We held our mutual breaths as we watched last night, sick to our stomachs, knowing that our beloved Anna was going to be hurt, terribly hurt, by a man to whom she had been nothing but kind and welcoming. And she was, brutally raped and discarded.
Shamed. Unable to speak the truth because of her need to protect her husband, fearful of what he would do to her offender, knowing he would be taken from her if he defended her honor, she was silent.
Downton Abbey is a story, a pure piece of fiction, yet this grand story carries within it the small stories of all of us. We dream, we love, we are envious and angry, we make mistakes, we learn from those mistakes, and we have our hearts broken all too often.
There are many Annas among us. Every two minutes, every 120 seconds, there is an act of sexual violence in the United States. 60% of those assaults are not reported, and of the ones that are, 97% of the offenders never spend a day in jail.
We need to protect our Annas, and our Alfreds, and all the ones who suffer in silence. We must surround them and encourage them to tell their stories, to help set them free from the shame that binds them.
Don’t watch another episode and forget them.
Morven's Blog 
Powerful Morven! Thank you.
Thank you, Carolyn. It was a hard blog to past. I adore Anna, all of our Annas.
Having difficulty getting my comment to register and will try once more. Thank you for your blog. We have not seen Sunday’s episode yet (not having cable television we can get it a few days later on Hulu). I rather dread it now knowing what is coming, but I am so grateful there are persons like you whose ministry is to heal and restore the Anna and Alfreds in our midst. Thank you dearheart!
I was hesitant to post because some may not have seen the program, Kitty, but as it is so fresh on the minds of those who have seen it, I thought it would be prudent to post sooner, rather than later. Thank you for your encouragement! You can see it today on pbs.org!
i saw that episode and i was so angry!
I turned it off and don’t want to watch any of it anymore.