Warning: SPOILERS for Downton Abbey: A New Era
Downton's servants starring in a movie makes up for Downton Abbey: A New Era's biggest snub: not showing Daisy's (Sophie McShera) wedding to Andy Parker (Michael Fox). Downton Abbey: A New Era sent a segment of the Crawley family to the French Riviera to investigate why Lady Violet the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) was left a villa by a former flame. Meanwhile, British Lion director Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy) brings his film to Downton Abbey, and the servants like Daisy are thrilled to look after glamorous movie stars like Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock) and Guy Dexter (Dominic West). A New Era's finale shined the spotlight on the servants since Daisy and Andy's nuptials weren't shown in the film.
Downton Abbey: A New Era opened with the lavish wedding of Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton). Tom and Lucy met in the previous Downton Abbey movie when she posed as the maid of her mother, Lady Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton). The Bransons' wedding at the Brumpton estate, which Tom and Lucy inherit, was suitably stunning for a high society Yorkshire wedding, and even the servants agreed it was quite a romantic affair. Daisy and Andy were guests at the wedding but they were already Mr. and Mrs. Parker. Downton's footman and assistant cook met during the Downton Abbey TV series and got engaged but Daisy wasn't sure Andy was the right man for her until the Downton Abbey movie. When Andy jeopardized the visit of King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) because he was jealous of someone else fancying Daisy, she realized Andy was a man of conviction who she wanted to walk with through the world together.
It was disappointing that Downton Abbey: A New Era began with Andy and Daisy already married, which robbed the audience of seeing the two hardworking servants have their happy day together. Happily, Downton Abbey: A New Era gave Andy, Daisy, and all of the servants their due when Jack Barber asked them all to be extras in his film, The Gambler. Daisy, along with Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt), had already saved the movie by giving Myrna a good talking-to when she threatened to quit acting after The Gambler went from a silent film to a talkie. When the finale of The Gambler was filmed, Downton's servants all got to be dressed as posh dinner guests and appear in the film while their employers, the Crawleys, watched from the sidelines as Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) provided the voice of Myrna's character.
In Downton Abbey 2019, the servants revolted against the King and Queen's household and served dinner themselves, with restored "Downton's glory." But that film ended with the Crawleys joining the royal family at a magnificent ball while the servants all remained at Downton. Downton Abbey: A New Era's ending smartly flipped the script so that the servants finally got the chance to shine. And this included Daisy and Andy, who not only got to act in The Gambler but they also saw their main problem solved: Daisy's former father-in-law, Mr. Mason (Paul Copley) agreed to move in with Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol). This means the Parkers get to inherit Mason's Yew Tree Farm and Mr. Mason gets out of the newlyweds' hair and finds a romance of his own with Mrs. Patmore.
The servants of Downton Abbey are just as vital to the saga as the Crawley family, but it's understandable given the sequel's runtime why creator Julian Fellowes opted to marry Daisy and Andy off-screen so that A New Era could open with Tom and Lucy's storybook wedding. Daisy is actually too down-to-earth to want pomp and circumstance, but it was still a shame the audience was denied the chance to see her finally get married to Andy. Still, Downton Abbey: A New Era lovingly made Daisy, Andy, and the rest of the servants the happy centerpiece of the film's finale before shifting to the sadness of Lady Violet's death and funeral. And the film ends with Andy training to become Downton's new butler as the Crawleys welcomed Tom and Lucy's baby, which shows that everyone in Downton Abbey is indeed entering a new era.