Rico notes, for the record, that, while it may well have been the style among the womenfolk in the Edwardian era, there wasn't a full set of tits among the lot of them:
The Washington Post has an article by Joe Helm about the finale:
Well, that’s done it. Six years of Downton-watching came to a slow and mostly satisfying end, with the finale of the high-brow British soap opera. But whatever will we do now?
There will be some complaints that there was not enough excitement in this last episode. No car crashes. No sudden deaths. No unexpected bedroom romps. But Downton Abbey was never going to go out with a bang. Like a luxury cruise liner, it simply sailed off into the sunset, leaving us at the dock, staring at its gilded wake with a mixture of gratitude and admiration, and maybe even a measure of melancholy.
Oh, enough of this sappy sendoff! Let’s get to the juicy bits:
Henry, Mary’s new husband, is feeling a bit down. Did he just now realize he married the Wicked Witch of the West? No, that’s not it and that’s an awful thing to say about Mary, anyway. Shame on you for thinking it. No, Henry’s just feeling directionless. He’s given up auto racing, but what’s next? Cars were his life and now he’s just a trophy husband. He needs to find a purpose. Otherwise he’ll be nothing more than a kept man. (Oh, what I’d give to be a kept man.)
Edith is thinking about moving to London and bringing Marigold with her. She’s preparing for life as a lonely spinster. No one has taken more hits over the history of the show than Edith, and it looks like she’s gearing up for yet more disappointment.
Downstairs, Barrow runs into Miss Baxter, Mrs. Bates, and Andy. He thanks them for saving him following his suicide attempt. Barrow was given some leeway to stay for a while at Downton, but now he’s received a job offer. It’s a mixed blessing for Barrow. A job, yes, but he has to leave service at the house that has been his home. A tumultuous home, but still.
Other news downstairs is more disconcerting. Carson puts some papers down on his desk and there’s a noticeable tremble in his hands. It’s a foreshadowing. At dinner, Carson serves wine to Lord Grantham and spills it, a rare mistake for Carson, and he’s chagrined. Lord Grantham looks slightly annoyed. Come on, Robert, it’s not like he threw up blood over everyone, the way you did a few weeks ago.
Back at the Dowager Countess’ home, Spratt and Denker are back at their constant quarreling. Edith drops by to talk to Spratt, her new advice columnist. She wants to expand his column. His tips on How to keep your husband happy have gone down well, Edith tells him, and his fashion suggestions are also a hit. “I’m full of ideas when it comes to combining comfort and elegance, my lady,” he tells her. Spratt is so sly. Denker, a one-person NSA, is listening in at the door, trying to capture more dirt to hold over her nemesis.
In town, the school headmaster runs into Molesley and Baxter. He has good news for Molesley: he wants to offer him a full time gig and a cottage. Well done, Molesley. But the job offer means he too must leave Downton. Molesley’s job offer and Barrow’s departure quickly change the dynamic for Carson, who has to keep the service running smoothly.
“Now Barrow is going, Molesley is going, and only Andrew stands between me and Armageddon,” he says to his wife. Carson prizes order and stability above all else and now he feels it is being threatened on various fronts. Speaking of Andrew, he’s still interested in Daisy, but Daisy keeps blowing him off. Get with the program, Daisy. This final episode is about pairing up and happy endings, and you need to do your part. Andy expresses his feelings about Daisy to Mrs. Patmore, but she can’t exactly encourage him. Patmore is annoyed with Daisy and tells her so: “Do you know what your problem is?” she says. “You despise anyone who thinks well of you. If a man should like you, you think he must be rubbish.” Listen to her, Daisy. She's right.
Meanwhile, a hair dryer is delivered to Downton. There hasn’t been this much excitement among the staff since a mixer arrived for Mrs. Patmore a few seasons back. Molesley eyes it suspiciously; the balding have little respect for hair dryers.
Mrs. Crawley visits Lord Merton. He has bad news for her. He hasn’t been feeling well. His doctor tells him he has pernicious anemia. That’s a death sentence and they both know it. “I’m not too downcast,” he tells her, bravely. “I should like to have been married to you. But no man can have everything.” The news hits Mrs. Crawley hard.
Up in London, Edith gets an invitation from Rosamund to have dinner at the Ritz, but it’s a ruse. As they approach the table, who should be waiting for her but dear old Bertie. (I knew we hadn’t seen the last of him.) The bigger surprise is that it was Mary who has arranged this reunion of the star-crossed lovers. (Maybe Mary’s not so wicked after all.) Bertie gets right to the point. He still wants Edith to marry him. “Would you believe me if I told you I couldn’t live without you?” he asks Edith. “You’ve done a pretty good job of it lately,” she replies. Edith has a hard time taking yes for an answer.
