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The 10 Most Scandalous Moments On Downton Abbey

In between the prim and proper ways of the beautiful estate that is Downton Abbey are secrets, lies, scandals and sometimes, even horrible tragedy. There’s more than meets the eyes when it comes to the Granthams, their elite friends and their staff. In between all of the fancy attire, over the top dinners and massive amounts of cleaning to keep the large house neat and tidy, we have some of the most dirty little secrets.

9) Mr. Bates Goes Above And Beyond For Love

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Raise your hand if you love Mr. Bates. Can you see me enthusiastically waving mine in the air? (Well, I am.) Mr. Bates is a good guy who is married to one good woman. And he’d do anything for his wife — like the act of murder.

Early in the series, it’s first suspected that Bates kills his first wife Vera (also known as Mrs. S to Orphan Black fans). He even goes to jail for her death, but luckily he’s released. Phew! That was a close one. If you’re wondering, he didn’t kill Vera. She committed suicide and framed Bates for her death. Wretched woman.

Moving onto the next murder — that Bates actually commits (it’s never shown and 100 percent proven, but you know he totally did it). After learning of Anna’s rape, and who did it, Bates gets his revenge. Yep, he kills Mr. Green — the one thing Anna is afraid of to begin with. Bates goes to London, where Mr. Green dies after “tripping” in front of a bus.

Of course, Anna and Mary suspect Bates for Green’s death — after all, Mrs. Hughes discovers a ticket to London in Bates’ coat. Don’t worry, Mary contributes to this scandal by burning the ticket/evidence.

Lesson here: don’t mess with Anna or you’ll deal with Bates.