Movie review
April 27, 2022 · 124 min · PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The movie keeps pushing the gay butler Thomas's romance with a male movie star the whole way through. Thomas gets a happy ending and leaves Downton to live with him in Hollywood while the family cheers him on. Queer identity themes dominate his character arc with clear optimism. The rest is standard family inheritance drama and film crew stuff but the LGBTQ element stands out loud and clear.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Woke representation / casting
Thomas Barrow's gay romance subplot gets prominent screen time
Woke political dialogue
Light dialogue supports Thomas's personal acceptance
Identity-driven story themes
Queer subplot with Thomas finding love and a new life
Western institutional / cultural critique
Minimal; no modern activist critiques
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Production
Positive LGBTQ coverage for gay happy ending; no anti-woke backlash
Creator track record context
Julian Fellowes conservative, no relevant woke prior work
