The following contains spoilers for Downton Abbey: A New Era, now in theaters.
One of the best characters in Downton Abbey: A New Era remains the unforgettable Thomas Barrow. The loyal, doting, humble servant turned butler of the Crawley household was also one of the ensemble's most layered and complex characters. Among all the big hats, fancy outfits and lavish lifestyles on-screen, Barrow still captivated attention with his honesty, vulnerability and strength. Which is why his ending to the latest big-screen chapter is both befitting and richly deserved.
Behind all the stiff upper lips and repressed emotions, Barrow, played brilliantly by Robert James-Collier, was on a personal, seemingly hopeless quest for acceptance and love. There is an elusive labor of happiness for many, let alone a gay man in early 20th century England. Just the public awareness of his sexuality was enough to land him in prison. For Barrow, it seemed love was something to be envied only in others.
The latest movie from award-winning creator and writer Julian Fellowes delivered a comforting bookend to the character's long and complex journey from the series pilot episode. The story arch with Barrow started off on the heels of heartbreak. Thomas had been planning to go work for a duke, who also happened to be his lover. Unfortunately, the Duke planned to marry rich and quickly abandoned Thomas. He even burned all evidence of his connection to the then-footman -- a crippling and cruel demise to his early dreams of love.
While most characters in Downton Abbey were able to find love or companionship, the struggles faced by Barrow over desires of heart left him with few opinions about the kinds of joy others were finding around him. While the Crawley family came to understand and accept Barrow for who he was, his wants and desires were still shuffled off and hidden away from the judgemental eyes of others. That was until he got his own Hollywood ending love story.
Downton Abbey: A New Era sees Thomas Barrow form a new relationship with dashing movie star Guy Dexter, played by Dominic West. The silent screen star is in Yorkshire to film his latest Hollywood movie and is immediately, yet subtly, smitten with Barrow. By the end of the film, Barrow has decided to leave the prized job he worked so hard and long for, being head butler at Downton Abbey. The sudden move to make such life-altering changes came after agreeing to leave with Guy under the guise of being his personal assistant rather than his open companion. It's a sustainable solution to life in a world that criminalizes certain kinds of love.
With Barrow off to travel the world with his new companion, it brought his journey full circle, from a humble servant who fiercely climbed the ranks to rule over one of Britain's most prominent manors. With his professional goals achieved, fulfilling the emptiness of his lonely heart was a fitting reward for his years of self-sacrifice, dedicated to ensuring the happiness of others.
Downton Abbey has always offered a magnificent, albeit somewhat rose-colored, portrayal of early 20th century life in the upper echelon of British high society. But one area it continually excelled at was its characters' depth of humanity and emotional range. Thomas Barrow, always loaded with a little attitude and judgment, was also someone audiences could identify with -- and remain sympathetic with -- even when he was behaving at his worst. It was because the character, and his many defense mechanisms, were by-products and coping skills of a man forced to live within the rigorous confines of English society that neither accepts nor embraces his true self, which makes Downton Abbey: A New Era a nice reward for audiences and the character. There was almost a sense of relief when Barrow finally got a chance to enjoy the kind of happiness he’d only watched others enjoy while standing silently on the sidelines, ready to serve everyone but himself.
To see Barrow's long-awaited love story for yourself, Downton Abbey: A New Era is in theaters now.