The romance between Anna and Mr. Bates has become one of the central relationships in
"Downton Abbey," but did you notice the time when Anna was scared of Bates?
Or that they both have a tendency to keep secrets?
Here are some of the details you missed about Anna and Mr. Bates.
It's hard to imagine a time when Anna and Bates weren't a happy couple.
But, of course, at the start of the show, they were strangers, and they took a long
time to get together.
Even in their first encounter, though, there were already signs of something brewing.
It all began with a friendly smile from Anna.
"She just has that -- it's just a little smile, isn't it, being kind."
Brendan Coyle agreed the small moment of kindness was extremely important in establishing their
dynamic from the outset.
He thought that Anna's smile communicated more than simple politeness to his character.
"And it's not a smile of pity — it's a smile of two humans who connect very gently."
The first season of "Downton Abbey" is set in 1912, a time when men were expected to
be strong and stoic, and emotion was seen as a sign of weakness.
For a modern audience viewing the first episode of "Downton Abbey," it's easy to miss a tender
moment between Anna and Bates when she tries to respect his dignity.
After Bates is asked to leave Downton, Anna brings a tray of food to his room out of kindness.
After she sees him crying through the door, she carefully calls out to him so that he
has time to compose himself before she enters the room.
She never mentions that she saw him crying to anyone, thus preserving his sense of dignity.
"A woman who loves a man respecting his dignity and knowing that a man has a certain, kind
of — you know, that the idea of her seeing him cry would be too humiliating."
In some ways, Anna and Bates did experience love at first sight, connecting emotionally
with one another right off the bat.
However, looking back at their early days, it's clear that Anna and Bates really did
begin as friends — there wasn't any kind of romantic connection.
Or if there was, Mr. Bates certainly didn't pick up on it.
"He doesn't think he's worthy of her.
He certainly doesn't think this beautiful young woman is going to be a potential partner."
So, when did Bates first begin to see the potential for more than friendship?
It might have been in that one scene when Anna and Bates were making a bed and she said,
"It's always sad when you love someone who doesn't love you back."
Of course, there's a whole lot of subtext going on — and you can see a glimmer of
understanding in Bates' eyes when he hears those words.
Maybe that was the first time he could see them becoming something more.
As producer Gareth Neame [GAR-eth NEEM] explained, while "Downton Abbey" is very much a romantic
show, the love affairs are different than what we're used to seeing in most modern dramas.
"What we're doing here is not terribly much about sex; it's very much an old-fashioned
kind of romance."
And Anna and Bates really are the epitome of old-fashioned slow-burn romance.
Their love is built on a strong foundation of kindness, friendship, and respect.
It takes years for them to even kiss, with their first kiss occuring in Season 2, which
is set in 1916, four years after the first season of the series.
As Neame went on to explain, Anna's attraction for Mr. Bates goes beyond the physical.
"It's not like it's about lust or anything, even though I think she's, that it's particularly
a physical attraction.
But she sees this person and it's her own ..." "Oh, it's tenderness."
No wonder Anna gravitates toward Mr. Bates.
Her deep feelings of tenderness for him are the entire foundation of their relationship.
Acts of service
The five love language theory was created by marriage counselor Dr. Gary Chapman as
a way of explaining how different people show and receive love.
According to Chapman, we all find ourselves primarily giving love through either words
of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, or physical touch.
For both Anna and Bates, it's all about acts of service.
It all begins when Anna brings Bates a tray of food in the first episode.
Then, Bates returns the favor a few episodes later.
The pair continue to do adorable little things for each other as the show goes on.
When Mrs. Bates threatens to ruin Anna in Season 2, Bates agrees to leave Downton Abbey
to protect her.
Then, when Bates is wrongfully accused of murder, Anna goes on a quest to uncover the
truth and free him.
Realizing this is how they each express love makes each of those acts mean that much more.
Feminist Anna
Towards the end of the first season, Anna comes right out and bluntly tells Mr. Bates
how she feels.
"I love you, Mr. Bates.
I know it's not ladylike to say it, but I'm not a lady and I don't pretend to be."
Anna is right: Her proclamation of love certainly wouldn't have been considered "ladylike" back
in 1912.
At that time, dating and courtship were very different from what we are used to now.
Usually, women were expected to wait for a man to propose — and she certainly wouldn't
be encouraged to tell him that she loved him before they were engaged.
"That's not very fair to women."
While Anna's actions may seem pretty tame to a modern audience, in the context of the
time, it was actually incredibly bold.
Who knew that quiet Anna was actually something of a radical feminist?
Things take a dramatic turn in "Downton Abbey" when Mr. Bates is sentenced to life in prison
after being wrongfully accused of killing his wife, Vera.
He and Anna were married just days before his arrest.
Most of us probably remember how upsetting this storyline was when it first aired.
