8 Lingering Questions the New ‘Downton Abbey’ Movie Needs to Answer
For fans of TV’s Downton Abbey, the two big-screen sequels so far — 2019’s Downton Abbey and 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era — have felt like bonuses. And we’re happy to say we have one more sequel ahead of us with Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, in theaters on September 12, 2025.
Despite the title being as definitive as The Grand Finale, however, it’s probable we won’t see absolutely all the Crawleys and their beloved staff gathered on screen when that film’s end credits roll. Still, we have questions we hope the threequel will answer…
Will Downton Abbey remain with the Crawleys?
With the Grand Finale trailer’s shots of an empty Downton Abbey and Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) planting a kissed hand on the house’s stone facade, it certainly seems like the Crawley family is getting ready to say goodbye to their longtime home. “It’s hard to accept that it’s time to go,” Robert says in the trailer — though he could, of course, be referring to his handing the reins of the state to eldest daughter Mary (Michelle Dockery).
What happened to Henry Talbot?
Speaking of Lady Mary, the trailer shows London society reacting to the revelation that she is a divorced woman. Matthew Goode’s Henry Talbot was M.I.A. in A New Era, and the actor has already said he’s not returning for The Grand Finale, so what happened to Henry and Mary’s relationship? Is he just too married to racecar-driving to be a suitable husband?
Will Lady Mary find another romance?
As Mary steers Downton Abbey into a new future, the Grand Finale trailer also shows her having a flirty interaction with Gus Sambrook, a new character played by Alessandro Nivola. (“Surely you’re entitled to have some fun,” he tells her.) So much of Downton’s plot has revolved around Mary’s love life, but perhaps The Grand Finale will show she doesn’t need a man to be happy.
Will Barrow and Dexter get a happily-ever-after?
In A New Era, Dominic West’s Guy Baxter invites Robert James-Collier’s Thomas Barrow to be his valet and dresser (with benefits) in Hollywood. Barrow accepts the movie star’s job offer and gives his notice to Mary, who tells him she hopes he’ll be “as happy as our cruel world allows,” a tacit show of solidarity with Barrow’s sexuality. Both James-Collier and West are returning for The Grand Finale, and it would be wonderful to see them love each other openly within the walls of Downton Abbey.
Will Molesley find Hollywood success?
After the narrative suggestions of Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle), Downton’s footman-turned-schoolteacher, save the production of the “talkie” movie filmed at the house in A New Era, film director Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy) offers him a job writing screenplays. Molesley then tells Ms. Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) that all his dreams are coming true, right before proposing to her. So, is Molesley the next great Hollywood scribe? Will we see the future Mr. and Mrs. Molesley at a 1930s-era Academy Awards ceremony?
Will the Bateses open their bed-and-breakfast hotel?
A deleted scene from A New Era has Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and John Bates (Brendan Coyle) discussing opening a “bed-and-breakfast hotel” in Downton village and running it from the Abbey, per Town & Country. Will that prospect come up again in The Grand Finale? And for that matter, wouldn’t that put the Bateses in competition with Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol), who has her own bed-and-breakfast not far away?
How will the Great Depression and World War II hit the family?
The Grand Finale has the Crawleys and their staff entering the 1930s, which means the Great Depression and the outbreak of World War II are close at hand. The film’s trailer reveals that Harold Levinson (Paul Giamatti), brother of Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern), has “made a real mess of things,” so perhaps he is an early Depression casualty.
Who will provide the one-liners in Violet’s stead?
Violet Crawley died in A New Era, and portrayer Maggie Smith died last year, so this will be our first chapter of Downton Abbey without the Dowager Countess and her cutting remarks. On whether she hates being wrong: “I wouldn’t know; I’m not familiar with the sensation.” On Isabel Crawley (Penelope Wilton) taking her comment as a compliment: “I must have said it wrong.” With Violet gone, where will The Grand Finale find its barbs?!
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, In Theaters, September 12, 2025
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