Downton Abbey: The Movie (2019)

[sark1624]

1 hour ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I'm no expert, but presumably the Duke of York would have other duties at home in England.   There would be no need to waste two royals on a tour where one would do. 

I dont remember well but it seems that there is rule that if of the dukes is out of the country, the other must stay in order to carry the duties. 

Also, it would be very difficult for any tittled man say no to the the king, because if it in that way, what is the point of having aristocracy? In other words, Robert and Bertie are representatives of the crown in their counties and that extende to their wifes. For that reason, Robert and perhaps Bertie must participe in the local reserve army, go to local parades, charities, committes related and their wifes similar activities. 

[Roseanna]

8 hours ago, AZChristian said:

How come Papa George V wasn't sending his SON (also Bertie) along with the Prince of Wales? If fatherhood wasn't that important to the king to where he was willing to send Edith's Bertie away to babysit a grown man, why not send his son, who had also proven himself to be stable?

Actually, the Prince of Wales had three younger brothers and he was sometimes accompanied in his travels by George (the duke of Kent) or Henry (the duke of Gloucester).

With Bertie, it was another matter. Generally, a sovereign and an heir or an heir and the next in line didn't f.ex. fly together until Charles and baby William visited Australia.

Also, when the Prince of Wales was overseas, Bertie must fulfill his place in Britain. Being married, he was naturally accompanied by her wife. In the same time, they travelled abroad together. 

[Roseanna]

On 10/10/2019 at 2:19 AM, Crs97 said:

I still want Gregson’s wife to claw her way out of the asylum he dumped her in so that he could steal her family’s newspaper business.  

Was it her family's business? Wasn't Gregson a self-made man?

[Roseanna]

10 hours ago, sark1624 said:

In the other hand Edith being stretched by the obligations that being a marchioness it is. For example they are close to the 29 crash, how that would impact Tom and Henry business, and those estates, then the whole abdication crisis, meaning that if Edith is still a marchioness, as a woman in high rank should have to play some sort of role in the coronation and the rest, and she already said that those things are boring to her. 

Before the corononation there was the funeral if George V that was also a big event. For some time women had to wear (at least some) black which we know Mary disliked. 

But both the funeral and coronation were unique occasions, so (almost) everybody would be interested to attend at, although one would see very little in Westminster Abbey.

On the hand, committees used to meet f.ex. every month and if you had many, that really took time. Whether they were boring, depended if you were interested in their aim and found some like-mimded participants who were willing to work with you for that aim.   

[Crs97]

4 hours ago, Roseanna said:

On 10/9/2019 at 7:19 PM, Crs97 said:

I still want Gregson’s wife to claw her way out of the asylum he dumped her in so that he could steal her family’s newspaper business.  

Was it her family's business? Wasn't Gregson a self-made man?

I think he told us he was a self-made man.  In my world, his poor wife (whom we weren’t supposed to care about because she was in an asylum and therefore worthless) was his victim.

I think it would have been a very interesting storyline for Downton, though perhaps too dark.  Of course, the fact that exposing the inner workings of an asylum is darker than a main character on death row tells you how horrible the asylums were then.

[sark1624]

8 hours ago, Roseanna said:

Before the corononation there was the funeral if George V that was also a big event. For some time women had to wear (at least some) black which we know Mary disliked. 

But both the funeral and coronation were unique occasions, so (almost) everybody would be interested to attend at, although one would see very little in Westminster Abbey.

On the hand, committees used to meet f.ex. every month and if you had many, that really took time. Whether they were boring, depended if you were interested in their aim and found some like-mimded participants who were willing to work with you for that aim.   

Good points, i bet thath knowing Edith character the progressives would have been more interesting for her, those related to education and so on. But as a marchioness she should participe anyway. But it is good put in context everything, the aristocracy as such was loosing importance every day, common people were not so fixated with them compared to the times before the war; people started to emulate actors, singers, sportsman and so on because they represented meritocracy, the stories of humble origins and being suddendly being rich and famous. 

