Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is the end of an incredible era that started fifteen years ago. I have known these characters longer than I have known my own son. Six seasons and three movies full of laughs, tears, and tons of upstairs/downstairs drama. As this new film began I felt a lot like Lord Grantham in that I longed for the old days of Downton before the modern life started moving too fast. Bottom line; I can never wait to get back to Downton.

Synopsis: When Mary finds herself in a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future. | 2h 3m | Rated PG for suggestive material, smoking and some thematic elements.

The Grand Finale is not a movie to jump into with no history of the Crawley’s or life at Downton. As mentioned fans of the show have lived through so much with these people. We know their quirks, fears, and past. Writer/creator Julian Fellowes is brilliant at writing dialogue and weaving emotion so that it is hard to separate actor from role. Life at Downton is special for the fans. Granted the movies have been more superficial than the series but have been great at moving the narrative forward and Downton into the early 1930s, when this takes place.

This latest endeavor works well with the prior film, A New Era (2022) and brings back several of the new characters we met then. Mary (Michelle Dockery) has always been the future of Downton and now with her reputation on the line, everyone tries to help her save face in polite society. Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) is having a hard time letting go of the reins even as he sees the past slipping though his fingers.

I am not sure if 1930s London was as advanced and progressive as what we get here. I never question Fellowes though and trust his judgment. Maybe it was to drive home the narrative that life is moving forward with Grantham wants to stand still. There is a lot of humor in this one too with a few nods toward the early series. The character with the biggest glow up since season one is most certainly Lady Edith Hexham (Laura Carmichael). We have seen her cower in Mary’s shadow for so long. She is now a succesful strong wife and mother and it was nice of Julian to give her a wonderful moment in the sun.

Downton is in financial straights and money counted on from Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) is now gone due to some bad investments by her brother (Paul Giamatti). Downsizing has never been an option so everyone scrambles to figure out how to keep the legacy alive. As with any “finale” movie we need to see all the characters wrapped up and their future solid. So we will forgive the convenience and puffy clouds that surround much of it. At the same time one thing great about the Downton world is how it makes you feel. Even with the drama and tears Fellowes has always written it in a way that is uplifting and edifying. We always walk away feeling touched and moved and in this one it is amplified to extremes because we are possibly seeing our beloved characters for the last time