Warning: Some spoilers for The Gilded Age season 3, episode four
NEED TO KNOW
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Season 3 of The Gilded Age may have opened the door for a potential crossover with Downton Abbey
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After Gladys Russell gets married to the Duke of Buckingham, the couple moves to England at the end of episode four
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Julian Fellowes, creator of both shows, acknowledges to PEOPLE that a young version of the Dowager exists in England at this time
As the drama-filled season 3 of The Gilded Age continues to unfold, longtime fans of Downton Abbey may have realized that the events of episode four (“Marriage Is a Gamble”) could open the door for a potential crossover between creator Julian Fellowes’ two historical dramas.
After spending the first three episodes distraught over potentially being married off to the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb) through a shroud financial deal negotiated by her parents, Bertha and George Russell (Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector), Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga) finally walks down the aisle.
Not long after tying the knot, the episode ends with Gladys and the Duke setting sail for his estate, Sidmouth Castle, in England, where the two plan to live full-time as they start a new, married life together. There, Gladys will have to learn what it means to be a duchess while navigating the ins and outs of the estate as well as living with the Duke’s sister, Lady Sarah Vere (Hattie Morahan).
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And for Downton Abbey fans, many of those moments seen throughout the remaining episodes of season 3 will look very familiar, with grand dinners featuring members of the upstairs household as well as various problems with the staff managing things from downstairs.
While The Gilded Age was initially set in 1882 with season 3 picking up in the early spring of 1883, members of the Crawley family — well, younger versions of the ones seen on the series, which takes place between 1912 and 1926 — certainly exist at this time, Fellowes acknowledges to PEOPLE.
“If we got back into Downton Abbey in 1880, we find Violet at a young age, running around,” Fellowes says, noting that “it’s not the people we know that we would find at Downton Abbey.” Instead, “it would be Violet’s husband as a young man,” he continues, explaining that “it really is quite a long way from Downton Abbey that we’ve got to know and love.”
According to past interviews with Fellowes, Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (played by the late Maggie Smith) was likely born in the 1840s, putting her in her 70s during the events of Downton Abbey.
Additionally, back in the United States, Elizabeth McGovern‘s Cora Crawley was still living in Ohio as a teenager at the time of the events of The Gilded Age, meaning she could also pass through New York City sometime before marrying Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) and making her way overseas.
While Fellowes has shut down crossover rumors in the past, he did hint at the possibility in an interview with Deadline. “Maybe. We’re not done yet, so we’ll see,” he teased.
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As for the cast, Harry Richardson — who plays Gladys’ brother, Larry Russell — says he’s up for the two shows linking up. “It’d be incredible,” he tells PEOPLE, adding that he wants the Russell family to reunite at some point in the future. “I’m hoping that they bring Larry out to England as well… I want to come visit my sister.”
Whether or not fans actually get an official crossover with someone like Violet appearing in a future season of The Gilded Age is uncertain. But it’s not too hard to imagine that she or someone else from the Crawleys could appear in the background of a ballroom scene or a dinner hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Buckingham in England. Even a young Cora taking in the opera in N.Y.C. or getting an invite to a ball in Newport could be a possibility.
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The Gilded Age season 3 airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max.
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The post How “The Gilded Age” Season 3 Opens the Door for a Potential Crossover with “Downton Abbey” (Exclusive) appeared first on People.