However, we may not have realized at the time just how brave Anna had to be for her new
husband.
The truth is, she could have easily given up on him, and many women in her situation
might have.
Anna's loyalty shows just how deep her feelings for Bates go.
"She's a real trooper to stick by him.
But that's because they're so in love, you know."
Full of secrets
While we all love Anna and Bates, there are a few aspects of their relationship that are
pretty problematic.
For one thing, the pair's tendency to keep secrets from each other tends to only make
things worse.
For a long time, Bates didn't tell Anna about his complicated first marriage, choosing instead
to allude to secrets he couldn't share.
"I'm not a free man."
"Are you trying to tell me that you're married?"
"I have been married yes, but that's not all of it."
This led to some deep frustration for both of them.
Later, after Anna was sexually assaulted, she kept it a secret from Bates for several
episodes.
She feared Bates would seek revenge and then be hanged for it.
But the secret wound up putting a severe strain on their marriage, making us wonder if protecting
each other from the truth was really the healthiest choice.
Fridging Anna
In Season 4, Anna was brutally assaulted by a visiting valet [VAL-ay], Mr. Green, which
led to some of Bates' most upsetting behavior.
First of all, he became a menacing bully when Anna refused to tell him about what happened,
making it all about him.
"My life is perfect.
And then in the space of one day, it is nothing.
To me, that requires an explanation."
Later, when he finally learns the truth, Bates threatens to kill her attacker, prompting
Anna to lie about who it was.
Then, he implies that Anna is somehow of greater value to him now as the result of her assault.
"You are made higher to me and holier because of the suffering you have been put through."
Afterward, Bates became desperate for revenge, ignoring his wife's pleas to let it go.
Centering Anna's trauma around Bates is a prime example of the "fridging" trope, when
female characters are brutalized or killed as story fodder for men.
While we still love Anna and Bates, it's hard to overlook all the red flags in this storyline.
Anna's initial instinct to hide her assault from her husband also tells us about the dynamic
between her and Bates.
She knows that Bates has a serious anger problem and would seek revenge even if she asked him
not to, jeopardizing both their futures.
"If he knew, he'd murder the man who's done it, and then he'd be hanged."
"But surely he's --" "He's a convicted felon.
Do you think they'd spare him a second time?
No."
In an interview, Brendan Coyle confirmed that Anna's instincts were correct.
She knew her husband well enough to know exactly how he'd react.
"We knew "Bates had this darkness within him.
We knew if he was aware of the whole facts, anything was possible.
Would Bates have killed this man?
Yes, he would."
It's hard to accept that one half of our favorite TV couple has such a lack of control that
his wife would be a little afraid of his reactions.
But from the looks of things, Anna was exactly right to worry about her husband's temper.
Implausible medicine
When Anna and Bates begin trying to conceive a baby, Anna experiences several miscarriages,
convincing her that she'd never have children.
"I can get pregnant, I just can't keep it."
"And how many times has this happened?"
"Two, maybe three."
Eventually, Mary convinces Anna to visit a gynecologist in London, who is able to help.
It is implied that Anna has an issue with cervical incompetence, and has a procedure
known as cervical cerclage in order to keep the pregnancy.
"I've put in the stitch we spoke of, and, as they say in medical novels, I'm cautiously
optimistic."
However, not only was cervical cerclage not a known treatment for cervical incompetence
until the 1950s, but the diagnosis also occurred far too early in the pregnancy.
Anna was experiencing miscarriages before 14 weeks into her pregnancy, whereas cervical
incompetence isn't typically diagnosed until much later on.
Plus, if Anna was already miscarrying, the procedure likely wouldn't even have worked.
But fortunately for Anna and Mr. Bates, "Downton Abbey" doesn't care much about realistic medicine,
and they eventually have a healthy baby.
All about chemistry
Anna and Bates have amazing chemistry, and their connection only gets better and better
as the show goes on.
In fact, out of all of the cast, these two are possibly the best scene partners by the
final season.
By the sounds of things, the actors have also become exceptionally close over the course
of filming.
In an interview with What to Watch, actress Joanne Froggatt, who plays Anna, said,
"It's lovely being in an ensemble and doing scenes as a big group, but there's nothing
nicer than being in more focused scenes with just you and the other actor, and Brendan
and I really have a shorthand."
It's nice to know that the couple that is so happy onscreen also enjoys one another's
company in real life.
Sadly, we didn't get to see much of Anna and Bates in the "Downton Abbey" movie.
But one deleted scene from the movie contained some important details about their future
plans.
"Our bed and breakfast hotel, could it be in Downton village?"
"Most of the houses are owned by the estate."
"There are some that aren't.
That way, we'll never lose touch."
It sounds like the couple is planning on building a future near the house, and will always be
part of the lives of the Grantham family.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more List videos about your favorite shows are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.