Life is never easy at Downton Abbey. Upstairs, Lady Mary struggles to manage her personal life, but she will eventually let go and find love and happiness. Lady Edith, on the brink of marriage, experiences loss and pain when her fiancé discovers that Marigold is her daughter, but this issue is also resolved smoothly. Meanwhile, Tom Branson realises that, against all odds, the Branson family is now his family, so he returns from the USA and embraces his role on the estate. Downstairs, life is intense too. Carson and Mrs Hughes must adjust to married life, while Anna and Bates finally find peace and have a baby. Everyone has to adapt to this new era. ‘Change and closure are the two words that sum up this series, which slowly ties up loose ends. Finishing Downton Abbey was one of my aims for this year, and I succeeded… in extremis, before learning that another film was released in 2025! I’m a little sad now that it’s finished, as it was nice to live with this family through all these episodes. It’s a lovely series that I’m glad I watched.
“- But we mustn’t be too blinkered, surely ? It’s not just Mrs. Crawley and Lady Grantham. Your old friend, Lord Merton, is in favour of reform.
– A peer in favour of reform is like a turkey in favour of Christmas.”