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I was absolutely in love with this show - until they killed off Sybil and Matthew. That season completely gutted me and I never recovered my spark for it. I do love it - but not enough to buy the DVDs (I have the first two seasons on DVD, but won't buy the rest).
I don't know if Sybil wanted out, but I believe Matthew wanted out and was only killed off for that reason. I saw a special (not that I would ever watch a special on "Downton Abbey" as that would be for losers) where Fellowes says he was really upset that he had to kill off Matthew. I liked Sybil, but she was not as prominent a character as Matthew or the other two sisters. I also really like Tom as he matured in a way I could see happening which is he is still true to his Irish working class roots and values, but now that he has seen inside "the Manor House," his view of the upper class is more complex and balanced. People evolve in real life - it is nice to see that captured so well in this show, as sometimes it is not.
We own several years of it on DVD - my girlfriend is more the buyer of DVDs as I believe it will, eventually, all be on demand in some form or another, but she likes to "own" some shows / movies that she really loves. That said, after watching so much of it this weekend, I wouldn't mind owning it as it will be fun to watch again in years to come. I read that Fellowes is working on a Edith-Wharton-era New York show - that could be fun.