Yes, Gregson i think was from upper middle class, he mentioned that he went to college, very few people would go to college back then. So, i bet that he had comfortable origins, i think that the same level than Matthew and Isobel, part of the upper middle classes. About his wife, they gave so little clues, if he had the money they could have put her in a "good" (by those years standars) places. But if she weake up and so on, she also could challenge the will and maybe get a part of the money, but Edith now is rich by marrying Bertie, so it is not the money problem, but, that would be a huge scandal. 

[Llywela]

18 hours ago, AZChristian said:

So this movie was set in 1927, and Queen Elizabeth was born in 1926.  How come Papa George V wasn't sending his SON (also Bertie) along with the Prince of Wales?  If fatherhood wasn't that important to the king to where he was willing to send Edith's Bertie away to babysit a grown man, why not send his son, who had also proven himself to be stable?

In addition to what everyone else has said, the aim was to send a responsible person who could rein in the Prince of Wales's excesses - a younger brother would be unlikely to have the right kind of influence, that just isn't how family pecking order generally works! Just look how little influence Edith has over Mary's actions...

[TheView]

I think Sarah Bunting and Edna should've been the main antagonists of the film. 

[Roseanna]

1 hour ago, Llywela said:

the aim was to send a responsible person who could rein in the Prince of Wales's excesses 

The Prince of Wales had such a man: Alan "Tommy" Lascelles was his Assistant Private Secretary but resigned when he couldn't stand his irresponsibility. He later become Private Secretary to George VI and Elizabeth  and is the great favorite of many in The Crown.  

[Roseanna]

5 hours ago, Crs97 said:

In my world, his poor wife (whom we weren’t supposed to care about because she was in an asylum and therefore worthless) was his victim.

Gregson's wife was never described as "worthless", only the Bristish divorce law was described intangible. 

[TheView]

Fellowes was showing his love of old fashioned ways by having Edith lose the paper 

[Llywela]

5 minutes ago, TheView said:

Fellowes was showing his love of old fashioned ways by having Edith lose the paper 

I imagine he thought she didn't need it any more. After all, he had her win the jackpot by marrying a marquess, why on earth would she still need the career that had given her such happiness and satisfaction, that was only ever intended to be a consolation prize for when she was still a sad sack spinster with nothing better to do...

Or, you know, some other thought process along those lines.

[sark1624]

27 minutes ago, Llywela said:

I imagine he thought she didn't need it any more. After all, he had her win the jackpot by marrying a marquess, why on earth would she still need the career that had given her such happiness and satisfaction, that was only ever intended to be a consolation prize for when she was still a sad sack spinster with nothing better to do...

Or, you know, some other thought process along those lines.

Somewhere i read that in a delted scene of the movie Bertie says to Edith that in the future she would need to spend more time in London in order to write. So, it seems that she is going to have some relation with the magazine. Off course, in economic matters she doesnt need to keep a job of any kind, but as character she need to have something of just being someone wife. But in realistic therms that is the problem with Edith, have a a rol as a marchioness and keep a magazine. 

Off course, if we see the series you would think that Edith more or less became something like Cora, but if you check the history, some of those aristocratic wifes became champions of liberal causes, they became trustees of college for girls and so on. And the character of Bertie it seems far more liberal than Robert, in the movie is the king of england who give the orders to Bertie to go to africa, basically the only one who can give him orders, so, say no to that is not easy, it  is like a liutenant following orders of his captain. 

[Roseanna]

On 10/13/2019 at 11:04 PM, Llywela said:

I imagine he thought she didn't need it any more. After all, he had her win the jackpot by marrying a marquess, why on earth would she still need the career that had given her such happiness and satisfaction, that was only ever intended to be a consolation prize for when she was still a sad sack spinster with nothing better to do...

On 10/13/2019 at 11:37 PM, sark1624 said:

Somewhere i read that in a delted scene of the movie Bertie says to Edith that in the future she would need to spend more time in London in order to write. So, it seems that she is going to have some relation with the magazine. Off course, in economic matters she doesnt need to keep a job of any kind, but as character she need to have something of just being someone wife. But in realistic therms that is the problem with Edith, have a a rol as a marchioness and keep a magazine. 

