I decided to watch the Downton Abbey (2019) on the indie channel. The official movie trailer displays the luxurious estate and its elegant Downton Abbey cast. I had watched the Grand Finale movie in the theater this year, and I wondered what happened in the story before the Grand Finale movie.
The Downton Abbey crew prepare for a visit from the Royalty King and Queen, who plan to stay one night at the Downton Abbey, before they continue on their Yorkshire Tour. Tension rises in the hustle and bustle to get things done within two weeks. It is suddenly announced that the King and Queen have their own chef, housekeeper, and maids, and the Downton staff crew will be given other jobs. Entertainment includes a parade and dinner, before they go to the ballroom. The staff crew have a lot of cleaning rules.
Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, is anxious to see her cousin. Violet’s cousin, Maud Elliot, Dowager Baroness Bagshaw, is known to be a recluse because of her past and secrets. Her heir is in the Downton Abbey, but she plans to give her money to someone else—her maid who takes care of her, but this maid is actually her illegitimate daughter she had with her lover, Jack Smith, because she was unhappily married to a boring man. Now that her husband has passed on, she is making plans to give everything to her secret daughter, disguised as her maid. More people will arrive for the visit. Violet and Maud have issues with each other because of this little secret, and they don’t talk much without quarreling about the estate and money. Violet wants Robert Crawley, 7th Earl of Grantham, to be Maud’s heir.
Meanwhile, the boiler is broken, and it is creating more tensions. The Downton Abbey staff are bored, because the King and Queen’s staff have taken over the Downton Abbey. As people start to arrive, Maud’s young maid, Lucy, meets Tom Branson, and they seem to like each other. It appears to be love at first sight. At dinner, Maud tells Branson that Lucy is like her companion. After dinner, they go outside to watch the parade. Tom Branson is being closely watched by the assassin, who tries to shoot the Royals at the Downton Abbey. But Tom Branson stops him, and wrestles him to the ground to take away his gun. Lady Mary arrives to see the brawl. Maud and Violet bicker together, as Lucy becomes closer to Tom, who used to be the Downton Abbey chauffeur. He is a widower, but he is coping and moving on, obviously ready to meet his second wife.
The King and Queen’s staff surprise the Downton Abbey staff by telling them that they can return to their jobs, and cook the next dinner. But they continue bickering, although they are excited to prepare the next dinner. Maud tells Isobel about Lucy, her daughter with Jack Smith. But she continues to refer to her as her maid. Meanwhile, Tom Branson meets Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles, who knows him as the widower of the youngest daughter. He seems to like her, as well, and he helps her deal with her sad situation.
Lady Edith Pelham, Marchioness of Hexham, wants to wear her new gown, but it hasn’t arrived yet. It appears to be lost in the mail. Maud introduces Lucy to Violet, but she introduces Lucy as her maid. There appears to be some tension between them about Lucy. The Downton Abbey staff is given rules not to speak to the Royalty, as they serve them food and care for their needs. Lady Edith tells her husband, Bertie Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham, that she is pregnant, and he decides not to return to his work opportunity. He wants to be there for his pregnant wife.
Monsieur Courbet is suddenly missing, as the staff prepare for the ballroom party. At the dinner, Tom tells Edith that he likes Lucy. It is announced that Courbet didn’t cook the meal. There is a raid on a gay nightclub, and many gay men are arrested, which turns out to be a prank. Thomas Barrow and Richard Ellis like each other.
Maud tells Violet that Lucy Smith will be her heir, not Robert Grantham. They bicker about Maud’s estate. Maud later reveals that Lucy has known she’s her mother on her eighteenth birthday, even though she had raised her as her godmother. She was happy being married to Jack for ten years. Isobel Grey, Baroness Merton, encouraged Maud to reveal the truth about Lucy to Violet. But Maud appears to be reluctant.
Lady Mary Talbot feels stressed, dealing with constant struggles and issues, caring for the Downton Abbey estate. But she seems to be the person, running around the estate and takes control over situations. Lucy chats with Tom about her mother’s bickering with Violet. Lucy and Tom decide to keep in touch by writing letters. Daisy and the butler fall in love. Barrow and Ellis bond together, wondering if anyone will tolerate their homosexuality because Barrow finally found his true love. Lady Edith wants to do her own thing, but she feels too controlled and she cannot enjoy her own life.
As people start to leave the Downton Abbey, they realize that Courbet was napping the whole time, not missing. Lady Mary’s husband arrives, and they make out together, happy to be together again. At the ballroom party, the bickering continues. Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles, tells her parents that she likes Tom Branson, the Irish republican. Maud finally tells Violet the truth about Lucy. Lady Edith celebrates her pregnancy with her husband.
Violet mentions that she has health issues, and she does not have a long time to live. She gives the Downton Abbey estate to Lady Mary, even though Mary feels reluctant to care for this estate. She sees Lady Mary as her mini me, the perfect relative to continue the family legacy. They all dance, dressed in roaring twenties elegant formalwear, in the ballroom. Lady Mary chats with her husband about her role as the new owner of Downton Abbey.
Directed by Michael Engler, written by Julian Fellowes, and produced by Gareth Neame, Julian Fellowes, and Liz Trubridge, this 2019 drama movie was based on the television series Downton Abbey by Julian Fellowes. The movie starred Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Imelda Staunton, and Penelope Wilton. The movie takes place in 1927, at Yorkshire, England. The Crawley family receives sudden and unexpected news that the Royalty King and Queen will visit them for one whole day and night, as they travel their Yorkshire Tour. As the Downton Abbey staff start to work on the menu, an assassin also arrives. Moreover, some items keep disappearing and there is always some kind of issue at the estate.
The Downton Abbey 2019 cast include Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, 7th Earl of Grantham, Laura Carmichael as Edith Pelham, Marchioness of Hexham, Jim Carter as Charles Carson, Raquel Cassidy as Phyllis Baxter, Brendan Coyle as John Bates, Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Talbot, Kevin Doyle as Joseph Molesley, Michael C. Fox as Andy Parker, Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates, Matthew Goode as Henry Talbot, Harry Hadden-Paton as Bertie Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham, Robert James-Collier as Thomas Barrow, Allen Leech as Tom Branson, Phyllis Logan as Elsie Hughes, Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, Sophie McShera as Daisy Mason, Lesley Nicol as Beryl Patmore, Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, Imelda Staunton as Maud Elliot, Dowager Baroness Bagshaw, Penelope Wilton as Isobel Grey, Baroness Merton, Mark Addy as Mr Bakewell, Max Brown as Richard Ellis, James Cartwright as Tony Selleck, the boiler repairman, Charlie Watson as Albert the Hall Boy, Stephen Campbell Moore as Major Chetwode, Richenda Carey as Mrs Webb, David Haig as Mr Wilson, Andrew Havill as Henry, Viscount Lascelles, Geraldine James as Queen Mary, Simon Jones as King George V, Susan Lynch as Miss Lawton, Tuppence Middleton as Lucy Smith, Kate Phillips as The Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles, Perry Fitzpatrick as Chris Webster, Douglas Reith as Richard Grey, Baron Merton, Philippe Spall as Monsieur Courbet, Oliver/Zac Barker as Master George, Fifi Hart as Miss Sybbie, and Eva/Karina Samms as Miss Marigold.
