‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’: Julian Fellowes Gives Devoted Fans a Fitting Farewell to the Crawleys

Sandra Miska

In “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” the final saga in the beloved “Downton Abbey” franchise, the Crawley family find themselves in a period of transition. While “Downton Abbey” has always been a true ensemble series, this latest film cements Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) as the main character. The eldest daughter of Robert, Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and Cora, Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern), and mother to Robert’s heir, George (Oliver and Zac Barker), this headstrong heroine leads Downton into its next era while navigating the fallout from her recent divorce.

In “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” Mary hinted at marital troubles with her absent second husband, racecar driver Henry, and at the start of “The Grand Finale,” set two years later in 1930, the ink on her divorce papers is still fresh. The press gets wind of her new status, and she immediately becomes a social pariah. She even gets thrown out of a ball by the melodramatic, pearl-clutching hostess (Joley Richardson) before the arrival of the guest of honor, Princess Arthur (Lisa Dillon). Evidently, back then a divorced woman could not be presented to a member of the British royal family, which is somewhat funny when one thinks about the Windsors and their subsequent history with matrimony. But what happens to Mary is no laughing matter, because the lack of respect could potentially undermine her role as the next matriarch of Downton.

Along with director Simon Curtis, writer and producer Julian Fellowes delivers when it comes to raising the stakes this time around, and there is considerably more tension in this film than in the last one. Mary and the family are dealt another blow when it is discovered that Harold (Paul Giamatti), Cora’s aging playboy brother, lost a huge chunk of her inheritance from their recently deceased mother in the stock market crash of 1929. He shows up in London with his financial advisor, Gus Sambrook (Alessandro Nivola). In a callback to the beginning of the series, Mary winds up in bed with the handsome and charming newcomer. No, he does not end up dead, but he does turn out to be shady, even menacing. Fortunately, her sister Edith (Laura Carmicheal) shows she has her back in a cheerworthy moment that illustrates just how far the pair have come in their formerly antagonistic relationship. 

While Robert and Cora are preparing to hand over Downton to Mary, there are also batons being passed between the employees. Long-serving butler Carson (Jim Carter) is finally retiring, as is cook Mrs. Patmore, who has recently married local farmer Mr. Mason (Paul Copley). The pair are to be replaced by married couple Andrew (Michael Fox) and Daisy Parker (Sophie McShera), respectively, both who have displayed a great deal of growth from their early days. Meanwhile, Mary’s devoted maid Anna (Joanna Froggatt) and her husband, Robert’s valet John Bates (Brendan Coyle), are expecting their second child, a welcome development included to reflect Froggat’s real-life pregnancy. 

To show how much times have changed since the pilot episode set in 1912, we see the divide between the servants and the elite narrow here. Cousin Isobel, Lady Merton (Penelope Wilton), invites Carson and Daisy to be a part of the planning committee for the county fair, much to the chagrin of her co-chair, fuddy-duddy Sir Hector Moreland (Simon Russell Beale). Sir Hector also gets his knickers in a bunch over the inclusion of Mary in the festivities, and proves to be an entertaining foil to Isobel. 

Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), former butler and schemer, makes a triumphant return to Downton with his partner Guy Dexter (Dominic West), the American actor who hired him to be his personal assistant at the end of the last film. With them is Noël Coward (Arty Froushan), a famous playwright whom Edith invites to lure over aristocratic guests to a dinner party that the family throws in the hope of getting Mary back in everyone’s good graces. Based on a real person, Noël proves to be a delight as he shakes up the status quo with his sparkling wit and sharp observations.

“The Grand Finale” is a fitting farewell, as it includes everything fans love about the franchise. Sacrifices are made, and there are tears and farewells. With support from her parents, Mary is determined to modernize Downton while holding on to sacred traditions, but a hard choice has to be made in order to ensure the future of the abbey. There are well-earned, emotional one-on-one scenes between characters, including one between Mary and Anna that shows how deep and meaningful their relationship is, despite their being an employer and employee. The final scenes also pay tribute to characters who have died, including Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham (the sorely missed Maggie Smith).

Along with the tears comes the laughs. Mrs. Patmore and housekeeper Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan) discuss the joys of married life. Former Downton employee Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle), now a successful screenwriter, once again dons a footman’s uniform in order to crash a dinner party to rub elbows with the VIPs. Robert and Carson fail to pick up that Thomas and Guy are a couple, and Carson is positively baffled by their close relationship (“I supposed there is little difference between an actor and a servant,” he observes). Ever a traditionalist, the butler nearly has a stroke when Thomas is invited to have drinks with the dinner guests. At the end of the day, Carson’s dedication to propriety is part of the reason why he is so endearing, which makes his eventual send-off all the more moving.

“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” releases Sept. 12 in theaters nationwide.