Both Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale‘s teaser trailer and its first official full-length trailer are hiding one of the franchise’s most important characters, but why? Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is slated to be the final Downton Abbey story (although creator Julian Fellowes hasn’t entirely ruled out a return to Downton in the future), and is therefore expected to bring all the characters’ major storylines to a close.
Even so, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale‘s story looks to be focusing more on the upstairs citizens of Downton’s estate, rather than those living downstairs, as Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is finally set up to take over control from her father, Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville).
It seems the transition won’t be seamless, however, as Mary becomes embroiled in a social scandal and the real-life financial pressures of the 1930s have the power to hit the Crawley family’s finances hard. If, as the trailers suggest, the Crawleys are forced to leave Downton behind for good, what will happen to their loyal and loving household staff?
The maids, valets, cooks, and butlers are the lifeblood of Downton; the estate wouldn’t be able to function without them. If they are indeed forced to contemplate their future employment, at least one former Downton employee can rest easy. Does that mean they won’t have a significant role to play in the story at all, however?
Thomas Hasn’t Yet Appeared In The Downton Abbey 3 Trailers
Robert James-Collier Is Confirmed To Return
Even though Robert James-Collier is confirmed to reprise his role in Downton Abbey’s third and final movie, former footman-turned-butler Thomas Barrow has yet to make an appearance in any of The Grand Finale‘s promotional footage. Thomas’s absence is especially noticeable as virtually every other character present in The Grand Finale can be spotted in the teaser trailer and the official trailer, including the Crawleys and Downton’s staff members.
Among them is Dominic West’s Guy Dexter, an actor from LA who first appeared in Downton Abbey: A New Era. Having struggled with his Sєxuality for most of his life, Thomas had resigned himself to a life without love, but the handsome and glamorous Guy changed everything. Since Guy is prominently in Downton Abbey 3, Thomas (hopefully) won’t be far behind.
What We Know About Thomas’ Downton Abbey 3 Story
Thomas Got A Happy Ending In A New Era
At the end of A New Era, Thomas left Downton to be Guy’s “personal ᴀssistant/housekeeper,” a strong enough cover for their relationship during a time when homoSєxuality was still criminalized. This gave Thomas his well-deserved happy ending, but if Guy is a focal point in The Grand Finale, then where is Thomas? What does his absence imply about his upcoming storyline?
There’s still a chance The Grand Finale is hiding Thomas’s real role, though if that’s the case, I hope they’ll at least let his story end on a high note.
Guy will seemingly be starring in a new play in London, as there’s a sH๏τ of him on stage in an opulent West End theater, with Anna, Bates, and Baxter applauding him furiously in the audience. Thomas is nowhere to be seen, but presumably, if Thomas is still “employed” by Guy, he’s either waiting in the wings or at Guy’s chosen London residence.
Why Is Downton Abbey 3 Hiding Thomas?
His Absence So Far Has To Be For A Reason
Thomas’s absence doesn’t have to indicate something sinister, of course. After all, he could simply have a reduced role because he’s still holding on to his A New Era happiness. We may only see him in brief moments with Guy, and nothing more. If that’s true, he also wouldn’t have too much of a reason to be involved with Downton’s staff in Yorkshire.
As The Grand Finale seems more concerned with Downton’s future than its past, it makes sense that Thomas Barrow isn’t a huge part of the storyline. Following A New Era, he’s very much left Downton in the rearview mirror, having finally achieved his goal of becoming the Butler of Downton and falling in love.
There’s still a chance The Grand Finale is hiding Thomas’s real role, though if that’s the case, I hope they’ll at least let his story end on a high note. He deserves a happy ending in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale; I wouldn’t want him to return to the estate for any reason other than to visit some old friends.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale arrives in cinemas on September 12.
