Doesn’t it seem like ages since PBS aired Downton Abbey‘s Season 2 Christmas special, which served as the stateside finale? Well, it’s been six months, and those of us who resist the urge to download will have to wait about five more for the third season to premiere. But those lucky Brits — who don’t even like the show as much as we do — will get the next round of Downton in September, which means ITV has already released substantive previews across the pond. Thanks to Vulture, we’ve gotten a glimpse of one; watch it after the jump and follow along as we explore what it reveals about the season ahead.
1. Downton Abbey is out of money and everyone’s freaking out. Is the Dowager Countess in danger of learning what a weekend is? 2. Bates is still in jail, and Anna is still tirelessly devoted to clearing his name. Obviously. 3. Cora promises that her mother, Shirley MacLaine’s Martha Levinson, is bound to “bring enough drama of her own.” Exciting! 4. So much for Matthew and Mary’s happily ever after. They’re at each other’s throats already, having crying fights and imagining life apart. It looks like she’s calling him a traitor to the aristocracy, which makes sense considering he was middle class once upon a time. Sigh. 5. Aside from Bates and Anna, this show has really given up on pretending to care about the servants, huh?