Edith didn't have to go to London in order to write, that she could do at home. But if she wanted to have anything to say in her magazine, she had to visit London. 

I am perhaps only one who did like Gregson. If he had got his divorce and returned from Germany, he and Edith could have had a modern marriage, both spouses working. Also Bertie could have been OK, if he had got a job in London.

Instead, I don't like the idea that a woman's worth is shown by marrying upstars. And of course with Edith's past it was a pure fairytale. 

[sark1624]

19 hours ago, Roseanna said:

Edith didn't have to go to London in order to write, that she could do at home. But if she wanted to have anything to say in her magazine, she had to visit London. 

I am perhaps only one who did like Gregson. If he had got his divorce and returned from Germany, he and Edith could have had a modern marriage, both spouses working. Also Bertie could have been OK, if he had got a job in London.

Instead, I don't like the idea that a woman's worth is shown by marrying upstars. And of course with Edith's past it was a pure fairytale. 

I also like the character of Gregson, perhaps the history it would have been better written, perhaps a divorced man (not that melodramatic crazy wife thing), the fact is that Edith working in the magazine was the only one in that family capable of escaping from the aristocratic life, even the good-inteligent-modest Matthew Crawley was sucked in when Robert and Mary basically bullied him to obey their orders, same with Tom. In the other hand, we must remember that was becoming more worthless, the future was the middle class, the professional class,  even working class people no longer look  the aristocracy as a role, movie stars were the big thing as a symbol of meritocracy, even the tribute to the uknown soldier was a symbol that the country was mourning the "ordinary man", not some aristocratyc heroe like Wellington or Nelson.

Off course by basic logic a man as Bertie could have choosen any woman, in the show Mary say that if he would have been more handsome all the woman in England would have wanted him (the actor is not), but in those years a young healthy rich aristocratic man would have been rare, in line with history the most powerful aristocratic families (the devonshires and others big dukedoms) would have been ecstatic if they marry one of their daughters to him. For that reason, Mary sabotaging the union betwen Edith and Bertie and the family saying nothing was totally inacurate, or even if Mary announces her pregnancy to Henry Talbot it would have been meaningless in the pecking order to aristocratic life and world view of people like Robert and Violet. By the mere fact of inherting the tittle and the fortune, he would have been the catch of the season, fathers would have throwing to him their young daughters. But in the positive note, Bertie Pelham seems like the Matthew Crawley for Edith, and Edith doesnt look Cora who basically was pushed away by everyone in the family and look far more equal in their relation, in comparison lets say Mary and Matthew or in the xtreme Robert and Cora.

Edited October 16, 2019 by sark1624

[msrachelj]

On 9/15/2019 at 2:27 PM, zillabreeze said:

I can't even imagine the horror of having to sit up straight in movie anymore, lol.

Not sure if it's the same in a small town, but I never pay more than $7 for a film.  All day during the week, super bargains on Tuesday, first showing Sat & Sun.

Report back with your recliner review!

Recliner was quite comfortable! Much better than the p.o.s., cheap (at a not cheap price!)  lazy boy I have at home.  Had almost the entire theater to myself also, so a pleasant experience.

[msrachelj]

On 9/13/2019 at 10:50 AM, zillabreeze said:

Very good to know about the recaps!!!  How I have Snowglobe Envy!!!

There were no recaps in my movie?!

[msrachelj]

I liked the movie but weirdly it seemed better on television. Except for maybe a few closeups of some dresses or scenery.  Some of the actors did not do so well in close up! It really just made me long for this to come back to p.b.s. as a series. I loved watching it at home, making it a thing. 

BTW, why was Daisy working in the kitchen again when we last saw her on the series she was going to be a teacher I believe because she didn't want to make a life out of being a servant?

[Llywela]

15 minutes ago, msrachelj said:

BTW, why was Daisy working in the kitchen again when we last saw her on the series she was going to be a teacher I believe because she didn't want to make a life out of being a servant?

It was Molesley who left service to become a teacher at the end of the show, not Daisy. Daisy had undertaken some adult education to try to improve herself, having left school at about 12 to go into service, but she didn't leave her job.

