WORKING DRAFT
FADE IN:
EXT. DOWNTON—NIGHT.
CUT TO:
INT. DOWNTON—SAME.
The great house bustles in preparation for dinner. We see a quick montage of downstairs, as the staff prepares the courses.
CUT TO:
INT. KITCHEN—SAME.
Mrs. Patmore mixes a pudding as Daisy tends to a roast that’s just come out of the oven.>
As Daisy hands the knife to Mrs. Patmore, Daisy’s hand slips, stabbing Mrs. Patmore seven times in the neck, chest, and arms. Mrs. Patmore falls to the floor, pulling the roast and pan with her, bleeding profusely, dead, covered in red-bliss potatoes. Daisy, horrified at the accident, backs up and slips on the roast, falling, and hitting her head on the open cast-iron stove door. She, too, is dead.
Enter Mrs. Hughes.>
A beat as Mrs. Hughes realizes.>
Enter Jimmy, in a huff, followed by Thomas, red-faced, followed by Alfred, confused.>
A beat.>
All scramble as we
CUT TO:
LORD GRANTHAM’S ROOM—SAME TIME.
Mister Bates dresses Lord Grantham for dinner. After a time…>
CUT TO:
LADY MARY’S ROOM—SAME TIME.
Edith sits on a chair sulking as Mary looks at herself in the mirror.>
Edith stands and runs towards the closed glass window, which she crashes through and dives out of to her death.>
CUT TO:
DINING ROOM—LATER.
The Dowager Countess sits with Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham, Lady Mary, Tom, and Mrs. Crawley. Carson, Thomas, and Jimmy attend.>
A beat as Mrs. Crawley looks down, embarrassed.>
No one notices that Mrs. Crawley is choking on a large bite of beef. She falls from her chair to the floor, dead.>
All rise and exit as Thomas and Jimmy drag Mrs. Crawley out of the dining room, Thomas trying also to touch Jimmy’s bottom. We see Carson’s expression as we
CUT TO:
INT. CARSON’S OFFICE—LATER.
Carson counts soup spoons. Mrs. Hughes enters.>
There’s at knock at the open door and we reveal Miss O’Brien holding a shotgun and a hand grenade.>
Pulling the pin.>
Carson dives on the grenade as it explodes. He dies instantly.>
The shotgun discharges accidentally, killing Mrs. Hughes. Enter Mister Bates.>
A beat as we
CUT TO:
EXT. VILLAGE FIELD—MORNING.
A series of shots establishing the village in full festival mode. A large cloth banner reads “HAPPY BADGER COUNTING DAY, 1924.” Dr. Clarkson stands under the banner, takes a pistol from his waistcoat, puts it to his temple, and pulls the trigger, collapsing instantly. Villagers walk by but no one seems to notice or care, as we
CUT TO:
Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham, The Dowager Countess, Mary, and Tom Branson sitting in the front row of many rows of folding chairs in a field waiting for badgers. When a badger does appear in the distance, a town official shouts “Badger!” and another official chalk marks a number on a large chalk board. Villagers applaud.
Toward the back, standing, Bates and Miss O’Brien.>
A beat as we see his expression change from anger to annoyance.>
Pull back to reveal Thomas with his hand on Mister Bates’s bottom. He stands next to Jimmy and Alfred.>
All look to the sky.
CUT TO:
P.O.V. of the sky, where we see a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter hovering over the village and two teams of British special forces fast-roping from them. They’re firing from short-barreled Heckler and Koch assault rifles, mowing down villagers.
CUT TO:
Bates, O’Brien, Thomas, Jimmy, and Alfred.>
Thomas smiles and waves to the S.A.S. and is mowed down. As are the others.
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Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham, The Dowager Countess, Mary, and Tom Branson scrambling for cover. Branson stands his ground.>
He’s mowed down.
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Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham, The Dowager Countess, Mary. They are confused by the dramatic change in events.>
CUT TO:
A car driving down a lane, towards Downton in the distance. It’s raining heavily. Lightning hits a large tree, which collapses onto the car, killing Lord and Lady Grantham, Mary, and the driver. The Dowager Countess survives. She climbs out of the car and surveys the damage.>
SMASH CUT TO CREDITS.
John Kenney recently published his novel "Truth In Advertising."