She wants to know if he’ll tell his mother the truth about Marigold. He would prefer not to, but he’ll do whatever’s necessary. “The only thing I’m not ready for is a life without you,” he tells her. (Funny, those are the exact words my wife said when she proposed to me.)
Lord Grantham is thrilled with Edith’s news. He tells Cora the engagement is on, and that they have to travel to Brancaster for the announcement. Cora says she has a meeting that day and might not be able to go. Lord Grantham, who has grown frustrated by the demands of Cora’s new job as head of the hospital board, is annoyed. “Cora, I don’t often insist, but I insist now,” he says. “This is your second child who has hardly known a day of happiness in the past ten years.”“Okay,” Cora says, “You don’t have to read me the Gettysburg Address.” (That line felt a little off to me, but whatever.)
Barrow starts his new job and it’s a dreary, very un-Downton-y setting. Just an old lord and lady sitting across the table from one another and saying hardly a word besides, “Who’ll cut the cheese?” Dinner at Madame Tussaud’s would be more animated. Poor Barrow.
Mrs. Crawley confides to Violet that she is terribly upset by the news about Lord Merton. Of course you’re upset, Violet tells her, you’re in love with him.
“Am I?” Mrs. Crawley asks. “That phrase conjures up for me dance cards and stolen kisses and Mama waiting below in the carriage. Not two old fuddy-duddies who can barely manage the stairs.”
“It’s good to be in love, whatever the age,” Violet responds.
Later, Mrs. Crawley accompanies Lord Merton to see Dr. Clarkson, who confirms the bad news. She tells Merton she is going to see him through this. But not so fast. Merton’s daughter-in-law, Amelia, who is as subtle as a Russian gangster, shows up to snatch him away. Amelia has her chauffeur bundle Merton into the car and then she tells Mrs. Crawley to step off.
Lord Grantham and Cora head off to the magnificent Brancaster, soon to be Edith’s new digs. (Not too shabby.) But they do have to meet Bertie’s mother, and she’s no picnic. Cora asks Bertie what he wants to concentrate on in his role as the new Marquess. But it’s his mother who answers: “We want to rebuild Brancaster as a moral center for the area, and only Bertie can do that,” she says. “Not just as a good landlord or a farmer, but as a moral man leading by example. If you’re to make a success here,” she continues, “you can’t afford to put a foot wrong.” (Charming.)Back at Downton, Carson spills more wine. Mrs. Hughes demands to know what’s going on and Carson says he has a palsy. “The plain truth is, I’m done for,” he tells his wife, and you can sense his despair.
Daisy goes to see Mr. Mason and Andy is there helping out, putting on the roof. Andy has tired of Daisy’s stiff arms, so he’s moving on. But nothing gets Daisy’s attention like a man who’s no longer interested in her. Also, there’s something about a guy with a hammer that women find hard to resist. She and Andy later make nice and it looks like they’ll find a way forward.
At Brancaster, Edith doesn’t want to keep Marigold a secret. She stops in to see Bertie’s mother and reveals all. Bertie’s mother then tells her son to call off the wedding. “You need a wife with the strength of character and the highest moral probity,” she tells her.
“I quite agree, and I’ve chosen accordingly,” he replies. (Good for you, Bertie.)
At the dinner to announce the engagement, Bertie’s mother isn’t keen to share the news. So Bertie stands up to do it instead. But she won’t allow it. She stands up and gives a very general toast that does not even mention Edith or the engagement. Bertie is disappointed, so he stands up again. It’s a bit like a whack-a-mole. His mother jumps back up at the urging of Lord Grantham and finally gets it right. It’s not warm or fuzzy, but it does the job.
After dinner, Bertie’s mother is more generous. “She was prepared to deny herself a great position rather than claim it by deceit. We must applaud her,” she tells Lord Grantham and Cora and Edith and Bertie. “I believe we can make a success of this.” (That’s better, Mummy.)
Granny and Mrs. Crawley barge in to see Lord Merton and rescue him from his captors: his awful son and awfuller daughter-in-law. If Lord Merton is going to die, he’s going to die in Mrs. Crawley’s care, not in abandonment. And I say “if” he’s going to die, because, well, you watched the show.
