Downton Abbey: A New Era recently came to theaters, bringing back the much-loved characters of the hit British period drama Downton Abbey. It might have completed its 6 season arc in 2015, but fans couldn't get enough of it, resulting in writer Julian Fellowes creating Downton Abbey: The Movie in 2019, followed by the next movie earlier this year.
The series became an unprecedented phenomenon as audiences around the world became invested in the story of the Crawley family, representing the last vestiges of the decadent pre-war British aristocracy. But despite the fandom, there are those whose views are often contrary to popular opinion about the series - and fans take to Reddit to vent about the things that everyone else loves but they hate.
Updated on June 2nd, 2022 by Ruby Brown: The recent release of Downton Abbey: A New Era has allowed audiences to catch up again with their favorite period drama and find out what the Crawley family and their servants got up to next. From Violet to Mrs. Patmore, the much-loved cast had to adapt to a new era, which brought a new way of living to the Downton household. As fans took time to reacquaint themselves with the characters and share their similar thoughts, there are some opinions that aren't in keeping what the majority of fans think. Reddit users took to the site to deliver their more unpopular opinions.
The Bates' Story Grew Tedious
Anna and John Bates were two major characters in the hugely talented ensemble that made Downton Abbey the phenomenon it became. However, a minority of fans weren't impressed by the Bates couple whose story seemed to have grown duller once they got together.
According to these fans, Anna was fun as an individual character in the first two seasons but she became tedious once she married John Bates, the valet to Lord Grantham. Once together, the Bates' story became boring and one Redditor northawke stated "They feel more at home in a Shakespearean tragedy." The constant misery inflicted upon them went overboard.
John Bates Was Toxic And Boring
Not just the couple as a whole but John Bates himself has been berated for being rather a boring and toxic personality.
According to reddit user schochmonster "...he behaves like some kind of martyr," and was too full of himself, constantly behaving as if he never deserved much of anything he ever got. This fan even went as far as to state that Bates' sudden appearance had robbed Thomas Barrow, a largely negative character well known for his morally dubious nature, of his opportunities to make his way up the service ladder.
Tom & Mary Should Have Ended Up Together
A small portion of fans has an unpopular opinion about how Tom Branson, the Crawleys' chauffeur who later became their son-in-law thanks to his marriage to Sybil Crawley, and Mary Crawley herself.
Tom was a fan favorite and Mary, of course, was for all intents and purposes the lead heroine of the series. Tom became a widower after his wife tragically died shortly after their marriage, and Mary chose Henry Talbot in the final season. Tom and Mary developed an adorable brother-sister relationship ever since Sybil's death and were confidantes to a great extent. However, some fans wanted to see their relationship develop further. For a deleted reddit user, they would have loved to see Tom and Mary get together because "they would have been a really good couple." There's plenty of fans that seem to have shipped the two of them, believing that the two would have made a better couple than Henry and Mary.
Lord Grantham Was A Hypocrite
Whilst many fans like Lord Grantham, there are others that haven't taken well to his various antics. For Redditor BringOutYaThrowaway "Lord Grantham was a hypocrite and a stupid investor."
Lord Robert Grantham was shown to be expressing his deep attachment to the property although his hypocrisy lay in the fact that, as one fan points out, that he was unwilling to try more modern approaches to save his land and the future of all his tenants. Another fan also feels that he behaved like a hypocrite when he was ready to get physically intimate with the housemaid, Jane, whom Cora never found out about.
Edith Should Have Been With Strallan
Lady Edith Crawley was the second Crawley sister and an ill-fated, unfortunate woman for the most part until her luck finally turned in the final season.Edith got left at the altar early on in the series by Anthony Strallan, a man who was many years her senior and of good standing, although not particularly interesting. Strallan only appeared briefly and was purported by the family as someone who would have apparently ruined Edith's future if he had gone ahead with the marriage.
But one Redditor lotrfangirl says "I wanted Edith to end up with Anthony Strallan," and they also shared an equation that neither Michael Gregson who was in love with Edith nor Bertie, who eventually married her, did.
The Anti-Tom Club
Tom Branson, played by the adorable Allen Leech, was beloved by the masses as he went from the lovelorn chauffeur to a single parent with a little daughter.
Tom was mostly loved by everybody, but there are some who felt differently. Reddit user runbae believes he had "creepy levels of insistent that Sybil should love him." Seemingly, he was controlling and creepy in his behavior towards Sybil (whom he claimed to love). Moreover, the way he fled from Ireland leaving Sybil alone in the midst of a political manhunt enraged a few fans.
The Dull Writing
The hit period drama had been nominated for and awarded numerous accolades throughout its run. Supported by some remarkable acting talents and bolstered by its historical premise that appealed to millions of viewers worldwide, the series gained fans all over the world.
But yet again, there are those who weren't all that impressed by the show in general. Reddit user zombveee feels that "Julian Fellowes' writing is just sloppy." Whether it was the stilted dialogue or the dull storylines, some fans were very vocal about how they weren't impressed by the series.
Carson & Hughes Didn't Make Sense
Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes were the butler and housekeeper at Downton Abbey and were responsible for maintaining order among the 'downstairs' folks.
Both Carson and Hughes, especially Carson, were fan favorites, and the fact that ended up together was heartwarming for many. But reddit user Iryasori boldly goes with an unpopular opinion, stating that the Hughes and Carson storyline "started turning me off the series" and seemed to have incorporated for the sake of appeasing fans, which it was actually successful in doing so.
Bad Parents
Cora and Robert are somewhat central figures in Downton Abbey, leading the way for their daughters in living their aristocratic lives. Whilst many believe the two characters to be great at raising their children, there are others that beg to differ.
Reddit user boringhistoryfan claimed that "Robert and Cora are really bad parents." Looking back through the series, there certainly have been some clear mistakes, including Cora partly placing the blame of Sybil's death with Robert. Whilst the pair are generally nice people, perhaps there's more to them than first meets the eye.
Henry Talbot Was Perfect For Mary
Dan Stevens' Matthew Crawley made an ideal couple with Mary, but their love wasn't meant to be. Matthew was killed off unceremoniously, and shockingly, at the end of season 3, leaving Mary a grieving widow with a newborn child.
However, Mary recovered from the tragedy by and by, and soon she was swamped with offers from different suitors, one of them being Henry Talbot, played by the handsome Matthew Goode. Mary and Henry had become a couple and were even expecting their first child together by the end of the series finale. While Talbot wasn't bad, many fans had never quite been on board with the idea of him being with Mary. In fact, these fans never got over Matthew Crawley's death and didn't ship Mary with anyone else at all. But according to Redditor martythemartell, Henry "...and Mary go well together." They didn't lack chemistry as some have suggested and were a fine couple indeed.