While the new Downton Abbey movie has the characters questioning the Dowager Countess's past love life, the latest trailer for Downton Abbey: A New Era has me questioning Lady Mary's current romantic status. Lady Mary has never wanted for romantic prospects, from her distant cousin to Ser Jorah Mormont. But Lady Mary's current husband Henry Talbot is missing in A New Era, with Matthew Goode not appearing in the poster or trailer. Instead, Michelle Dockery's Lady Mary seems like she'll be spending the movie with Hugh Dancy's new character. So what has happened to Lady Mary's marriage to Henry? And is Dancy's new film director going to come between them?
Goode wasn't a prominent part of the first Downton Abbey movie, which was explained by Henry attending a motor show in Chicago. But for A New Era, a villa in the south of France sounds like an ideal location for the former race car driver to dabble in business and pleasure. Yet, Goode is nowhere to be seen in the trailer and he's not listed in the credits on IMDb. And Mary, rather than go to her granny's newly-acquired home in France, stays at Downton to oversee the filming of a movie (in the words of Carson, "A moving picture! At Downton?!") that's directed by Dancy's Jack Barber.
In the trailer, Jack says something about, "There's trouble in paradise." Jack could be talking about the plot of his movie The Gambler (starring Dominic West's character, who looks like he's getting flirty with Thomas). But Mary's response — "You don't need me to tell you that marriage is a novel with plot twists along the way" — could give some insight into her marriage with Henry.
Mary's dabbled in some sexy scandals before (a Turkish diplomat dying in her bed, having her maid by her contraception, etc.), but I don't believe A New Era is setting her up to cheat on Henry with Jack. Rather, if anyone was going to have an affair, it would be Henry. If he committed adultery, Mary would've technically been able to divorce him following the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1923. Divorce certainly wouldn't be ideal (and the family seems simply not scandalized enough in the trailer to indicate that), but it would leave Mary open to a new romance with Dancy's character.
If Lady Mary is single and ready to mingle, the other option is Henry Talbot is dead. After all, he does (did?) have a love of cars. But Downton can't seriously have Mary's second husband also die in a car crash. I haven't even healed from Matthew yet!
But if Henry's not dead (from an automobile or other means), where is he? Traveling for work again? Temporarily separated from Mary (all very hush-hush, of course)? Or, could the Crawleys have actually handled the scandal of Lady Mary divorcing between the first and second movies?
There's also a world in which Dancy's character is not a love interest for Mary. Knowing Downton's track record when it comes to Mary's love life though, that seems far-fetched. But with Tom getting married to Lucy Smith, Thomas having a potential affair with a movie star, and Violet having an old flame leave her a villa, it seems there will be plenty of romance to go around (even without Lady Mary) when A New Era hits theaters on May 20.
Images: Focus Features