Molesley's change of career was referenced in the film - he hears about the royal visit and comes running to ask to be allowed to come back to the house as footman for the duration, just to be there to see the king, and says he is sure the school will allow him the time off.

[AZChristian]

18 hours ago, msrachelj said:

There were no recaps in my movie?!

When we went to see it the second time, it was listed in the theater recap as "Downton Abbey (with recap)."

[Bali]

On 10/9/2019 at 8:52 PM, sark1624 said:

i saw again and since i like history it was weird that Henry Talbot didnt wear campaign  war medals in neither scene, that means that he is not a war veteran.

Did everyone who served get a medal? Maybe he just served but never really did anything too spectacular. You know, like he basically did with the show. "Then there's Henry- he's just here."

[Megara]

I’m not a military expert by any means but I think the campaign medals are for if you were there and participated in the campaign, which would indicate he didn’t...which is why I can definitely buy the argument that he didn’t serve. Tom didn’t serve either which is why he had zero medals when all the men who did did have medals.

[Hiyo]

Or maybe the writers just didn't feel it was that big of deal or screwed up.

[Megara]

The writer screwed up all right concerning him 😂

Edited October 22, 2019 by Megara

[Hiyo]

Well, on the issue of the medals, I'll agree with you.

[Megara]

I’d just like to put it out there too that I don’t blame Matthew Goode for this because it really is a thankless job, and I definitely understand his perhaps reluctance to promote the show given how the writing let him down. It’s interesting to me that he’s never really doing the cast interviews other than like maybe a handful which of course part of it is probably scheduling, but he wasn’t even at the BAFTA celebration a few years ago of the show and to me that’s pretty telling. He’s a good actor but Henry Talbot was an experience 😂

[Hiyo]

I'd say its scheduling more than anything else, which is why he had such a small role in the movie.

[Megara]

Scheduling and apparent lack of enthusiasm which I don’t blame him for.

[Hiyo]

I never saw any lack of enthusiasm.

[Megara]

Not promoting the show/movie is pretty self-explanatory. And part of the reason aside from scheduling could be because the audience reception wasn’t ideal to his character (which makes me wonder if the 10 minutes was also intentional in addition to his availability). The critics while the show was airing echoed many of the concerns I raised, and although Fellowes doesn’t usually correct for that sort of thing, I’m sure he’s aware of it. If Goode really wanted to promote the film, he could have. Anyway, I don’t blame him for it at all. There’s only so much one can do with that script 😂

Edited October 24, 2019 by Megara

[sark1624]

On 10/22/2019 at 1:58 PM, Megara said:

I’m not a military expert by any means but I think the campaign medals are for if you were there and participated in the campaign, which would indicate he didn’t...which is why I can definitely buy the argument that he didn’t serve. Tom didn’t serve either which is why he had zero medals when all the men who did did have medals.

Exactly, every person who served in the front was given a campaign medal who are different from gallantry medals, for example Robert and Bates wear campaign medals from the boer wars but not from the ww1. Thomas is seeing wearing 3 campgains medals, normally those were given to those who were in the army in 1914 (remember that Thomas made arrangements with Dr Clarkson to be in the medical services), most of the people however joined when the warr was declared (for that reason they have 2) probably Matthew and Bertie had a similar history, both of them joined after the war was declared and they only arrive in 1916 to france (it took almost 2 years to train that giant volunteer army, who in the end was massacred in the somme, matthew´s first battle).

What i was trying to say, that not being a veteran was something very frown upon by all people, if you were a upper class man, all the people expected that you should serve in some form, even Robert was depressed because he was left behind, William also wanted to join, people basically bullied those who were not in the army, they gave white feathers; men who were wounded or discharged were given some  distinctives to wear in order to not be critized or get a job. There was a minority of men that for political reasons or religions didnt serve in the army, but they were given a lot of options, they could serve in medical services, and other not combat roles.

The only way to avoid military service was that your work was too important for the country, like scientist or something like that. But i find hard to know what was Henry Talbot ocupattion, i would think that if he likes fast cars and machines he could have been in the flyng corps. But in any part of the show they show that he was a engineer, scientist, foreign diplomat and so on. And even Robert said, that he expected that her daughters married someone who served "king and country".

