MBTI Type: ENTJ

Mary is known for her brutal honesty; she shares the truth even when others do not want to hear it. She is direct, decisive, and no-nonsense, accustomed to taking matters into her own hands and accomplishing whatever she sets out to accomplish, from “stealing away” one of Edith’s beaux’s to managing the complicated nuances of the estate. Anything illogical makes no sense to her; she cannot comprehend Matthew’s refusal to use the money to save Downton out of “guilt,” and tries to convince him of the “sense of it.” She is a competent guardian of the estate, who is far more practical and resourceful than her father in making and keeping them financially afloat. She has a futuristic focus, and is eager to adapt to new lifestyles, haircuts, and “progress.” Mary sees the merit in developing Downton with the latest commodities, from telephones to gramophones, to building up the village for development. She easily reads and comprehends other people, enabling her to sense their intentions and manipulate them if need be. Mary thinks of the future consequences of her actions often, and those of other people (her concern that Rose’s intended engagement to a “man of color” may cause social problems and unhappiness later on), but she can be so focused on what she wants and obtaining it that she fails to see the broader picture of what else is happening around her. Her opportunistic nature is both an asset and a liability; she can see chances to act and take them for both good and bad. She admits that she almost envies her aunt being “all alone in a great, empty house.” Mary spends a great deal of time alone, and can be passive in pursuing what she wants, though she does does enjoy hunting on occasion. She’s hesitant to leap into anything (telling Pamuk she’s not as adventurous as he thinks, and agonizing over whether to marry Matthew for months while she tries to decide). Her one act of sheer impulsiveness backfires when Pamuk ends up dead in her bed. Her father also laments on occasion at her “extremely expensive taste” in the finer things in life – from the latest fashions to the most expensive housing. She has a difficult relationship with her inferior Fi. Mary is private about her feelings and unsure of them (“I think I’ve loved him longer than I realized”). She can be childish in her need to defy and go against everyone else’s wishes (“You know me, Father. I never do anything people want me to do”). When dealing with intense emotional loss, she retreats into herself and out of the public eye, choosing to deal with it on her own rather than seek affirmation and comfort from others. She can be cold, using others to pursue her agenda (hurting her sisters and/or making others jealous). Even her grandmother tells her a little compassion wouldn’t go amiss; Mary also has intense moments of compassion for others, she admires decency in people, and can when she wants to show a kind nature underneath all the thorns.

Enneagram: 3w4 so/sx

Mary admits that she cares a great deal what other people think about her, and it influences all of her decisions. She desperately wants her father’s approval and for him not to be disappointed in her, or to find out about her and Pamuk, because she couldn’t bear “how he would look at me.” She gives off the persona of being completely self-confident and poised, causing Mrs. Hughes to state, in response to Carson’s empathy toward her, that she never saw Mary as lacking any self-confidence. She hates getting caught in the servants’ quarters, because she knows she’s not supposed to be there, and she sees it as an invasion of privacy, but she still goes along with it because it’s what her guest wants. Mary assumes she is the most beautiful and desirable woman present, and arrogantly tells her sister she could steal anyone away from her at any time (“At least I’m not fishing with no bait!”). She also is disconnected from her own feelings, in a 3ish way; she is unsure whether to accept Matthew’s proposal or not, even though she “thinks” she loves him (and has “for a lot longer than I thought”), and delays so long that it angers him and makes him withdraw his proposal. She begs her mother to help her cover up Pamuk’s death, because a scandal of “such magnitude” would engulf the house that it would “leave us all notorious.” Her 4 wing is melodramatic and self-centered; she spends a lot of the first season moping and crying, because she feels her father’s lack of support (he won’t fight for me!) keenly, and she has “ruined” her chances with Matthew by not being decisive enough. Mary’s arc is about learning to open up and be more considerate of others and their emotional needs (protecting Lavina from a scandal, rather than using it against her, etc).