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[angel-princess-anna]

100 Random Things I Love About Anna and Bates in Random Order

↳ This cute little moment 😁❤️😍🥰

[tomeweareoneperson]

short but super sweet moments with anna and bates in the tv series that prove just how completely and utterly in love they are >>>>>>>> 

[isiloup]

Her little miracle ~ 

Anna & Jonhy Bates

[tomeweareoneperson]

this artwork goes right to my soul 🥰🥰🥰

[downtondays]

I'm currently writing about Anna telling John she's expecting their second child at the end of A New Era because it's canon for me !!!

@tomeweareoneperson

[tomeweareoneperson]

YES THIS !!! Looking forward to reading it :) 

[tomeweareoneperson]

Anna and Bates in A New Era

I’ve seen posts discussing Anna and Bates in the movies, and I want to weigh in. Overall, I did really enjoy the new movie. However, as a massive fan of both Anna and Bates individually, and as a Banna fan of course, I too found their storylines in the movies frustrating. To me, it seems Julian Fellowes simply feels it is too difficult and time consuming to explain and make sense of their hotel plot in a two hour film, so instead has decided to entirely look over it. I think it would have been nice even if he had included small references to it. Moreover, even a couple scenes of meaningful interactions with their son would have been so sweet and exactly what Banna shippers have dreamed of for so long :’)

One way I have tried to make sense of it though, is that the movies simply catch the characters at extremely busy times, and therefore the lack of time it seems Anna and Bates spend with Johnny is simply an outlier, rather than the rule. In the first film, the royal visit takes up their time, so maybe Johnny was with the nanny more than usual. In the second, with the film at Downton whilst the other half of the family is away, there was also lots of preparation for Anna and Bates to do. Maybe it is usual for Johnny to eat meals with his parents and for them to collect him throughout the day, but the movies are simple the few busy days where this is less simple. To me, even if Anna and Bates have not yet pursued their hotel dreams, it is extremely farfetched to think they would be content for their son to be raised by a nanny, and I really do not believe he would be.

 In addition, Julian Fellowes seems to have made a decision to place Anna and Bates, as a couple in the background of the films. This is obviously frustrating as a massive fan of theirs, who would have loved to see their story progress. However, it makes sense that when we see the other children and Johnny is not with them, or just in general when the movie is more focused on the upstairs, Anna and Bates are probably spending time with their son. 

Yes - there are moments like the Royal Parade in the first film, when I simply refuse to believe Anna would have allowed her son to stay at home. But at other times, such as when the family is having a picnic and Johnny is notably not with the children, surely the Bates family were having their own picnic. There were also definitely moments before the scene where the servants acted as extras, and a cute family reunion when Bates returned from France , amongst many others! We can imagine moments off camera with the Bates family, which maybe Julian Fellowes chose not to portray because whilst he wanted to keep Anna at the house, he didn’t want his casual audience spending too much time questioning the historical accuracy of a mother still working as a lady’s maid, and a child of servants growing up with the nanny. I don’t  think this (degree of) abandonment of Anna and Bates’ storyline is fair to long-term fans. But I also do not think it necessarily has to mean Anna and Bates are in this state of stasis. We can assume Anna and Bates are still planning for their future even if it is not captured on camera, whilst still enjoying their work alongside both servants and employers who they deeply care about. I also think Baby Bates was played by the child of someone in the crew (maybe the son of Anna Mary Scott the costume designer?), so they may have only agreed for him to be involved in filming for a couple of days. 

Perhaps, this is just a mechanism to comfort myself and ensure I don’t lose love for my favourite characters, but I think it somewhat fits.

On another note- petition for a Downton mini series (or a third film) to 100000%ensure Anna and Bates get the hotel ownership and second child they deserve 💪🥰🥳

[tomeweareoneperson]

BATES FAMILY SCENES THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE NEW FILM (please feel free to write fanfic for these!!!! )

- The Bates family getting ready to attend Tom and Lucy’s wedding. Imagine how proud they would be with Johnny all dressed up in the cute outfit :’) 

- The Bates family on the way home from the wedding. Johnny is tired, Anna and Bates reminisce about their own wedding

- Whilst the Crawley family are having a picnic on the lawn, the Bates family are having their own adorable little picnic in one of the fields near their cottage 

-Johnny in the servants’ hall, sitting on his mothers lap and interacting with the other downstairs staff.  

-Also Bates’ cottage scenes generally (breakfast chaos before work, getting Johnny ready for bed, reading together on the couch, Johnny drawing)

- Anna and Bates in the cottage after Johnny has gone to bed or even whilst at work, discussing their future plans (more kids, small hotel, how they feel about missing out on special moments up until now in Johnny’s life, because whilst Anna certainly takes pride in and enjoys working, she has repeatedly said starting a family is her primary dream and surely would be at least somewhat concerned that Johnny is spending so much time in the nursery). 

- John and Anna go to the nursery to pick Johnny up before John leaves for France. They take him down stairs and in the side garden have a sweet family goodbye.

-While Bates is away, Johnny and Anna are invited to Mrs Hughes’ cottage for afternoon tea and it is super cute

-Johnny is definitely best friends with Caroline and Mary and Anna both love to see it 

-Johnny sleeps in his parents’ room while John is away and they discuss how much they miss him

When John gets back from France, he goes to Anna, and together they go straight back to the nursery to fetch Johnny, then head home together and he tells them about France. 

-DO NOT try tell me Johnny did not get to see his mum dressed up as a princess in *that* scene. John would have definitely grabbed him from the nursery either before or after, and Johnny would have been overjoyed and pointed at Anna and said “Mummy is a princess!” And John of course would have enthusiastically agreed. Then that night they would have discussed it more, but appreciated that although it is fun to have extravagant clothes, they have everything they could possibly need with the three of them together .

-And finally, the week Tom and Lucy showed their baby, Anna finds out she is pregnant again. She tells Bates back at the cottage, and then they tell Johnny who is of course over the moon at the prospect of being a big brother (it ends up being a little girl this time). 

PS OKAY IM SORRY I NEEDED THIS BECAUSE ALTHOUGH I HONESTLY LOVED THE MOVIE, ANNA AND BATES’ STORYLINE JUST WAS NOT IT.