I know that Matthew Goode has a lot of fans, but his character its look like some sort of play boy.  

[Megara]

He’s totally a playboy! I mean he drunk dialed a proposal from his dingy bachelor pad in London—that’s total 20s playboy behavior.

[Hiyo]

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Not promoting the show/movie is pretty self-explanatory.

Not really. Again, sometimes your schedule doesn't allow it.

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the audience reception wasn’t ideal to his character

Was the entire audience polled and they revealed that?

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which makes me wonder if the 10 minutes was also intentional in addition to his availability

Nah, I'm guessing it was the availability issue. If both Goode and Fellows felt that way, they would have written Henry off or had him and Mary end their relationship. Especially if Henry was as unpopular as you claim he was or if Goode wasn't all that into the role. He was under no contractual obligation to appear in the film, and yet he did his best to give whatever time he could, however little it was.

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The critics while the show was airing echoed many of the concerns I raised

And just as with the audience, there were just as many or more critics who disagreed and liked both Henry and Goode's portrayal of him.

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The only way to avoid military service was that your work was too important for the country

Given that they never explained what, if any, history Henry had with the military, it probably was seen as a non-issue by the production staff and Fellows himself.

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I know that Matthew Goode has a lot of fans, but his character its look like some sort of play boy.  

How so?

[Megara]

Nah, there was more going on behind the scenes and I understand the intention Fellowes had, but it definitely fell flat. I remember quite well because I watched it when it aired and all the big British papers (and even the American ones like the NYT and WSJ) definitely had a consensus of what the heck is going on here—certainly the majority did 😂They’re quite interesting. It’s kind of hilarious too that Cullen and Ovenden whose characters are objectively less important did promote the show (the latter when he was off the show in fact), and Goode didn’t with the movie. Again, if he wanted to, he could have, and he didn’t 😂
 

And just as a side note because I’m a nerd and in the legal world—he did have a contractual obligation once he agreed to be in the film. Now that might have been altered because of scheduling conflicts or it could have been something cleared up front, but obviously everyone involved had a contractual obligation. And usually with these contracts it’s the industry practice to do some promotion (unless you’re the great Dame Maggie Smith). I would infer from what actually happened that he didn’t have it in his contract (which would mean he didn’t want it in his contract because of course the show wants promotion). 

Edited October 25, 2019 by Megara

[Hiyo]

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there was more going on behind the scenes and I understand the intention Fellowes had

What was going on behind the scenes?

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all the big British papers (and even the American ones like the NYT and WSJ) definitely had a consensus of what the heck is going on here

Which was what, exactly? Also any links?

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It’s kind of hilarious too that Cullen and Ovenden whose characters are objectively less important did promote the show (the latter when he was off the show in fact), and Goode didn’t with the movie. Again, if he wanted to, he could have, and he didn’t

Again, not necessarily, they may have just had more accommodating schedules.

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he did have a contractual obligation once he agreed to be in the film

But he didn't have a contractual obligation to be in the film, nor did Fellows have any to include him in the film, which is what my original point was referring to.

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I would infer from what actually happened that he didn’t have it in his contract (which would mean he didn’t want it in his contract because of course the show wants promotion)

More likely, he was too busy to promote the movie and the producers and studio just had to grudgingly accept that. I have a feeling had there been such bad blood, it would have been revealed via the media by now.

[Megara]

These were back in 2015/16 so I’d google Downton Abbey 6x08 reviews with all the respective papers (i.e. WSJ, NYT, Radio Times, Daily Mail) if you’re truly interested. Here’s one for your reading pleasure that I found particularly funny: https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/downton-abbey-series-6-finale-mary-stole-the-show-quite-literally-a3107841.html

Again, I would encourage you to seek them out for yourself if you do have an interest in what critics thought because the majority at best thought it was rushed and at worst thought along the lines of this one.

Oh it’s not to say there’s bad blood, it’s just he didn’t want to do it (which could be scheduling and likely it not being terribly important to him in comparison with the other projects). He’s never been anything other than professional about it. But as I think I’ve said before, the industry standard is you promote the stuff you’re in because it’s usually part of your contract. If he wanted to promote it and wanted it a part of his contract, he would have been. He didn’t. 

