But the sequel manages to rekindle that old feeling right from the opening frames, set to the same John Lunn score that dependably sent chills through Viewers Like You many a Sunday, just the way Alabama 3’s “Woke Up This Morning” did to fans of The Sopranos—only this time Downton does so without Laura Linney’s intro.

As most of the Crawleys leave to uncover lurid details of the Dowager’s past affair, the Dowager herself and Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) stay behind.

The schtick of them struggling to adapt to modern conveniences that we take for granted never gets old, and Fellowes is up to his old tricks once more with a silent movie-era cast and crew having a go at making a sound picture at Downton.

Mary, enterprising as ever, encourages Jack to turn the doomed project into a sound picture, which taps into many hidden talents at Downton.

Also, it’s cute for the downstairs Downton staff to act all starstruck and giddy over the prospect of being extras in the movie-within-a-movie, when these series regulars are, to Downtonians at least, much bigger stars than West and Haddock, with all due respect.

As with many series, Downton is most emotionally resonant when beloved characters—memorably Dan Stevens’ Cousin Matthew and Jessica Brown Findlay’s Lady Sybil—suddenly depart

Over the years, the show variously teased the possibilities of Lady Mary and Anna heading for America (which no doubt inspired The Gilded Age), Daisy quitting to become a secretary, the butler Barrow (Robert James-Collier) finding love, the Dowager Countess permanently leaving, etc., but didn’t follow through with these ideas