15 Things You Should Know Before Seeing the ‘Downton Abbey’ Movie

Warning: This article contains possible spoilers for the Downton Abbey movie. 

The British are coming! It’s been over three years since fans said a fond farewell to their favorite characters on Downton Abbey. But with the big-screen adaptation opening in theaters on September 20, 2019, moviegoers will get a chance to revisit their favorite English aristocrats, and those who serve them faithfully.

Trailers for the film reveal the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and his family will be hosting the King and Queen (King George V played by Simon Jones and Queen Mary played by Geraldine James) as they tour Yorkshire. This means it’s all hands on deck to prepare for the country’s biggest VIPs.

Like the series, there’s sure to be romance, intrigue, some polite bickering, and restrained rollicking at the palatial manor.

But before you rush out and buy your ticket, we thought you might want a bit of a refresher on where things left off for Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), Anna (Joanne Froggatt), Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle), and the whole lot.

Here, in no particular order, are 15 things you may have forgotten and need to know before seeing the Downton Abbey film. 

1. The Times are Changing

Season 6 of Downton Abbey takes place in 1925, a time of great upheaval in Great Britain. Workers’ wages are rising, the middle-class is expanding, and the Crawleys’ decadent way of life is on its way out. As they watch other large houses fall, Mary, Tom (Allen Leech), and even Robert Crawley accept it’s out with the old and in with the new.

Of course, the one hold out is Robert’s mother, the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) who struggles to let the past go. 

As the need for a large number of servants diminishes, the staff look ahead to what their futures hold. 

The movie picks up 18 months where the series leaves off, and Downton remains very much intact. In fact, it appears, according to a review in The Hollywood Reporter, that the Crawleys continue to live largely. Who knew pig farming could be so lucrative?

2. Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes Tie the Knot

After Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) pops the question on the finale of Downton Abbey Season 5, he and Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan) head down the aisle on Season 6. There’s a bit of pre-wedding drama when Mrs. Hughes worries about her future husband’s expectations regarding S…E…X. Leave it to Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) to save the day. 

The twosome experience some growing pains as newlyweds since Mr. Carson’s exacting standards are the same whether he’s running Downton or at the little cottage he shares with his wife. The couple eventually finds their groove (in more ways than one). 

Mrs. Hughes has maintained her position, but she and her husband will be working together again to get Downton in tip-top shape for the King and Queen. 

3. Tom Branson Returns to the Family Fold

Tom and Sybbie return to Downton after leaving for Boston on Season 5. Tom’s stint in America does give him a newfound appreciation for capitalism, but his political views remain radical by his father-in-law’s standards. 

While romance isn’t in the cards for Tom, he does his best to play matchmaker for Mary. He also becomes part-owner of a car dealership, and he has high hopes of making a name for himself as an automobile manufacturer. No doubt this can-do spirit is the result of Tom’s admiration of American ingenuity. 

Tom gets a second chance at love in the movie, and here’s hoping she’s not as controversial as his last semi-romantic entanglement with the subversive Miss Bunting (Daisy Lewis).

4. Lady Mary Meets Her Match

By Season 6, Lady Mary fully embraces the flapper look. After a disappointing affair with Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen) which results in a blackmail attempt (thwarted by dear old dad), Mary begins to accept marriage may not be in her future. For her, the most important thing is ensuring Downton’s survival for her son. 

But despite her innate snobbery,  Mary finds herself falling for Mr.Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode), a dashing race car driver. He lacks money and a title, but he’s not scared off by the formidable heiress. Mary’s first love and husband — the irreplaceable Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) — dies in a car accident which presents another obstacle for the couple.

Mary’s got some PTSD to overcome. It’s just a bump on the road from widow to blushing bride and, soon after, an expectant mother.

By all accounts, including the movie poster and trailers, Mary and Henry are still very much together and very in love. 

5. Anna and Mr. Bates Become Parents

After being cleared of any involvement of the death of the insidious Mr. Green (Nigel Harman), Anna and Bates focus on starting a family. After several miscarriages, Anna becomes convinced she can’t carry a child to term. In sweeps Lady Mary who takes Anna to see her doctor, and big, bang, boom, Anna and Bates find themselves expecting.