Edited October 25, 2019 by Megara

[Hiyo]

Considering how the final season scored 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and 76 on Metacritic, I'd say the final season was better received than the handful of reviews you listed might indicate.

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the industry standard is you promote the stuff you’re in because it’s usually part of your contract. If he wanted to promote it and wanted it a part of his contract, he would have been. He didn’t. 

That seems like a contradiction. Based on what you say, he would have had to promote the show whether he wanted to or not because he would have been contractually obligated to do so. Since he isn't on a level of someone like Maggie Smith to get out of promoting the show, it makes more sense for the reason for him no to promote the show was that his schedule wouldn't allow it. Same as why he didn't have a bigger role in the movie itself.

[Crs97]

I have seen his interview about being in the movie.  He was also promoting the series he’s in that I think was renewed.  There also seemed to be other movies he was working on.  He seemed very happy about the film, said something about how people would be so happy it was back, and he kept telling the interviewers he wasn’t allowed to say anything else.  I am not sure why it’s being inferred that he hates the show simply because he hasn’t done much press.  I haven’t seen Daisy,  Edith, or Anna or Bates’ actors actively promoting the movie.  Why is MG being singled out, other than some might not like his character?

On a shallow note, Matthew Goode can pull off a period hat like no one’s business.  He is made for that time period.

[Megara]

I never said he hated it, just that he doesn’t view it as a priority, which is his prerogative. And as I’ve said multiple times, I don’t blame him at all.

Again, we’re talking about Henry Talbot and Mary Crawley’s “relationship”, and its reception, not the series as a whole. And more often than not, the professional reviewers picked up how weird it was and that it was rushed. 

@Hiyo Take up your dispute with entertainment law 😂I won’t bore you with a primer on contract negotiations, but the parties have to submit terms and come to a consensus. Given that he didn’t promote the show, it’s obvious that it wasn’t a part of his contract.

Laura Carmichael, Joanne Froggatt, and Sophie McShera have definitely been doing interviews and promotions for this movie. And Coyle has at least done a press circuit for the show but Goode never has. 
 

It’s a thankless role, so if he’s too “busy” to promote it, I understand.

Edited October 26, 2019 by Megara

[Hiyo]

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Again, we’re talking about Henry Talbot and Mary Crawley’s “relationship”, and its reception, not the series as a whole. And more often than not, the professional reviewers picked up how weird it was and that it was rushed. 

I'll agree it was rushed, but I still enjoyed it, and I have a feeling many others did as well. I don't see it as being as universally disliked.

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but the parties have to submit terms and come to a consensus. Given that he didn’t promote the show, it’s obvious that it wasn’t a part of his contract.

It’s a thankless role, so if he’s too “busy” to promote it, I understand.

Which doesn't make sense, I doubt the studio would have been ok with letting him avoid promoting the show unless he truly  had a legit reason to do so. And by legit reason, I mean genuine conflicts due to his work load, not a "Oh God this role sucks why did you even hire me to begin with I'm not going to promote this movie because fuck you for this shitty role" reason.

And I'm sure the rest of the cast wouldn't have appreciated him avoiding promoting the role without a valid reason. And yet, so far, nothing about any of that has turned up, from anyone, so I'm guessing most people involved with the movie understood and accepted his reasons for not promoting the movie as much as he should have, i.e., he was legitimately busy, not "busy".

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I have seen his interview about being in the movie.  He was also promoting the series he’s in that I think was renewed.  There also seemed to be other movies he was working on.  He seemed very happy about the film, said something about how people would be so happy it was back, and he kept telling the interviewers he wasn’t allowed to say anything else.  I am not sure why it’s being inferred that he hates the show simply because he hasn’t done much press.  I haven’t seen Daisy,  Edith, or Anna or Bates’ actors actively promoting the movie.  Why is MG being singled out, other than some might not like his character?

Edited October 26, 2019 by Hiyo

[Megara]

I mean given that he’s said in the past “I’m only in it for 5 minutes as I should be” I don’t think it’s his favorite role, which is fine.

