Downton Abbey: A New Era, A Review

What I Loved About A New Era, and What I Didn't

WHAT I LOVED:

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1. The Downstairs Staff’s 15 Minutes of Fame:

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Starting with the part of the film I was most excited about while I watched, I LOVED seeing the downstairs staff all dressed up and get their moment at the iconic Downton dinner table. I don’t know why this made me so happy, maybe because it felt like a fun closing to the downstairs characters’ storyline. The image of Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Patmore in their Victorian gowns, clutching each other’s arms giddily as they came down the main staircase, was a DELIGHT to watch. The Crawley family sneaking into their own dining room while their servants, dressed to the nines, were seated around their table was hilariously satisfying. And who didn’t love Barrow’s 19th century-style sideburns?!

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2. Mr. Molesley Gets ALL His Just Desserts:

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When we thought we had seen the full satisfaction of Mr. Molesley's arc, a footman becoming a school teacher, he gets a another purpose, fulfilling a more “unattainable” dream.

As a college professor who was once a high school drop out, and who also retains the dream of working in theater or film, this storyline resonated with me on a very personal level. Go Molesley!

I was also really happy to see Molesley and Baxter FINALLY get engaged! I am still surprised this relationship wasn’t made official in season 6 of the show, because they didn’t then know they would make sequel films, and their relationship seemed important to solidify, but hey, better late than never! The microphone hanging above them as Molesley proposes was a nice touch, as it allowed all their friends also experience the long-awaited moment.

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3. The Mason-Patmore Drama Gets Closure:

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Although we didn’t get to see Daisy and Andy’s wedding, I loved that their story was highlighted amongst the more major plots.

One thing that really disappointed me in the first film was that the teased relationship between Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Mason was abandoned. So, I was absolutely thrilled to see that plot line fulfilled! I love that these two will have each other, in addition to their surrogate children. Mrs. Patmore, as always delivered her on-brand humor when Daisy tells her Mr. Mason couldn’t live off a woman, “We’ll see about that!”

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4. Lady Edith Resumes Her Purpose:

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I was also very happy to learn that Edith had resumed her work as a magazine journalist. I was sad to find that she had left that position in the first film, and she was admittedly miserable about it. Edith fulfilling a purpose outside family was satisfying to see restored, and although this is satisfying enough for many women, and that is to be fully appreciated, only serving family is not in character with Edith. I also want to mention how nice it was to hear Marigold call Edith “Mummy.” I doubt she knows Edith is her biological mother just yet, but it was beautiful to hear, all the same.

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5. A Nod to Matthew:

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The mention of Matthew’s death felt [strangely] like a breath of fresh air. The acknowledgment of Matthew and the manner of his death made him feel more real and not just a character that the actor abandoned and should therefore be swept aside. His mention made the story feel more rooted in the sensation of authenticity that has been somewhat missing since the end of the TV series. I also totally understood how Mary felt that the director Jack Barber reminded her of Matthew. I love Hugh Dancy, the actor playing Barber, and I do feel like his energy here was in line with Matthew’s.

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6. A Fond Farewell to Thomas Barrow:

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The development of Thomas Barrow’s was the most bittersweet arc in the entire series for me. I was so satisfied with Barrow’s TV series arc— becoming self-aware, tolerant and likable, and taking on the position of Downton’s butler. So, the idea of him leaving Downton stung a bit. However, the opportunity for Barrow to live a life as close as possible to his own truth in an intolerant time period was really exciting. My only criticism of this development was that I wasn’t convinced Barrow took the role AFTER forming a meaningful relationship with Guy. I want to know Barrow's in love before he abandons everything. Relationships can often leave people feeling stuck with others they’re not compatible with. I needed reassurance that Guy and Barrow would be happy in the long run.

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7. The Death of The Dowager Countess of Grantham, Lady Violet Crawley:

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I knew the Dowager was going to die, because I knew Dame Maggie Smith insisted on it long ago. I did not expect how much it would affect me, though, as I was expecting this development. I absolutely loved that her last words were snarky, in-keeping with her character, telling Denker to be quiet, because she couldn’t hear herself dying. That was loyal to Violet’s character. I was a little scared throughout the film that she would die off screen and alone, and when Denker frantically called up Robert and Cora, I thought my fear had been realized, but thankfully I was wrong. Violet died surrounded by family, feeling fulfilled with her life, and at ease with passing. She got to say her farewells to the ones she loved most. But the scene didn’t end in the bedroom. Violet’s death went on and on, only ending with her family and the servants marching behind her hurst, and the village lined up on either side of the driveway paying their respects. Violet got the sendoff she absolutely deserved, and I cried so hard I found it difficult not to gasp for air and audibly sob in the theater.

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Honorable Mention: Cora's Message to Robert.

Julian Fellowes is known for slipping in concise lines that speak volumes to our own psyche and lives. In the south of France, when Cora believes she is dying, she tells Robert, "How many people die feeling that they wasted their lives...." Followed by the statement that she does not feel that way about her own life. It's a simple and even somewhat generic message, but WOW did it hit me hard. A reminder that no matter what age we are, we should still live our lives to the fullest.

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WHAT I WAS LESS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT:

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1. Henry and Lucy:

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This is partly a continuation from the TV series (with Henry, at least), but I don’t feel like Mary and Tom’s relationships with Henry and Lucy are earned in contrast to their relationships with Matthew and Sybil. And I feel like Lucy, at least, should have had a bigger role, developing her character, during this film. As far as Henry goes, I liked Henry for Mary, and I thought he was as good a fit as the other characters made him out to be in season/series 6. However, after his absence in the last two films (save a quick cameo at the end of the first film), I find myself again wishing Mary had ended up with Charles Blake. The idea that Mary’s husband is now traveling the country and breaking his word repeatedly about when he’ll be back to both his wife AND his kids is atrocious, and the film definitely downplayed how incredibly horrible his actions were. I understand that Matthew Goode (Henry) was filming something else and could not appear in the film as a result, but how he was written out was disturbing and disappointing.

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2. A Waste of Cora:

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The plot line with Cora felt a waste of her character. Cora has been in the forefront of the Downton series for over a decade, and while I was relieved to find that she was not dying, this false alarm was the entirety of her character’s storyline. It felt underwhelming for a major beloved character. I also found it odd that she ended up having pernicious anemia, which is what Lord Merton was thought to have had before Dr. Clarkson caught the other doctor’s error. This time Clarkson caught an error that Cora did not have cancer but this, which thankfully is no longer a death sentence, as it was in season 6. But with the false alarm in Robert’s lineage, this storyline felt hastily tacked on--an afterthought just to give Cora something to do.

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3. No Time for My Favorite Relationships:

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My favorite relationships in Downton are not romantic ones; they are Violet and Isobel, and Tom and Mary. However, neither duo got any significant screen time. I can forgive the lack of Tom and Mary, as Tom is now married, and he and Mary’s friendship has been fully fleshed out already. The two were also in different locations for most of the film. Isobel and Violet, however, should have had more time together. They got a few scenes to show Isobel’s love for Violet that she expressed in her own way, “I shall miss having my sparring partner to keep me trim.” We also got a scene where Violet tells Isobel she is the only one Violet trusted to be moral (a moral guide), since the death of Violet’s mother. But as this friendship is one of the best in the series, and Violet was about to die, I would have liked to see a BIT more between the two. That is what I felt that relationship truly deserved.

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With the loose ends tied up, the servants having their moment of fan service in the dining room, Violet’s death, and Thomas Barrow’s departure, the days of Downton Abbey feel permanently behind us. I don’t think they’ll do another film, and I don’t really know how I feel about that yet.