‘Downton Abbey’ season 5: See Michelle Dockery, Lily James, more in cast photo

“Downton Abbey” has made a grand tradition out of their cast photos, which feature all of the characters standing out in front of the building that is known in reality as Highclere Castle.

So what is notable to us about the new photo for this year? Well, there are a few faces from last season turning up here who were not present previously … and there is also Isis the dog. This is the most-notable difference, but we also have to say the most awkward one, as well. Does anyone else feel like like the dog is just awkwardly photoshopped into the group? We’re well aware that all of the other actors are digitally imposed onto here and always have been, but there is usually some great care put into making these look authentic.

With that being said, we still really like how the show continues to put these out there, since they do help to set the tone for the style of the season more so than anything else. You cannot really take away anything else from these, since they are not meant to spoil the season ahead in any capacity. At least Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) looks happy, and Rose (Lily James) still appears to be very much invested in being the most “modern” character out of the group. These are things that make the show show feel familiar.

So what we do know about these storylines for the time being is that the new season will feature Mary finally making a choice between Tony Gillingham and Charles Blake, and that there will be more struggles by the Abbey to adapt as we get closer and closer to a devastating period in history.

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Photo: ITV