I understand that you like him but a lot of people didn’t 😂 I don’t know how much you were around at the time but like I said, the British papers and even the American papers were pretty explicit about how ridiculous it all was. He wasn’t universally liked and the positive reaction was tepid at best. The negative reviews were more numerous among the professional reviewers. If you notice the actors, producers, and Fellowes himself really stopped talking about that particular relationship directly after the show ended and focused on things like M/M until it was time to sell a movie. The reception of Henry Talbot wasn’t something like Matthew Crawley, and they were well aware of that because it’s obvious, just as they were aware that the saga of Mary’s men had been dragging for like two seasons and brought him in. It ended up falling flat, so how to minimize the damage—make it more about the ensemble, show him off for a few minutes, call it a day. Because I guarantee you if they thought he was essential beyond a few minutes, they would have tried harder to get him in the film. They said it was like wrangling cats, which I believe, but in the grand scheme of things, I’m rather happy to say that the powers that be and even Matthew Goode don’t find Henry terribly important, and there’s a reason for that.  Both Goode being “busy” and his not being well received are sufficient conditions for his not being in the movie and not promoting the movie.

The fact is he didn’t want to promote it if he didn’t promote it. Otherwise it would have been in his contract, and we would have seen him. The cast has no say in that.

The guy wanted to hang out with his friends and move back to England (at the time before he took the part, he was in The Good Wife). Which is fine. But he doesn’t pretend it’s some great role because it isn’t, and if anything I respect that about him.

Edited October 26, 2019 by Megara

[Crs97]

As much as I enjoyed the movie (it was like seeing old friends), I don’t think it needs (or I want) a sequel.  This just seemed like a nice little vignette into a moment of their lives; I think another storyline like this one would be unnecessary.  I would be happy to be proven wrong, but I wonder if another sequel would fare as well.

[Megara]

I want a sequel. I think they’re definitely doing one. I just hope it has more of a plot, you know?

In fact I want a sequel in the interest of getting an actual plot, I should say—it’s the only way you could justify one.

Edited October 26, 2019 by Megara

[Hiyo]

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I mean given that he’s said in the past “I’m only in it for 5 minutes as I should be” I don’t think it’s his favorite role, which is fine.

When did he say that?

I understand that you despise him but there are just as many who did like him 😂

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I don’t know how much you were around at the time but like I said, the British papers and even the American papers were pretty explicit about how ridiculous it all was.

I was there, and most of the complaints were about the speed of the relationship, not about the relationship itself.

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He wasn’t universally liked a

Nobody on this show was. And neither was he universally disliked.

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If you notice the actors, producers, and Fellowes himself really stopped talking about that particular relationship directly after the show ended and focused on things like M/M until it was time to sell a movie.

Did they now?

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The reception of Henry Talbot wasn’t something like Matthew Crawley, and they were well aware of that because it’s obvious, just as they were aware that the saga of Mary’s men had been dragging for like two seasons and brought him in. It ended up falling flat, so how to minimize the damage—make it more about the ensemble, show him off for a few minutes, call it a day.

Well, Matthew was endgame until the actor decided he wanted to leave midway through the show, so it isn't like any of Mary's post-Matthew suitors would ever live up to Matthew himself. And you thinking it fell flat isn't the same as everyone thinking it fell flat. I and many others certainly don't think that.

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Because I guarantee you if they thought he was essential beyond a few minutes, they would have tried harder to get him in the film

Sometimes scheduling just doesn't work the way people want. That's the film industry. That's how it works sometimes.

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’m rather happy to say that the powers that be and even Matthew Goode don’t find Henry terribly important, and there’s a reason for that.

I get that you despise the character, but has he or any of the powers that be ever said? If he wasn't that important, then there was no need to even include him in the film to begin with. They could have just said he was off somewhere else on business. Or that he and Mary divorced off-screen. Or whatever. But the fact that TPTB and the actor himself took the time to try and fit him however they could despite his unaccommodating schedule is more indicative that he was important to enough people to still be be included in the film, even if it was a brief role.

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The fact is he didn’t want to promote it if he didn’t promote it.

