With its close-enough timelines and the truth that they’re each created by Julian Fellowes, the concept of a Gilded Age and Downton Abbey crossover just isn’t a far-off idea. Followers have joked concerning the chance on social media all through The Gilded Age‘s three seasons. The hypothetical crossover’s greatest roadblock is the truth that the exhibits are produced by completely different corporations on completely different networks, bringing copyright points into play. Whereas it might be a idiot’s errand to think about how these worlds might collide, it’s nonetheless enjoyable to do nonetheless. We even requested Fellowes about it forward of The Gilded Age Season 3 premiere earlier this yr.
Let’s put apart the “can they do it” query for a second and give attention to the how. From the place we’re standing, there are a handful of characters that depart the door open for a Gilded Age and Downton Abbey crossover. Listed here are 5 methods we expect a crossover might really occur. (The Gilded Age Season 3 finale comes out this Sunday, August 10, on HBO. Get an unique look into the high-stakes episode right here.)
1. Younger Cora Crawley Seems
Elizabeth McGovern‘s character from Downton Abbey is an American heiress who married right into a British household to maintain the Crawley property funded and elevate her station. Like Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga), Cora Crawley (née Levinson) was a Greenback Princess, and her household historical past makes her the crossover’s finest likelihood.
Cora was born in 1868 in Ohio, making her barely youthful than Gladys. In 1883, Cora is 15 years previous and Gladys is eighteen. Cora’s household had houses in New York and Newport, Rhode Island, The Gilded Age‘s most-frequented areas. In 1888, Cora’s mom, Martha Levinson (Shirley MacLaine), introduced her to England with the intent to seek out an English noble for Cora to marry. Their plan was a hit. Cora married Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) in 1890.
Introducing a younger Cora Levinson into Manhattan society can be the simplest technique to deliver the worlds of those exhibits collectively, and it will be a deal with for Downton Abbey followers who would enjoyment of seeing a youthful model of not solely Cora, but additionally her firecracker of a mom. Cora might additionally present up in England, if a future season of The Gilded Age is ready in 1888 or after. However the HBO interval drama takes its time with the plot. Seasons 1 and a couple of are set in 1882, Season 3 in 1883. At that tempo, it will require both a time soar in Season 4 or past, or many extra seasons. All of this stuff are doable, after all, simply not assured.
2. Gladys Russell Welcomes Noble Guests
This one’s simple, too. Gladys lives in England now. Carry over some Eighteen Eighties Crawleys to satisfy the brand new duchess! Gladys’ plot at Sidmouth Fort already echoes Downton Abbey, along with her attending to know the lay of the land and find out how to run an property and maintain it working.
The fictional Sidmouth and Downton estates are distant geographically. Downton is in Yorkshire within the north of England, whereas Sidmouth is within the south east. Nevertheless it wouldn’t take rocket science to concoct a motive for a younger Robert, Earl of Grantham, or anybody in his household (particularly his iconic mom, Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham) to come back and meet England’s new duchess, particularly on condition that marrying a Greenback Princess was already a chance for Robert at the moment. Gladys’ story might pique his curiosity.
3. Violet Crawley Goes to London
Talking of Violet, we’d wish to see a younger model of Maggie Smith‘s legendary character greater than anybody else from Downton, particularly now that the character (and sadly, Smith herself) has handed away. Whereas lots of her disdainful phrases for America littered all through the PBS Masterpiece drama indicate that she by no means visited America, Violet might seem within the England storyline simply as simply as son Robert, if no more simply. Her youthful counterpart might maybe be a buddy of Girl Sarah (Hattie Morahan), Gladys’ controlling sister-in-law, who spends appreciable time in London yearly.
Make Violet Crawley present up in London to spar with a visiting Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), and Fellowes can have my good will endlessly. Whereas Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) visiting England appears as probably as Violet saying a form phrase about Individuals, I might give my life financial savings to see Agnes and Violet in the identical room spewing deliciously petty Fellowes dialogue. It might be a battle of wits for the ages.
4. Jack Trotter Sees the World
Former footman John (nicknamed Jack by his work household, performed by Ben Ahlers) can see the world now that he’s a millionaire. The up-and-coming inventor and entrepreneur might take some enterprise dealings overseas with new buddy and collaborator Larry Russell (Harry Richardson), and that enterprise might trigger any method of likelihood conferences with a Downton character. It might be particularly candy to have Jack as a connection to seeing youthful variations of the downstairs workers from Downton, equivalent to Mr. Carson (Jim Carter), who like Jack began working on the Downton property as an adolescent.
5. The Titanic Sinks
Bleak! However a hilariously darkish joke of a principle posed by followers on social media. In case you haven’t realized already, there are households in The Gilded Age that may undergo tragedy in 1912 when the Titanic sinks. The true Mrs. Astor (performed by Donna Murphy within the present), for instance, died in 1908. Her son, John Jacob Astor IV, died within the catastrophe in 1912. Two of Mrs. Astor’s youngsters (Carrie and Charlotte) have already been launched as characters in The Gilded Age.
The Vanderbilts, on whom the Russell household is loosely primarily based, simply barely averted the identical tragedy. George Washington Vanderbilt II and his spouse, Edith, had tickets for that doomed voyage however canceled on the final minute. They booked passage on one other ship that received them to New York just some days earlier than the Titanic sank. Their servant, Edwin Wheeler, was on board with their belongings and died within the sinking.
I would like the present to run for 8 seasons and culminate with the titanic sinking. The finale will finish with the opening scene from Downton Abbey. https://t.co/RXzXyYPKWX
— Rose Dommu (@rosedommu) December 22, 2023
The very first episode of Downton Abbey opens with the information of the Titanic sinking, and two Crawley members of the family have been on board and perished. If The Gilded Age runs lengthy sufficient to succeed in the yr 1912, the exhibits’ plots might intertwine by this. Nevertheless it appears removed from probably that this might occur, not solely as a result of that’s a 29-year hole between the plot of Season 3 and the beginning of Downton Abbey, but additionally as a result of that may simply be an uncharacteristically darkish place to take the glitzy HBO present.
Then once more, Downton Abbey had simply as a lot glamour and it opened with that gloom, and The Gilded Age has gotten far more harmful in Season 3. Possibly we must be extra involved about this.
The Gilded Age, Season 3 Finale, Sunday, August 10, 9/8c, HBO