No couple has suffered more bad luck (and criminal charges) on Downton Abbey than Mr. and Mrs. Bates, but their Bonnie and Clyde days seem firmly behind them when Anna gives birth to their son on New Year’s Eve.

6. Lady Edith Hits the Jackpot

Her affair with Michael Gregson (Charles Edwards) leaves Edith with an illegitimate daughter, a magazine, and a flat in London. Still the object of her sister’s scorn, Edith begins to imagine life away from Downton. 

She meets and falls in love with Herbert, “Bertie,” Pelham (Harry Haden-Patton), a poor land agent who works for his cousin the Marquess of Hexham, Peter. By a stroke of luck, Peter dies of Malaria (not lucky for Peter), and Bertie inherits everything.

Bertie desperately wants to marry Edith until she reveals Marigold isn’t a ward of the Grantham’s but her daughter. Edith is dumped again much to the delight of her pernicious sister.

But all is well that ends well because Bertie figures out he can’t live without Edith. The two seal the deal with a New Year’s Eve wedding which marks the end of the series. Along with a husband, Edith gets a new title that outranks everyone in her family. 

7. Karma Catches Up with Mr. Barrow

After years of being completely horrible to everyone, Mr. Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier) finds himself on his way out the door on Season 6. Short on friends and sympathy, Barrow is to be sent packing in an effort to downsize.

With service opportunities dwindling, and nowhere else to go, a depressed Barrow attempts suicide but is saved by Miss Baxter (Raquel Cassidy). 

Mr. Barrow emerges from the experience a better man and leaves Downton on good terms.

Unfortunately, his new post proves to be a huge disappointment, and when Barrow receives an unexpected offer to return to Downton at the conclusion of Season 6, he happily accepts.

As the new-ish butler, Barrow has his hands full, and Lady Mary questions whether he’s up to the challenge of readying for the royals’ visit. Barrow’s professional life may be fraught with complications, but two years have mellowed Barrow, and his improved behavior reaps a reward when he finally meets a “kindred spirit.”

8. The Dowager Countess Hits the High Seas

Violet Crawley finds herself on the losing end of a battle to maintain control over the local hospital during most of Season 6. She also deals with drama among her domestic staff thanks to her scheming lady’s maid, Miss Denker (Sue Johnston).

Feeling betrayed by her close friend, Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton), and her daughter-in-law, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), Violet sets sail to cool her heels. She returns at the request of Tom who knows nobody else can set Mary and Edith straight after their lives have gone off the rails.

The Dowager Countess of Grantham will be doing battle again in the film. Never one to back down when she knows she’s right (which is always).

Violet’s latest skirmish involves a long-lost relative and an inheritance. One thing is certain, Violet Crawley will be armed with an arsenal of clever quips. 

9. Mr. Molesley Finds His Calling

Poor Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) struggles throughout the series to find his place in service, and it turns out he belongs somewhere else all along. After helping Daisy with her studies,

Molesley is offered a position to teach at the local school. But Molesley can’t bring himself to part with his livery, so he’s still hanging around Downton to pass around a tray to two on special occasions when the series ends.

He also proves to be a faithful friend to Miss Baxter, counseling her through her gem stealing drama. The two are strictly platonic, one of several would-be couples. Maybe the movie will reveal they’ve moved out of the friend zone. 

10. Mary and Edith Make Nice

After the nastiest fight viewers ever witness between the two sisters, Edith decides to call a truce in time for Mary and Henry’s wedding. Mean girl Mary apologizes for her role in Edith’s broken engagement.

Edith accepts that while they’ll never really like each other, they are still sisters, and that means something. Not exactly the warmest, fuzziest moment, but they are British after all. 

After decades of sniping, and as the family gathers together to prepare for their biggest party yet, the two sisters enjoy a newfound closeness. A chummy Mary-Edith relationship? That alone is worth the price of admission. 

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