Allen Leech, Harry Hadden-Paton, Tuppence Middleton, and Laura Carmichael in Downton Abbey: A New Era GREGG SHAPIRO | Screen Savorgreggshapiro@aol.com First, the good news: There are no multiverses in Downton Abbey: A New Era (Focus Features).
Now, the bad news [SPOILER ALERT]: The indomitable Violet Grantham (Maggie Smith) spends the whole movie dying and eventually succumbs.
She does, however, have a classic deathbed scene and some of the greatest last words ever spoken onscreen (no spoiler here).
Conscious of how much fans of the Downton Abbey series — and the previous movie — are tasked with keeping track of, the filmmakers generously include a thorough recap (also available online) of all the comings and goings before the movie begins.