Downton Abbey (2019), clever capers and royal visits

Downton Abbey has spun off two movies from the popular TV series. This one, from 2019, is about a royal visit from King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) that set the residents of Downton Abbey atwitter. It featured a delightful minor rebellion from the servants quarters that made the story fun.

While the extended family of Crawleys led by Robert (Hugh Bonneville) and Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) were worrying over guest lists and gowns, the servants were faced with quite the shock.

When the royal couple went anywhere, their entire entourage went with them. Maids, butlers, chefs, footmen – the works. The regular staff were told to go read a good book and stay out of the way.

Well, that wouldn’t do for the Downton Abbey staff. Nobody was going to replace them when serving the king and queen in their own house. No indeed! My goodness, Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) even came out of retirement to take over from Mr. Barrow (Robert James-Collier) for the event.

Thomas Barrow, free of his butler duties, met a handsome fellow just like himself. There was flirting and kissing. There was a nightclub filled with men who danced with men. Thomas Barrow was ecstatic! Have we ever seen him happy before?

The rest of the servants planned a rebellion. There were secret meetings in the wine cellar. They drugged, locked up, and otherwise disabled the royal staff and did the cooking and serving themselves. Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt) solved a crime committed by the visiting seamstress (Susan Lynch). Daisy (Sophie McShera) decided she was ready to get married after all. So much fun.

Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) was determined to convince her distant cousin (Imelda Staunton) that Robert Crawley should be the recipient of her estate when she died. She was ready for an all out fight.

That standoff was avoided when widower Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton) hit it off. There was flirting and kissing. The standoff was avoided because [spoiler].

The underlying theme of this film was the longevity of the upper class family and the legacy of Downton Abbey. The story of the family and the place went back hundreds of years. Everyone predicted that the influence of the place and the people who lived there would continue long into the future, if they could just find the money to get the roof fixed.

This film is available with your subscription on HBOMax. I think Downton Abbey fans will really enjoy it. If you’ve already seen it, please share your comments below.