Overall, it wasn't bad and the two hours still floated by, but the stakes aren't as high in the past, favorite characters are gone and the new ones aren't nearly as interesting. For example, none of the plot lines involving the servants, not even Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Bates (Brendan Coyle) whom I really like, interest me. Luckily, Maggie Smith is still on the show with snappy one-liners that will continue to make the show worth watching. Grade: B