Downton Abbey the Movie

It’s been a hot minute since we’ve seen any of our favourite characters from Downton Abbey, four years to be exact. Most of the characters upstairs and down got a happy ending in the snowy Christmas finale, but it’s clear creator Julian Fellowes left an opening for a reunion when he capped of six seasons of drama, pregnancy, murder, death, war and fashion. And now that long anticipated reunion is finally here. We can only imagine that lush and stylish period drama Downton Abbey will be even prettier on the big screen.

The movie is set in 1927, two years from where season 6 ended. Downton is aflutter at the news of King and Queen’s one night visit. What a fabulous excuse for antics and showy dinners, parades and a ball! Nearly every major character except Lady Rose is back on the big screen, just the kind of nostalgia we’ve been waiting for, even if we finally have to get dressed and go out into the real world to see it. Rumour has it Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess steals the show with an endless stream of pithy one-liners, as usual.

Never fear if you can’t remember where we left off with our favourite characters:

Robert and Cora Crawley

Despite some marital ups and downs, season 6 ended with everything happy in the Crawley marriage. Robert has a new dog after Isis died in his arms from cancer. Cora was running be modern and running the local hospital.

Lady Mary and Henry Talbot

Lady Mary fell for another fast driver, retired racing car driver Henry Talbot who went into the used car business with Tom Branson. Mary inherited half of Downton with her own heir on the way – she was pregnant at the end of Season 6.

Anna and Mr Bates

This couple survived imprisonment, murder accusations and a brutal rape. The end of season 6 finally found some happiness for this tormented couple when Anna welcomed a baby boy during Edith’s wedding.

Countess Violet, the Dowager

Everyone gets older and more mellow, even the fabulous Countess Violet. She was finally happy to relax a bit and help her friends and family find happiness. She supported Cora’s modern aspirations and helped Isobel Crawley find love.

Isobel Crawley

Isobel reunited with her dying fiancé Dickie Grey against the wishes of his scheming family, and then found out he wasn’t dying after all.

Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson

“Elsie and Charlie” got married and live in their own cosy cottage. Carson finally retired due to a palsy that caused his hands to shake.

Tom Branson

Unlucky in love former chauffeur Tom opened a used car showroom with new brother in law Henry. The actor who plays Tom hints that his handsome character may find real love again soon.

Lady Edith

After an absolutely torturous romantic life, Edith finally marries Bertie Pelham, the Marquess of Hexham. In a sweet comeuppance, the Marchioness of Hexham outranks the female members of her immediate family, including her mother. But more importantly, her new hubby accepts illegitimate daughter Marigold.

Thomas Barrow

After years of scheming and pining and a near suicide, Barrow finally softened and got the job of his dreams replacing Carson.

Daisy

After a few scullery heartbreaks under the watchful but firm eye of surrogate mother Mrs. Patmore, Daisy finally met a nice guy, Andy.

Mrs Patmore

We were left with some hope of a connection between Mrs Patmore and farmer Mr Mason.

And here’s the official preview to wet your whistle:

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Was Isis Downton’s most loveable character?

Lord Grantham is surrounded by women on Downton Abbey, but Isis was the cuddliest, most loyal and least complicated of them all. Each episode of Downton opened with Isis’ behind, tail wagging her way toward the manor. She was the audience’s best friend.

The dog in the opening shot is actually Pharaoh, the first dog of Downton who appeared in 2010. Pharoh’s real name was Roly. But one of Lady Carnarvon’s male Labradors, Percy, would not tolerate the presence of another male dog in its territory – Carnarvon’s the real owner of the estate where Downton is filmed. Carnarvon wondered why the producers didn’t just use her dogs in the first place since they are always running around the estate.

So Pharaoh died off between Season 1 and 2 and was replaced by Ellie who started playing Isis. Originally the producers of Downton were going to keep the replacement a secret. Hugh Bonneville, right on the money, said Downton viewers would instantly spot the difference and complain! Pharoh played by Roly was a male whereas Isis played by Ellie was a female. So the back story was created that Pharaoh died and the Crawleys got a new dog called Isis.

Bonneville shared another secret about Ellie – her tendency to cause expensive damage. Roly sat calmly staring at his owner while on set, but Ellie’s constant tail wagging kept knocking over antiques! Maybe that’s why she was eventually replaced by Abbie the lab starting in Season 3.

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Downton’s Most Memorable Moments

Matthew and Mary get engaged:

Who can forget this snowy romantic moment, a Christmas miracle. We wondered if it would ever actually happen, but it finally did once Lavinia died of the Spanish flu and boorish Sir Carlisle was sent packing. Matthew gets down on one knee while the Servant’s Ball rages on inside. And finally the moment we’d all been waiting for was worth all that waiting. Until yet another memorable and shocking Downton Christmas Special moment…

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The Cinderella Story of Lady Edith

Imagine if your own mother said this about you: “Be kind to her, she has so few advantages.” That’s exactly what Lady Cora said about her daughter Edith.

Laura Carmichael plays Lady Edith on Downton Abbey, the classic middle sister: boring, undervalued and overlooked. In the early days of Downton, Edith is always eclipsed by her sisters: charismatic Lady Mary and the pretty and daring Lady Sybil. But make no mistake, Edith has a dark side and isn’t above seeking both revenge and attention, most notably by ruining Mary’s reputation after revealing her tryst with the Turk.

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Julian Fellowes Weighs In

What does the creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, have to say about some weighty issues of late, like the rape of Anna, the end of Downton Abbey and historical inaccuracies…

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Why Matthew had to die

Shock and awe surrounded the death of Matthew Crawley at the end of Season Three. At Downton Abbey Online, we certainly got our fair share of sad and angry letters. We gently reminded viewers that sometimes actors determine the plot of television shows, as was the case with the death of Matthew Crawley. The actor who played Matthew Crawley, Dan Stevens, wanted to leave the show and there was nothing Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes could do about it except write him out of the show.

Julian Fellowes explains that in America, it’s quite common for an actor to sign onto a series for five to seven years. In England, you can only sign an actor like Dan Stevens up for three years. Thanks to the success of Downton Abbey, Dan Stevens was offered opportunities too good to refuse and wanted out. Fellowes harbours no ill will against Stevens, remembering he did something very similar during his early theatre days in London.

But why was Matthew’s death so grisly?

If a servant actor wants to leave the show, Fellowes writes the script to include a job offer in Dublin or India, in the case of nasty O’Brien. But if a family actor wants to leave Downton Abbey’s cast, their exit must be final or it’s simply not believable. A family member like Matthew wouldn’t leave Downton for any other reason except death. And because Dan Steven’s exit in real life was final, there needed to be no doubt among viewers that he would return. Hence, the grisly final death scene.

Season 4 of Downton Abbey opens six months after Matthew’s death, after the shock wears off. Presumably, nobody really wants to see Mary grieve for an entire season. And halfway through the first episode, Mary changes out of her black clothes and feels some degree of closure. Mary decides to live without Matthew Crawley, and so do we…

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