Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
The Downton Abbey movie hits HBO today, just in time to give us a comforting dose of old fashioned civility. The film picks up two years after the original series finale and follows the Crawleys and their staff as they host the Royal Family. Exciting stuff! Though I would argue that the film misses out on a huge opportunity. Because the film exists separately from the timeline of Downton Abbey, the episodic series, it could have been set at any point in Crawley family history. Specifically, writer/creator Julian Fellowes could have set Downton Abbey the movie before the Season 3 deaths of Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay). This change would make the film an exciting “lost episode” of Downton Abbey, and it would be reuniting the most popular iteration of the cast for one last hurrah.
Downton Abbey premiered on Masterpiece on PBS in January 2011 and soon became a national phenomenon. The sudsy take on the classic “Upstairs/Downstairs” trope followed life at a massive British estate in the wake of the 1912 Titanic crash. That tragic historic event claimed the life of the presumptive heirs of Downton Abbey, the seat of the Lord (Hugh Bonneville) and Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern). Because of sexist laws, none of their own daughters — Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), and Lady Sibyl — can inherit the estate. So they have to reach out to a distant middle class cousin, Matthew Crawley, and his sassy widowed mother (Penelope Wilton) to find the new heir.
What unfolds then, is a wildly fun soap opera that is seen through the both eyes of the (mostly) loyal downstairs staff and the power players at the top. The series follows this ensemble cast through World War I, the Great Flu Pandemic, the Roaring ’20s, and the societal changes that threaten to tear their way of life apart. Along the way, there are weddings, romances cut short at the alter, murder plots, car racing, and yes, deaths. Perhaps the two most devastating deaths were the Season 3 exits of Jessica Brown Findlay’s Lady Sibyl, who died of complications in childbirth, and Matthew himself, who was killed in a car crash after the birth of his son by Lady Mary.
So here’s the rub: while the show remained popular, much of the magic was gone. Cousin Matthew and Lady Mary’s slow burn flirtation to tragic romance to happily ever after was the central love story of Downton Abbey. Lady Sybil, with her kind, rebellious heart, was one of the fan’s favorite characters, to boot. The series eventually found its footing, but it was never the same. No matter how many dashing suitors they threw Mary’s way or flighty teen cousins stayed at Downton, the loss was felt.
It would have been a dream for the Downton Abbey movie to have been set in between Seasons 2 and 3. Why couldn’t the King have visited Downton in the past? Setting it then would give the show an opportunity to “get the band back together.” While I understand that time has passed and the actors have aged, it wouldn’t be hard to just dress them like they looked in those early seasons. (And they could also use CGI, like in the MCU or The Irishman.)
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And it’s not as though audiences are unaccustomed to the idea of prequels, retcons, or reunions. In this case, returning to the early years of Downton Abbey could provide Fellowes the opportunity to delve deeper into some characters’ post-war grief, as well as show us more romance. The movie could be more than a lavish spectacle sprinkled with intrigue and romance. It could be all that and a welcome trip down memory lane.
Obviously I’m going to watch Downton Abbey on HBO tonight. I have long loved this show and am a completist when it comes to these things. But I have to admit, I was not enticed enough by the grand trailers and art deco posters to spend the $15 on a ticket to the theater last fall. I knew eventually, the film would hit streaming, and I could once more enjoy a visit to Downton Abbey from the comfort of my couch. All I’m saying is if Dan Stevens had come back, I would have spent the money.
I mean, he could have come back as a ghost! Why not give us a ghost in Downton Abbey?
Downton Abbey premieres on HBO tonight at 8 PM ET.
