Warning: SPOILERS For The Gilded Age Season 3 Finale - “My Mind Is Made Up"The Gilded Ageseason 3 is the most-watched and best season yet of Julian Fellowes' hit HBO historical drama thus far, but I’m disappointed that it lacked a crossover withDownton Abbey.The Gilded Agebegan as HBO’s bid for Fellowes to create an"American Downton Abbey"for the prestige cable network. Lightning indeed struck twice, withThe Gilded Ageseason 3’s audience growing week-to-week, posting its highest ratings for its season 3 finale.
Amidst its myriad plotlines,The Gilded Ageseason 3 centered on Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) marrying her daughter, Gladys (Taissa Farmiga), to Hector, Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb). Bertha bulldozed past her family’s objections and got her way, with Gladys consenting to become the Duchess of Buckingham. At theend ofThe Gilded Ageseason 3, George Russell (Morgan Spector) left his wife because he resented going along with Bertha"selling"their daughter.
Downton Abbeybegins in 1912, aboutthirty years after the events ofThe Gilded Age. This and the need to establishThe Gilded Ageas its own series are thereasons Julian Fellowes has cited for not pulling the trigger on a crossover withDownton Abbey.The Gilded AgeandDownton Abbeyexisting in a shared universe remains theoretical. However,The Gilded Ageseason 3 put the pieces in place.
Why I’m Disappointed The Gilded Age Season 3 Didn’t Cross Over With Downton Abbey
Julian Fellowes addressed a possibleDownton Abbeycrossover at the start ofThe Gilded Ageseason 3. In fairness,the Academy Award-winning writer-producer never said there would be or even alluded to a crossover,although the media’s imaginations ran wild regardless. Gladys becoming Duchess of Buckingham and moving to England, however, is practically an invitation for aDowntoncrossover.
Disappointingly, none of Gladys and Hector’s guests were named Crawley or Grantham.
Gladys moving to Sidmouth Castle established England as one ofThe Gilded Age’s prime locales. Indeed, Victorian-era country life involves elaborate dinners and shooting parties, andThe Gilded Ageseason 3 featured more than a few visitors dining with the Buckinghams. Disappointingly, none of Gladys and Hector’s guests were named Crawley or Grantham, as fans like myself hoped.
Gladys' story of an American heiress marrying to financially rescue British nobility is similar to why Cora Levinson (Elizabeth McGovern) married Robert Crawley, future Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) inDownton Abbey’s backstory. Cora and Robert’s love (and money) match took place in the 1880s, which isThe Gilded Age’s period, making Cora and Gladys peers.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, the third and purportedly finalDowntonfeature film, premieres September 12. Synergy withThe Gilded Agevia a crossover that could draw HBO viewers' attention to the nextDowntonmovie, would have been ideal. Instead, it wasa missed opportunity for the eternally popularDownton Abbeyand the increasingly ascendantGilded Ageto shine alongside each other.
A Downton Abbey Crossover Could Happen In The Gilded Age Season 4
Hope remains undaunted thatThe Gilded Ageseason 4 will include the long-awaitedDownton Abbeycrossover.The Gilded Ageseason 3 has laid the foundation for different ways an earlier generation of the Crawleys could meet the Russells, the Buckinghams, or possibly even visit the Forte-Van Rhijn-Brook household.
It would be a simple matter now for Julian Fellowes to bring members of the Crawleys to Sidmouth Castle.
It would be a simple matter now for Julian Fellowes to bring members of the Crawleys to Sidmouth Castle, if the Duke and Duchess of Buckingham visitingDownton Abbey’s iconic Highclere Castle location is a bridge too far for HBO. There are also members of the Crawleys fromThe Gilded Age’s era who have been mentioned inDownton Abbeybut have not been seen.
Similarly, Cora Levinson’s family, including her mother Martha (Shirley MacLaine), and her younger brother Harold (Paul Giamatti), should be in New York City or Newport, Rhode Island - both regular settings inThe Gilded Age.It’s surprising, given the Levinsons' status as"New Money,” that Cora and Martha have not been mentioned at all inThe Gilded Age,but perhaps season 4 can remedy this.
Which Downton Abbey Characters Could Cross Over With The Gilded Age?
Lady Violet Crawley reigns as Countess of Grantham duringThe Gilded Age’s late 19th century era, and she would be three decades younger than the Dowager Countess played by Maggie Smith. Violet’s husband, Patrick Crawley, the Sixth Earl of Grantham, is also still alive duringThe Gilded Age. As are Robert Crawley, Lady Rosamund (Samantha Bond), and even Charles Carson (Jim Carter), though it’s unclear when Carson became Dowton’s butler.
Of course, the younger versions of Cora, Martha, and Harold Levinson are also alive duringThe Gilded Age. So are severalDownton Abbeysupporting cast members, like Hugh MacClare, Marquess of Flintshire (Peter Egan), the father ofLady Rose MacClare (Lily James). However, none of the Crawley daughters, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), and Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findley) were born yet duringThe Gilded Age.
It’s possible Julian Fellowes is avoiding Downton’s characters in their own film competing with younger versions appearing on HBO.
Perhaps thecomplications of recasting iconicDownton Abbeycharacters like Lady Violet, Robert Crawley, and Cora Levinson to appear inThe Gilded Ageare reasons why there has been noDownton Abbeycrossover.Downton Abbey is also still a viable brand with a movie about to premiere, so it’s possible Julian Fellowes is avoidingDownton’s characters in their own film competing with younger versions appearing on HBO.
However, ifDownton Abbey: The Grand Finaleis, indeed, the end of the Crawleys' story (at least for that generation), then there is nothing truly holding Julian Fellowes back from porting younger versions of the Crawleys intoThe Gilded Ageseason 4. This would breathe new life intoDownton’s icons like Lady Violet, keepDownton Abbey’s flame alive while enrichingThe Gilded Age, and be the best of both worlds.
