Lady Mary
Where she left off: She cut her hair, cut Gillingham loose, bid her brother-in-law adieu, and reconciled herself to a life of managing pigs and pronouncing imperious quips.
Where she might go: Will she perform a bit of fan service and get together with said brother-in-law? Hitch a ride in the snappy chariot all the way to happily-ever-after? Or will she pack up her sketching supplies and eschew romance, focusing instead on fortifying Downton against an uncertain future?
Lady Edith
Where she left off: Now that her "ward," Marigold, is safely ensconced in the nursery and her secret is disclosed to Robert — but safe from Mary — Edith can focus on her magazine and her daughter.
Where she might go: She could go to London, and find her purpose … and maybe even love. She could remain at Downton and embrace her lonely-heart lot. And she could go straight into the tabloids, should the secret of Marigold's birth come out.
Tom Branson
Where he left off: He packed up Sybbie and his memories and shipped off to Boston, ready for a fresh start working in the farming machinery business with his cousin.
Where he might go: To a Red Sox game? Will Downton's celebrated fish out of water "love that dirty water" and make Boston his home? Or will he make his way back to Downton? And wherever he lands, will he finally find his happiness?
Carson & Mrs. Hughes
Where they left off: After a long road to romance, Carson has proposed ("I do want to be stuck with you.") and Mrs. Hughes, knock her down with a feather, has accepted!
Where they might go: They might seal the deal and take the plunge into marital bliss. They might encounter unforeseen, Bates-level adversity, and see their plans fall apart. Either way, fans can only hope that Charles Carson and Elsie Hughes will embrace the moniker "Chelsie" in their last chance, Downton's final season!
Anna & Bates
Where they left off: After Anna was imprisoned for Green's murder, Bates took the rap and got Anna off the hook, then promptly fled Downton. Molesley and Baxter went a'sleuthing in York and found Bates' needle-in-a-haystack alibi pub. Bates returned to Anna's arms and to their temporary reprieve from the law.
Where they might go: They might be exonerated and finally turn their efforts to the creation of a baby Bates. But these are the Bateses, people; are they really going to be allowed happiness? Either way it resolves, there's sure to be a "big house" — either prison, or Downton Abbey, involved.
Thomas Barrow
Where he left off: Having injected himself all the way to death's door in an attempt to "cure" his sexual orientation, Thomas was forced to accept Baxter's help and urged to accept his lot in life. At the end of Season 5, he was back to plotting again at Brancaster Castle.
Where he might go: Thomas being Thomas, he could simply sabotage and sulk. But given the right circumstances, Thomas might realize his professional ambitions, or even (fingers crossed!) find love.
Downton Abbey
Where it left off: Heir? Check. Pig farm? Check. Della Francesca sold? Check. With its (relative!) austerity in place, Downton looks like it's on solid ground at the end of 1924.
Where it might go: Downton might go the way of so many of the era's grand houses: sold whole or piecemeal, requisitioned, or simply diminished into bleak oblivion. Or, in Lady Mary's capable hands, it might endure, survive, and remain one of England's great seats of heritage, aristocracy, and — of course — drama.
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