After five seasons and three movies it’s time for fans to say “Goodbye” to the Crawley family, their ancestorial home Downton Abbey and the staff that brings it to life. The final movie Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is hitting theaters this weekend and fans will no doubt be heading to theaters to see it. As the characters move through time and society is changing, it’s time for their stories to transition, change and characters at all levels find a new chapter of their stories starting.
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Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale returns fans to the English countryside in 1930, and while the house, staff and society around them is in transition – some things aren’t as fast as others. Despite trying to delay it as long as possible, the truth about the state of Mary’s marriage becomes public knowledge, and a divorce for someone in society means public ruin. While she’s doing everything she’s supposed to do, the scandal can have dire consequences for the Crawley family, and even members of their staff. The idea that something so personal, but also so normalized now, could have such a major impact on so many people seems like such a foreign idea. But the reality is the society structure has changed so much in the past hundred years, especially for people with mans, that it could have had even more impact than the movie illuded to.
A divorce in today’s society would never be a big enough plot point to drive a whole two hour long movie. And maybe that’s why they included the retirements, the changing of the guards – as it were, and the story of her uncle coming to visit as well. But adding in all of these different elements adds another issue – it’s almost too much to try to fit into a movie that already feels like a bit of a throw away episode in the series.
There’s no denying it’s nice to return to Downton Abbey and to see the beautiful estate and the upstairs/downstairs dynamics that come with living in a home that grand. But because the movie tried to pack in so many story points, and close so many story lines for all of the characters – it seemed rushed. The switching between the staff and the family drama upstairs seemed to be clipped together faster than you would expect and the moments didn’t have any time to breath or develop as they went. It was a quick snip between the fair, to the horse races, and back to the Abbey without the flow and timing the show was so well known for.
The movie has everything fans will want and expect, beautiful scenery and parties, a beautiful cast and a pretty low risk story that really feels like it’s just putting a bow on top of a franchise that was pretty much already wrapped up. They do add in some quips and jokes that will only make sense if you’ve watched the original series and other two movies as well. This is absolutely not a movie or story that can be watched without at least seeing the previous movies to understand who and what you are watching a story about.
Downton Abbey: The Grande Finale is in theaters everywhere Friday.
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About Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
The cinematic return of the global phenomenon, follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.