‘Downton Abbey’ Star Michelle Dockery Posts Dan Stevens Photo; Will Mary And Matthew Reunite In Final Season?

Michelle Dockery made “Downton Abbey” fans go wild when she posted a picture with Dan Stevens on Instagram Wednesday. The actors played Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley on the PBS drama, and their characters were a major couple.

“Reunited. @thatdanstevens I've missed this face #bafta #LastDaysOfDownton #matthewandmary,” Dockery captioned the photo.

Stevens, who is currently filming “Beauty and the Beast,” has not been on the show since Season 3. Matthew was killed off in a car accident during the “Downton Abbey” 2012 Christmas special. While the move angered fans, the writers didn’t have a choice after Stevens decided to leave the hit show. They knew that they couldn’t leave Matthew alive and let him remain the love of Mary’s life.

“For [the writers] to then separate and Matthew never set eyes on his son again would not be believable either,” executive producer Julian Fellowes told the Telegraph at the time. “So we didn’t really have any option. By him dying, their love can remain in tact.”

So does Stevens’ photo with Dockery mean he is returning to the series? Season 6 will be the final season for “Downton,” so now would be his last chance. While Dockery has been posting quite a bit lately about filming her last scenes, it doesn’t look like the photo of the on-screen pair was taken on set. According to the Daily Mail, she and Stevens both attended a special BAFTA event where “Downton Abbey” was honored.

Lady Mary might actually move on from Matthew in Season 6. Executive producer Gareth Neame hinted that she would continue looking for suitors, but Mary has never been one to settle. “To use modern parlance, she's gone on a few dates, but that's inconclusive,” Neame told TV Guide. “I'm interested in exploring this territory because she's older than she was in the early seasons and she's been married and she's a widow. For anyone who's been divorced or widowed, entering into a second marriage is so much more complicated than an initial relationship. It's much more complicated.”

“Downton Abbey” Season 6, the final season, premieres Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, on PBS. Do you want to see Matthew make some sort of cameo appearance before the series ends? Sound off in the comments section below!