Catch Up on the Second 'Downton Abbey' Film Before 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale'

Recap the first Downton Abbey movie.
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It’s 1928: a beautiful summer afternoon on the grounds of a modest English country estate. From the big white tent, elegantly appointed tables, and servants bustling about, we can see that a special event is taking place. A view inside the adjacent chapel reveals what it is: Tom Branson’s wedding to Lucy Smith, the pretty daughter of Lady Maud Bagshaw; we met the latter two in the previous film.

At the reception, we learn the following: that Downton’s assistant cook Daisy and footman Andy are now married and living – uncomfortably – at Yew Tree Farm with Daisy’s doting father-in-law, Mr. Mason; that the budding relationship between Lady Cora’s maid Baxter and schoolmaster Molesley hasn’t progressed since we last saw them; that retired butler Carson’s hand tremors have mysteriously vanished; and that Bates and Anna’s little blond son is the cutest kid EVER.

A few days later, Lady Mary Crawley, her father Robert, and aunt Rosamund are shocked as an ailing Violet, the Dowager Countess, informs them that she has inherited a villa in the south of France. She explains that 60 years earlier as a young married woman in France, the dashing Marquis de Montmirail had fallen for her. Later, back home with her husband, she received a letter from the Marquis informing her that he had signed the deed to the villa over to her, but she had assumed it was a joke. Evidently it wasn’t, because he has just died and the villa is indeed hers. Montmirail’s son – the current Marquis – has invited the family for a visit, and they decide to take him up on it. Violet is too frail to make the trip.

As they prepare to leave, Robert receives a call from Jack Barber, a handsome young film producer-director who proposes to rent Downton as a location for his silent film, The Gambler; Robert and Mary are against it but Mary quickly changes her tune when she learns how much money Barber is offering. Downton’s roof is in dire need of repairs.

As the family entourage, minus Mary, departs for France, the movie people and all of their chaos descend upon Downton. We meet the film’s two stars: debonair matinee idol Guy Dexter, genial and kind; and his co-star, platinum blonde siren Myrna Dalgleish, who arrogantly orders people about in a screechy Cockney accent. The staff, especially Daisy and Anna, had initially been excited to hobnob with the stars, but Myrna’s rudeness is a huge letdown. For his part, Guy seems to take a special shine to Thomas, Downton’s (gay and closeted) butler.

Robert and the family arrive at the French villa, bowled over by its opulence. The 60-ish Marquis is welcoming and friendly; his mother, however, icily views the Crawleys as grasping interlopers. She threatens to sue to keep the villa, but a lawyer makes it clear that she has no grounds to do so. Sulking, she spends her time sneering at the English guests.

Back at Downton as the film shoot progresses, Myrna continues to treat everyone badly, and Mary dryly remarks to Barber that she wishes she could see “the star magic.” Barber takes her into town to catch one of Myrna’s movies, but ominously, Mary notes that the cinema is almost empty, while a neighboring theatre screening one of the newfangled talking films has people lined up around the block. The next day, Barber gets a call from his boss: silent films are no longer making money, so his production is being shut down. Mary, feeling sorry for Barber and his coworkers, wonders why The Gambler couldn’t be turned into a talking film. Eureka – apparently, it can!

Cut back to France, where everyone is enjoying the villa, the beach, and the town’s attractions. As they lounge on the terrace, Edith and Maud note that Cora looks pale and tired. Later, Carson spots a painted miniature of the beautiful young Violet with a romantic inscription; could this explain why she has inherited the villa?

Robert asks the Marquis why he didn’t just come to Downton to meet Violet; wouldn’t that have made more sense? The Marquis concedes that it would have, but that he really wanted to meet Robert – Violet’s relationship with his father was exactly nine months before Robert was born. “We may have a great deal in common,” he tells Robert meaningfully. Robert gapes at him in dawning horror: could he be the illegitimate son of the old Marquis, making the current Marquis his biological brother?

Back at Downton, as a persnickety sound engineer tinkers, Barber tries to figure out how to convert his silent film into a talkie – for one thing, he has no script and that kind of screenwriting isn’t really a thing yet. Enter Molesley, an avid film buff who has watched the filming. He can sketch out scenes, he assures Barber, and then pitches him and Mary a brilliant new ending for the film. Impressed, Barber quickly urges him to go ahead and write the script as he sees fit. Guy and Myrna must then dub in the dialogue for scenes already shot; Guy handles it with ease, but Myrna is hopeless – she can’t act and her strident voice is completely unsuited for the aristocratic role she is playing. Downton’s housekeeper Mrs. Hughes suggests that Mary dub Myrna’s dialogue. Mary has misgivings but nails it, and of course her voice is perfect. As Mary beams and everyone else applauds, a furious Myrna smashes a vase. Hopefully it’s a prop.

