The Season 4 of "Downton Abbey" featured the brutal rape of Anna by valet Green. The episode featuring Anna's rape was one of the most talked-about episodes of Season 4, and the reactions were extreme. Joanne Froggatt, who plays Anna, has indicated that everyone is still struggling to deal with Anna's rape. She also revealed that the upcoming "Downton Abbey" Season 5 will feature the unresolved issues and conflicts of Season 4.

"Some things from season four carry over into season five. It's not just resolved and they move forward with their lives. They're still struggling to deal with what's happened to Anna. It doesn't simply resolve and disappear," Froggatt said to The Hollywood Reporter (THR).

Talking about her character's rape in Season 4, Froggat said that she really thought that it was an important issue to tackle. "And of course, it was quite a shocking thing to have happen to Anna, the British actress said.

In the interview with THR, Froggat revealed that she did a lot of research on victims of sexual before shooting for the rape scene. Talking about the different reactions, the actress said, "one of the most fascinating things I found was what this might cause for a person of Anna's social standing in the early 20th century."

After the telecast of the episode, most of the reactions suggested that Anna should tell someone or confide in Mr Bates so that he could help her. Froggat said, "... you have to remember in that day and time, a woman didn't have many rights. A working-class woman of Anna's social background would be totally dependent on her reputation. And society would have seen it as a mark on her. It would have ruined her whole life. It would have been seen as, 'Well, he's a man; he can't help himself."

Froggat did not reveal whether Mr Bates is feeling guilty about killing the rapist. When THR asked about that, the actress said, "Well, I couldn't possibly comment on that! But time will tell."

The filming of "Downton Abbey" Season 5 is scheduled to wrap-up by August's end, according to Frogatt.