Some people step up and some step down in this delightful conclusion.
It’s amazing that “Downton Abbey” has ended in 2015, but has continued its characters in three movies. From my reminders, the first movie basically showed royalty who’s boss, and the second “A New Era” shared its passion for the transition from silent films to talking pictures and allowed the characters to make some big steps in their lives.
And yes, I did say “three movies,” because we now have a third and final movie with the subtitle “The Grand Finale.” I think can agree that while there’s too much TV characters for the movies to stay focused on, they still delight us with their humanity, grace, and witty dialogue, and they want to show us how their lives have been through the years. They don’t try to bring fans of the series into the theater; the fans want to see their favorite characters on the big screen.
Things are changing. We all know Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham has passed away, as did the actress who played her-Maggie Smith. But what has been going on with the family and staff of Downton Abbey lately?
Mary (Michelle Dockery), who is set to take over Downton Abbey, is now divorced, and that makes the papers. High society might see her as an outcast (especially Joely Richardson as the disapproving Lady Petersfield), but not her parents Robert (Hugh Bonneville) and Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) nor her sister Edith (Laura Carmichael).
But trouble brews further when Cora’s brother Henry (Paul Giamatti) arrives to inform the family of their financial troubles thanks to his foolishness. And an option might be to sell Grantham House.
And Henry also has his shifty financial advisor Gus Sambrook (Alessandro Nivola) with him. And after Mary sleeps with him thanks to a few drinks, he might be willing to use it as blackmail against her as part of a money scheme. But Mary doesn’t stoop to that level.
As for the supporting characters, Charlie Carson (Jim Carter) is retiring as the butler, yet again, but I think he still has some life left in him. And the young assistant cook Daisy (Sophie McShera), who has married the footman Andy (Michael Park) in the last movie, is stepping up to head chef of the kitchen, replacing Beryl Patmore (Lesley Nicol).
Watching “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” come to its conclusion as a film feels the same as a great TV show reaching the end of its point. You always want to go back to the beginning of the series and binge watch. You must appreciate how its alumni (Dockery, Bonneville, McGovern, Carmichael, Carter, Allen Leech as Tom Branson, Phyllis Logan as Charlie’s wife Elise, and Penelope Wilton as Isobel Grey, among others) are able to ease into their TV characters and transition them on film, and you must appreciate how creator Julian Fellowes wants to see them develop as people.
Yes, I did mean what I said about some people stepping up and some people stepping down, because the theme of this sequel deals with social and financial issues. Mary’s divorce is frowned upon by the high society, but the movie never overdoses on the cynicism. And Henry’s screw-ups don’t make the story stressful. In fact, how the main family must head into a simpler life makes me feel better about Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda not taking the crappy flight home in “Sex and the City 2.” I don’t want to say how, but it is pretty funny and honest.
I still have some digesting to do with some of the characters, but I’ve grown to appreciate them more through the years. the costumes are still vibrant towards the time period of the 1930s, the dialogue is smart, and there’s a certain kind of charm that’s impossible to resist. “The Grand Finale” goes out with a bang not a whimper, although Robert suggests it’s the other way around.
