'Downton Abbey' Spoilers: Who Will Dig Grantham Out Of Debt?

Fans of Downton Abbey who have been holding out for the series three premiere in the U.S. should look away now. For those who can’t wait to find out what's been happening across the pond, read on, as the series is already six episodes deep, having aired in the U.K. this season. Here are the quick hitters.

The Downton estate is nearly bankrupt come 1920, after Lord Grantham's (Hugh Bonneville) infamous railroad deal went bad. But now that Matthew (Dan Stevens) and Mary (Michelle Dockery) have finally united in wedded bliss, an opportunity has presented itself to save Downton. When Matthew opens a letter from the father of his former fiance, Lavinia (Zoe Boyle), a hefty amount of money is to follow. Matthew's initial conviction to turn the sum down is all for naught, even though the only way Lord Grantham will accept the donation is if Matthew comes on board to help run the estate.

In the meantime, Mary and the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) make their own attempt to save Downton by throwing a party that they hope will convince Martha Levinson (Shirley MacLaine) to donate some of her seemingly endless funds, but the party falls through and Levinson reveals that she can’t save them.

On other fronts, Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan) faces a cancer scare while Lady Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton) learns that Ethel (Amy Nuttall) is (big gasp) a prostitute — a matter that leads to a great many troubles regarding Ethel’s interactions with the rest of the characters.

In some depressing news, Strallan (Robert Bathurst) calls off his wedding with Edith (Laura Carmichael) (repeat big gasp), and Tom Branson (Allen Leech) finds himself on the run from the law.

The most recent bombshell to drop involves the death of Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) after giving birth, which some believe was, in part, caused by the attending physicians' disagreements over how to treat her. The most recent installment of the much-beloved Downton Abbey largely focuses on the characters grieving with Sybil's loss.

The layers of Downton Abbey continue to fold on, as fans in the U.S. still anxiously await the return of the hit British series, scheduled for January 6, 2013, on PBS.

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