History TearJerker / DowntonAbbey

** When the Dowager comforts her you can see that she realises, this time, that Cora is not being an over-emotional American, but a grieving mother.

** [[spoiler: Speaking of Marigold, there's Mrs. Drewe's absolute grief and heartbreak when Edith shows up and tells the truth about Marigold's parentage. She screams at her husband for lying to her, tears up Edith's copy of the birth certificate, but ultimately there's nothing she can do. Not only would it be wrong to keep Marigold from her birth mother, but Edith is the daughter of their upper-class landlord. They have ''no choice'' but to let Marigold go. The Dowager's subsequent visit to their home finds them still torn up about it.]]

-->Robert: Edith? My most darling girl, what's the matter?
-->Edith: But I'm not "your most darling girl", am I?
-->Robert: I love all my children equally.
-->Edith: I don't know why people say that when it's almost never true.

* Edith reaching her DespairEventHorizon when she [[spoiler:discovers that Michael Gregson has indeed been killed by the Nazis]] and promptly [[spoiler:taking Marigold and running away from Downton.]]

* Mrs. Patmore's attempt to get her nephew, who was shot for cowardice during WWI, a place on the Downton war memorial is pretty heartrending; especially when she defends him to Robert telling him about how he could have stayed at home until he was conscripted but instead had joined up right away.

* Nasty as Thomas is, it's hard not to feel sorry for him: in 5.04, we discover [[spoiler:he's started a course of medicine to "cure" his homosexuality. Whatever's in it, it's obviously making him physically sick as well as miserable.]]

* Edith's situation in general for the fifth season. [[spoiler: She's still unmarried, doesn't have anyone to turn to for affection (romantic or otherwise), doesn't have any duties to keep her busy, is still in mourning over Gregson and is cooped up in the house all day watching everyone dote on her sisters' children while her illegitimate daughter is being raised by a farmer and his wife in secret. And while she does drop in to see Marigold from time to time, it's clearly not enough for her. Even worse, Margie - the farmer's wife, who doesn't know the truth of Marigold's parentage - is terrified of Edith's interest in their child and thinks that one day she's going to come and snatch her away from them.]] It comes to a head in episode 5.03, when [[spoiler: Tim has to tell Edith to stay away from them for an indefinite period of time. The look on Edith's face is heartbreaking.]]

* Edith's situation in general for the fifth season. [[spoiler: She's still unmarried, doesn't have anyone to turn to for affection (romantic or otherwise), doesn't have any duties to keep her busy, is still in mourning over Gregson and is cooped up in the house all day watching everyone dote on her sisters' children while her illegitimate daughter is being raised by a farmer and his wife in secret. And while she does drop in to see Marigold from time to time, it's clearly not enough for her. Even worse, Margie - the farmer's wife, who doesn't know the truth of Marigold's parentage - is terrified of Edith's interest in their child and thinks that one day she's going to come and snatch her away from them.]] It comes to a head in episode 5.03, when [[spoiler: her husband has to tell Edith to stay away from them for an indefinite period of time. The look on Edith's face is heartbreaking.]]

* The Dowager, in Episode 4.08, keeping quiet over the reveal of Edith's pregnancy.

* ''"Go back with them then, if you think they can make you happier than I will"''. Branson's voice (and his heart) breaks when he says this.

* ''"Go back with them then, if you think they can make you happier than I will"''. It's only after you replay the elopement scene do you realize that Branson's voice (and his heart) breaks when he says this.

-->'''Robert''': I am sorry. Very sorry indeed.

* Mary's breakdown back in season 1 because of her father's [[LikeASonToMe attention to Matthew]]. She then lashes out at her mother who is no longer fighting the entail not because she's female but because she's not worthy.

* Mary's breakdown back in season 1 because of her father's attention to Matthew. She believed she can't inherit not because she's female but because she's not worthy enough.

* Mrs. Patmore noticing O'Brien's genuine concern for Lady Cora who was sick with Spanish flu.
-->You never really know people, do you? You can work with them 20 years, and never know them.

-->We're his family and we drove him away.

-->You never know people, do you? You can work with them 20 years, and never know them.

* Daisy putting on a brave face to congratulate Alfred, then breaking down in tears afterwards.

* After Edna has taken advantage of Tom's loneliness and the fact that he was, by his own admission, ''very'' drunk to get him into bed, she tries to spring the rest of her [[BabyTrap Baby Trap]] on him by telling him that if he was good enough for Sybil, she's good enough for him, his knee-jerk response is to angrily forbid her from using his wife's name. But it's Edna's blink-and-miss-it response which really clinches it: "You were free enough with it last night." Oh, ''Tom''...

* Isobel's reaction to [[spoiler:Mary getting friendly with Anthony. She knows full well that she can't expect Mary to pine after Matthew for the rest of her life, but it still hurts for her to watch.]]

-->Edith: I don't know why people say that when it's almost never true.

-->'"Robert"': Edith? My most darling girl, what's the matter?
-->'"Edith"': But I'm not "your most darling girl", am I?
-->'"Robert"': I love all my children equally.
-->'"Edith"': I don't know why people say that when it's almost never true.

* After years of feeling like [[TheUnfavorite]], Edith finally says it out loud to her father when he finds her crying.
-->""Robert"": Edith? My most darling girl, what's the matter?
-->""Edith"": But I'm not "your most darling girl", am I?
-->""Robert"": I love all my children equally.
-->""Edith"": I don't know why people say that when it's almost never true.

* After years of feeling like theunfavorite, Edith finally says it out loud to her father when he finds her crying.
--> "Robert": Edith? My most darling girl, what's the matter?
--> "Edith": But I'm not "your most darling girl", am I?
--> "Robert": I love all my children equally.
--> "Edith": I don't know why people say that when it's almost never true.

* [[spoiler: Anthony proposing to Mary, who tearfully but gentle rejects him because she still loves Matthew and grieves him too much to even think of marriage for several years, at least. Even worse, Mary seems to recognize that Anthony is a good man who would treat her and her son very well, and there is a spark between them, and when Tom asks her what's wrong, she tells him that she may have done something she will regret for the rest of her life.]]

* Thomas telling Bates, who is working on their new home with Anna, that he envies him for being a part of a happy couple everyone supports, while he has no idea how that feels.