Downton Abbey: Lady Mary related scoop on the season 3 finale from TVLine's Michael Ausiello

Here's some scoop on Downton Abbey from this week's (Posted on 1/15/13) Ask Ausiello column.

Question: Not sure I want to watch Downton Abbey without Dan Stevens’ Matthew. Care to try and change my mind? —Jodi
Ausiello: I’ll leave that task to EP Gareth Neame, who has found the silver lining in the much-grieved exit. (Hint: It focuses on Lady Mary.) “When you see something that feels like a difficult thing for a show — like an exit of a key character — it’s actually a dramatic opportunity,” says Neame, adding that he knew about Stevens’ departure a year before it happened, so he was able to “flip the story in a whole different direction.” He adds, “In any relationship drama, the will-they-or-won’t-they is always more interesting than married couples. So actually what we’ve been able to do is reset [Lady Mary]. She has to start again, and that will be much more interesting.”

Link to the full article:‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Spoilers — Plus Scoop on ‘The Big Bang Theory’ in Ask Ausiello - TVLine - Page 2