After 6 seasons and 3 movies, 'Downton Abbey' bids farewell (or does it?)

"Ever since the events of Downton Abbey began in 1912, the characters haven't been able to stop talking about how quickly the world around them is changing. Paradoxically, the constant repetition of this idea has made the show and the movies feel comfortingly, and sometimes annoyingly, static. Sure, a lot has happened over six seasons and two movies: a world war, an epidemic, inventions, revolutions, births, deaths, marriages, scandals and an awful lot of servant turnover."

"But the class constraints and gender roles of the era are still largely in effect. The winds of progress sure do take their sweet time, and so does the creator and screenwriter Julian Fellowes, who's clearly reluctant to say goodbye to these characters or upend their world order too abruptly. And so we have a third movie, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, which sounds like a pretty definitive farewell, but who knows."

"Either way, it's much better than the previous movie, Downton Abbey: A New Era, which felt smug and preposterous even for a series that has always been unapologetically both. The new movie, directed by Simon Curtis, takes place in 1930. A portrait of the recently deceased Dowager Countess the late, great Maggie Smith hangs on one of the house's many walls; even in death, she's still looking down on everyone. Lady Mary Crawley the superb Michelle Dockery is preparing to take charge of Downton while her father, Robert, reluctantly steps into retirement with his wife, Cora. As succession dramas go, the Crawleys aren't exactly the Murdochs, but their plans do hit a snag when Mary ditches her absentee husband and immediately becomes a social pariah. Divorce is still frowned upon, and soon, Mary can't get a dinner invitation to save her otherwise still extremely enviable life. Mary's visiting American uncle Harold, played by Paul Giamatti, has problems of his own. He's mismanaged the estate of his and Cora's late mother, plunging Downton into a fresh wave of financial uncertainty right"

Set in 1930, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale follows the Crawley family as they confront succession, social scandal, and financial uncertainty. The Dowager Countess has recently died, and her portrait presides over the house while Lady Mary prepares to take charge as Robert and Cora step back. Mary becomes a social pariah after abandoning her absentee husband. Her American uncle Harold, played by Paul Giamatti, has mismanaged family assets, threatening the estate's stability. The film, directed by Simon Curtis, leans into familiar themes of class and gender inertia while resolving character arcs more satisfyingly than the previous movie.

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