Lady Sybil's interest in politics and women's rights is kindled by the upcoming by-election and is the cause of major disagreement between her and Lord Grantham. Meanwhile, presumably as a result of Lady Edith's letter, rumors about Lady Mary and the "handsome Turk" intensify, reaching the ears of Carson and the Dowager herself. Violet confronts Cora, who is forced to tell her the truth, leaving Violet almost as shocked by her behavior as Mary's. Edith finds an admirer in Sir Anthony Strallan, after he is impressed by her thoughtfulness and genuine interest in him. Miss O'Brien and Thomas continue to plot against Bates, trying to frame him for the theft of a wine bottle – which in fact Thomas stole as witnessed by Bates. Thomas persuades Daisy to testify against Bates, but her conscience leads her to retract her statement. However, Bates surprises Carson, Mrs Hughes and Anna by revealing that he was once a drunkard and has been in prison for theft; Carson is unwilling to let him go, realizing that there is more to his story. Sybil makes Branson take her to Ripon under false pretenses to attend the by-election count. She is injured during a brawl when the count gets out of hand, but is rescued by Matthew as he is returning from work. Lord Grantham blames Branson but Sybil defends him. Later that night Mary and Matthew talk and reminisce, leading to them confessing their love for each other. Lord and Lady Grantham are delighted to learn that Matthew has asked Mary to marry him, but to Cora's chagrin, Mary feels she cannot accept his proposal without telling him her scandalous secret. The Dowager apologizes for her earlier harsh treatment of Cora, and they decide that if the match between Mary and Matthew does not come off, they will marry her off to some "Italian who is not too picky".
The theme in my opinion in all these episodes is the transition to the world we know today. I think they quite deliberately chose a period just before the First World War, when ostensibly this is the old world in which everything is very ordered and everyone knows their place; but in another way, it's on the brink of the modern world. These people are riding in cars and catching trains and making telephone calls and receiving telegrams; and women's rights and trade union rights are starting to disrupt the old order. It's a world that the modern audience can understand, what the watchers can relate with. They are not asking them to go to a distant planet.

It seriously is taking everything within me to continue watching this series... Not a huge fan but I want to pass this class so here it is:
A traveling fair arrives in the neighboring village. Anna becomes sick and stays in bed for a day, visited by Mr. Bates who brings her up a tray with a flower. Mrs. Hughes (the housekeeper) is reunited with a former suitor, who proposes to her again; She discusses her choices in life with Mr. Carson and eventually turns down the proposal after serious consideration but seems satisfied with her decision. Thomas asks Daisy to accompany him to the fair simply to annoy William, who is fond of her. Although Mr. Bates physically threatens Thomas, he is unabashed and leaves with a smirk. Molesley suffers from an allergic reaction, which Violet correctly diagnoses after Isobel assumed it was erysipelas (much to the amusement and pleasure of Violet.) Carson fears there is a thief at Downton after doing inventory of the wine cellar and discovering quite a few missing. Lady Sybil continues her experimentation with feminism with the aid and inspiration of the new, politically minded Irish chauffeur, Branson. After visiting her dressmaker, she surprises the whole family by displaying an outfit consisting of bloomers, and Branson is seen admiring her from the window.

Episode 3

So far its not a very interesting show. I was kind of hoping that it would grab my attention but I find myself dragging trying to watch the episodes. It's been kind of a let down to be honest.
March 1913. Cora is pleased when Lady Mary informs her that Evelyn Napier, the wealthy son of a peer and a possible suitor, will be visiting. However, he arrives with a Turkish diplomat, Mr. Kemal Pamuk, who is in London for the Albanian independence negotiations, and Mary is completely taken with him. Mary is not the only one: Thomas gets a little too close to the Turk. Pamuk offers to spare Thomas punishment for his indiscretion, provided he will do something in return. Edith tries to interest Matthew by offering to show him the local churches. To her disappointment, he is far more interested in the buildings than herself. Bates purchases a device to correct his limp, but this proves to be extremely painful and injurious, until Mrs. Hughes discovers it and makes him get rid of it. Gwen's (a housemaid) secret is revealed: she has been training to be a secretary, by correspondence. She is dejected by the other servants' skepticism and disapproval of her choice, but Bates and Anna encourage her, as does Lady Sybil. During and after dinner, Lady Mary has eyes only for Mr. Pamuk, but when he surprises her by forcibly kissing her, she rejects him. Undeterred, he goes to her room that night, led by Thomas. He seduces her, but in the middle of the night he suddenly dies in her bed. To avert a scandal, Mary is forced to seek the help of Anna and her mother to move Pamuk's body back into his own bed. Unknown to them, Daisy, the scullery maid, sees them carrying the body. Cora is horrified by Mary's behavior but promises not to tell Robert, as it would break his heart. Mary is extremely upset by Pamuk's death. In the aftermath, from Mary's behavior, Napier realizes he does not have a chance with her.