Barrow has all the coiled menace of a spiteful child, a weak sort of strength that only kicks when you’re down. And regardless of their own true identities, nearly every celebrity was the occasion for a bustling gossip and newspaper industry, whose intimations of sexual deviance were equal parts titillating and informative to readers who might otherwise never had access to the bedrooms of Hollywood and London.Īlthough the queer storyline in A New Era is small, it is one of the most historically illuminating that the franchise has produced to date.įifty-seven minutes in to the first episode of Downton Abbey, the fastidious, sharp-featured footman Thomas Barrow makes his move, confronting his erstwhile summer lover-the impoverished (but entitled) Duke of Crowborough-with epistolary evidence of their affair. Others lived public “bachelor” or “spinster” lives, traveling from one metropolitan center to another, connecting queer communities and spreading their ideas. Some took queer or gender-bending roles, including in such early silent films as The Amazons (1917) or What Is the World Coming To? (1926). (For a further examination of Barrow’s historical accuracy, read the article below.) The new film can’t erase this history, but it does offer a glimmer of an alternative, by showing how celebrity culture brought queer ideas to even the most traditional estates in England.ĭating back at least into the 19 th century, queer performers were integral to the spread of sexual information in several ways. As everyone else becomes, Barrow merely is. In the original television series, Barrow’s character seemed preternaturally modern and self-knowing, denying viewers the exciting chance to see how our ideas about queer identity developed and spread in the early 20 th Century. But is there more to his offer? And even if there is, will Thomas be willing to give up everything he’s achieved at Downton for it? While Lady Mary unexpectedly takes on a role in the film, Thomas finds himself offered a new role all his own, when Guy pursues him to leave Downton and become his manservant. Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier)-former footman, would-be blackmailer, and early modern homosexual everyman-is now head butler on staff, giving him ample opportunity to interact with the visiting stars, and in particular, with the debonair Guy Dexter (Dominic West). As half the family hares off to the French Riviera to unravel a mysterious inheritance, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) stays behind to shepherd the production of a silent film at Downton. In the latest addition to the Downton Abbey franchise ( Downton Abbey: A New Era ) one thing remains constant: change.