As for Thomas, during the course of the series, we saw him face downturn after downturn in both his personal and professional lives.
More changed for Thomas than the character simply finding a potential partner and kindred spirit.
This time around, we even saw Lord Grantham gain a little respect for Thomas when he refused to cede the lead to Carson, with Hugh Bonneville’s character mentioning he didn’t know Barrow had it in him.
Although he worked his way up to butler by the time Carson retired at the end of the Downton Abbey TV series, he did this despite having to hide his sexuality and having a personality that was not always well-respected by the other characters.