That isn't a fact, that is an opinion being stated as fact. There really hasn't been any authentic documentation or anything we have seen being said by anyone being involved in the film that those are reasons for him not having a larger role in the movie and/or him not promoting it as much as the other actors. What do do know if that he had a busy schedule at the time.

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Otherwise it would have been in his contract, and we would have seen him. The cast has no say in that.

That is...contradictory. Either the cast has a say or they don't.

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But he doesn’t pretend it’s some great role

Which isn't the same as disliking and/or being indifferent to the role. Again, if it meant so little, he wouldn't have been bothered to work it out and fit it in his schedule as much as he could.

[Megara]

As Lizzo would say, truth hurts 😂 It’s okay though, he got paid for it even if he didn’t enjoy it.

On my rewatch of Season 6, it also occurred to me that Edith’s editor wasn’t in this as well and I kind of wish she had been. She and Tom had a nice rapport—it didn’t have to be romantic at all, but it would have been nice seeing him talking with a fellow journalist since everyone seems to forget he was one.

Yet another reason I’m so against the snoozefest of a business partnership he’s gotten himself into.

My wishlist for a sequel is bring back Charles Blake and Laura Edmunds.

Edited October 26, 2019 by Megara

[sark1624]

In therms of couples Fellowes ruined a lot, it would have been totally inexplicable how Mary always had 3 or 4 young, healthy, suitors when the war killed a whole generation of upper class man. By all standars Mary is a beautiful woman and rich, but there were in that same period equally beautiful, richer and more younger girls to pick up. Similarly to Edith, by becoming a marquiss Bertie would have been the catch of the season, even dukes would have throwing their daughters to him, and his job is to produce an heir so he would neeed a young wife. 

I think that Tom should have moved to live with Isobel and then become some sort of son to her, give Sibbye a more liberal education, and then knowing a young intelligent middle class woman, maybe entering to politics as councillor in the local goverment, being an mp it seems to much for a ex irish rebel, the labour party would have never supported and ex irish rebel to get seat in parliament, neither someone who is related to the landed gentry and estate manager. 

Many women like Lady Mary would have ended single, not only because of the shortage of men, but because they also saw marriage as a burden, also Mary already made her job, she gave an heir to Downton. She could have easily work in the estate and enjoy boyfriend, have sex and basically and independent life, even, the aristocratic society didnt look that with bad eyes, again she did her job, she gave birth to the heir, so having lovers quietly was not a scandal. Many aristocrats did have lovers, the rule was to be quiet about, being puritan was more a middle class attitude rather than aristocratic. But in order to no ended alone, i think that Mary should have ended like someone like Blake, but all the men after Matthew were weak, all keep playing Mary´s game, and for that reason all look bland. 

[Hiyo]

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Similarly to Edith, by becoming a marquiss Bertie would have been the catch of the season

He was involved with Edith before becoming a Marquis.

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She could have easily work in the estate and enjoy boyfriend, have sex and basically and independent life, even, the aristocratic society didnt look that with bad eyes, again she did her job, she gave birth to the heir, so having lovers quietly was not a scandal.

Maybe she wanted more.

[Megara]

She definitely should have ended up with Charles Blake. I would have loved Tom running for Parliament and I think his relationship with Mary’s new husband in this scenario would have been so interesting, given he was from Northern Ireland and about to inherit an estate there.

The thing I like about Charles is he didn’t play her game (and called it for what it was in that one scene when he was talking with Tony “her wish is to hold all men enthralled” which was so refreshing). And they actually had chemistry so yeah, hoping he comes back 😂
 

I also love how keen Julian Ovenden was even after he left the show. I mean: 

https://youtu.be/oU4reEQcbxU

Edited October 26, 2019 by Megara

[Crs97]

I wasn’t wild about Blake and was very pleased when it was clear they were just meant to be friends.  If we take Henry out of the picture, then I wanted Mary to realize Evelyn was wonderful.  But I love Henry so am perfectly happy they married, though Julian rushed the courtship.

[Megara]

I’m curious—what do you like about Evelyn? I liked him an awful lot too, but he actually respected her unlike Henry.