That night at the villa, the Marquis is hosting a lavish outdoor party with a jazz band. Everyone is dancing except a drawn and exhausted Cora. She takes Robert for a walk and breaks some news: she might be terminally ill. Robert, painfully aware that his mother is in failing health and that he himself might be illegitimate, can’t bear the thought of losing Cora as well; he breaks down. Cora does her best to comfort him, and they make plans to go home. She’ll see Dr. Clarkson, and then they’ll know for sure. The Marquis urges them to take Violet’s miniature back to her.

Back at Downton, Barber is shooting a scene with Guy and Myrna – Barber instructs Myrna to silently mouth her lines while Mary speaks them into the microphone. But Myrna repeatedly flubs it and storms off, refusing to go on. She is sulking in her bedroom when Anna and Daisy arrive to deliver some tough love, and eventually Myrna relents – terrified of being rejected for talkies because of her voice, she realizes she must nevertheless complete the film. As they continue to shoot, the family suddenly returns from France, flabbergasted that Mary is now a part of the cast.

The following day, Barber is late with the payroll and the extras walk off the set, right before shooting the film’s final scene – a big dinner in the dining room. Barber, at this point clearly attracted to Mary, asks if he can kiss her. She is flattered but demurs – her husband Henry is out of the country, but still in the picture (or so she says). Barber then asks if Downton’s servants, and Mr. Mason, could fill in for the absent extras. The servants are, of course, thrilled to be in the film, and we get to see them in elaborate Victorian costumes and hairstyles. Barber, bowled over by Molesley’s screenwriting talent, offers him a regular high-paying position. Molesley, understandably, is ecstatic.

Robert anxiously pays a visit to Violet, who is now bedridden. Violet assures him that her relationship with the Marquis was a platonic one, despite appearances, and that Robert is his father’s son. (And she is characteristically insulted that he should think otherwise.)

Guy, who has been regularly chatting up Thomas during the shoot, now pays him a visit in the butler’s pantry, and we learn his (very funny) real name. He proposes that Thomas quit his job and move with him to Hollywood. At first, Thomas thinks Guy wants to hire him as a valet. It is immediately evident that Guy wants more than that, and Thomas is quite, quite amenable. Elated, he gives notice.

Mr. Mason, who has long been carrying on a flirtation with Downton’s cook, Mrs. Patmore, agrees to her plan that they move in together so Daisy and Andy can have some privacy at the farm. Also, in an anteroom as an elaborately costumed Baxter approaches the set, Molesley summons the courage to propose to her, now that he can support her in style. She happily accepts. Unbeknownst to them, a live microphone overhead captures the whole scene for everyone in the dining room. They applaud and cheer.

At the wrap party, a much nicer Myrna reveals that she will be moving to Hollywood and at Cora’s suggestion, will be adopting an American accent (because that’s easy, apparently?). Dr. Clarkson arrives to reveal Cora’s diagnosis – she is not dying but only has pernicious anemia, and it’s treatable. Hurrah! Also, Lucy has some happy news for Tom: she’s pregnant. Double hurrah!

As they celebrate, Violet’s maid Denker urgently summons the family – Violet is failing fast. Everyone rushes to her bedside to make his or her farewells, and Violet, witty and acerbic to the last, peacefully expires.

On the morning of Violet’s funeral, Mary asks Carson to again take over the position of butler from the departing Thomas. Of course, he agrees. Everyone - family, servants, and villagers alike – joins in the somber funeral procession behind Violet’s flower-bedecked hearse down Downton’s long drive. Fade to…

…that same drive on a sunny day a year later, as an open-topped car pulls up carrying Tom, Sybbie, and Lucy with the new baby. Family and servants gather in the main hall to welcome them as the camera pans up to a huge portrait of a smiling Violet, benevolently overseeing this and all future scenes at Downton Abbey.

Fun facts: In the final scene, Baby Branson is played by the real-life infant son of actors Laura Carmichael (Edith) and Michael Fox (Andy). Also, as you may know, Jim Carter (Carson) and Imelda Staunton (Maud) are a longtime married couple in real life (40 years!); their scene together in France includes a sly reference to it.