Even going back to the early seasons of the ITV series, with Michelle Dockery’s Mary taking big risks with her personal life that almost had huge consequences for the entire Crawley family, you could see Cora uncertain on how to deal with her eldest daughter’s path in life.
Looking through the history of Downton Abbey’s events leading up to this year’s successful theatrical event, it’s easy to see both of those relationships McGovern described above in a much fuller context.