BothDownton 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 Finaleis slated to be the finalDownton Abbeystory(although creatorJulian Fellowes hasn’t entirely ruled out a return toDowntonin 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, asMary becomes embroiled in a social scandaland 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 thoughRobert James-Collier is confirmed to reprise his roleinDownton Abbey’s third and final movie, former footman-turned-butler Thomas Barrow has yet to make an appearance in any ofThe Grand Finale’s promotional footage. Thomas’s absence is especially noticeable as virtually every other character present inThe Grand Finalecan be spotted in the teaser trailerand 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 inDownton Abbey: A NewEra. Having struggled with his sexuality 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 inDownton Abbey3, 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 ofA New Era,Thomas left Downton to be Guy’s “personal assistant/housekeeper,“a strong enough cover for their relationship during a time when homosexuality was still criminalized. This gave Thomas his well-deserved happy ending, but if Guy is a focal point inThe Grand Finale, then where is Thomas? What does his absence imply about his upcoming storyline?
There’s still a chanceThe Grand Finaleis 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 shot 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 hisA New Erahappiness. 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.
AsThe Grand Finaleseems more concerned with Downton’s future than its past, it makes sense that Thomas Barrow isn’t a huge part of the storyline. FollowingA 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 chanceThe Grand Finaleis 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 inDownton Abbey: The Grand Finale; I wouldn’t want him to return to the estate for any reason other than to visit some old friends.