Mrs. Crawley is not satisfied by simply absconding with Merton. She has other plans. “I intend to marry him as soon as it can be arranged,” she announces. Lord Merton is quite pleased.
At Downton, Edith announces that she and Bertie plan to wed on New Year’s Eve. She also corners Mary and asks her why she reached out to Bertie to help rekindle the relationship. “You’re such a paradox,” she tells Mary. “You make me miserable for years and then you give me my life back.” “Look, we’re blood,” Mary replies. “And we’re stuck with it. So, let’s try and do a little better in the future.” (I actually think that could be a winning presidential campaign slogan for 2016)
At Downton, the wedding planning is in full force. When the big week arrives, the house looks smashing, bedecked for the Christmas season and the New Year’s Eve nuptials. Lady Rose and Atticus show up, and the reunion is joyful.
But not all is well. Lord Grantham and Mary go to talk with Carson about his recent troubles. Carson offers his resignation. “I cannot stay if I cannot perform my duties,” he tells them. Lord Grantham and Mary do not want their loyal servant to go, but Carson believes he must. It’s a small dark cloud over the otherwise festive setting.
Lord Merton makes another visit to the village hospital. He’s been living as if he only has a short time left, but he doesn’t really feel that sick. What’s up with that? Dr. Clarkson will run some more tests.
Tom and Henry have a surprise for Mary. They take her to the village to show off their project: a used car store: Talbot and Branson Motors. Mary doesn’t say a word, and Henry worries that she’s ashamed of him. But she’s not. “I’m as proud as anyone living,” she tells him.
Henry’s delighted. “I’ll never ask for another thing, I swear.”
A great smile crosses Mary’s face. “Yes ,you will,” she says. “And you’re going to get it, too.” And then she whispers in his ear. I thought she was telling him she was going to lend him fifty thousand pounds, but no, she’s told him she’s pregnant. Henry is even more delighted.
Lord Grantham has grown ever more annoyed with Cora’s hospital duties. Rose decides to do something about that. She takes Lord Grantham into the village, where Cora is fielding questions from residents and allaying their concerns. Lord Grantham is astounded by Cora’s competence and sense of purpose. “You have a wonderful marriage,” Rose tells him. “Don’t spoil it now by asking her to choose.” Lord Grantham knows she’s right. He’ll just have to figure out something to do with all his free time. Perhaps he can open up a used Victrola store next to Talbot and Branson Motors.Denker decides to rat out Spratt to Violet. She tells her that he is writing a column for Edith’s magazine. But Denker has put a foot wrong, because Violet loves the column and can’t stop laughing.
At the church on the wedding day, Dr. Clarkson reveals to Lord Merton that he does not have pernicious anemia, and thus he’s not going to die. Well, he’s going to die, but not of that. The prospect of his death provided a moment of reckoning for Mrs. Crawley and now the two are happily wed. (Mortality can be such a clarifying force, and doesn't Rico know it.)
Edith descends the stairs at Downton looking like a million pounds. Lord Grantham is moved and tells Edith he’s proud.
“If you’re proud of me, please be as proud as you want for as long as you like,” Edith tells him. It’s nice to see things work out so well for her.
At the reception, Lord Grantham compliments Cora for her work at the hospital. “Do you know something, I was very proud of you,” he says. “You are a woman of real substance, and I am lucky to call you my wife.”
The problem of Carson is not yet solved. After the wedding, he again has trouble pouring wine and lets his frustration be known. But Barrow, who is at the wedding as a guest, leaps in to the rescue. Quickly the pieces begin to fall into place. Lord Grantham sees a solution: Carson can retire and still live at Downton. Barrow can be butler and is offered the job.
I feel like I’m forgetting something... Oh yes, there was a baby! Anna goes up to help Lady Mary get ready for the party, and, presto, her water breaks. Now, there’s absolutely no reason that Anna couldn’t be walked to a nearby room or even back to her room to have the baby, but where would the metaphor be in that? A servant having a baby in the bed of the mother of Downton’s heir? Society will never be the same again.
“In Lady Mary’s bedroom? Surely not! Carson exclaims. (Sorry, Carson, get with the changes or get trampled.)
“I am a father and I have a son,” says Bates, with great pride. It’s a wonderful scene, but I admit I was surprised the local copper didn’t stop by to put the baby in cuffs.
Lord Grantham bids a formal goodbye to Carson. He expresses how grateful the family is for his years of service, and then shakes Carson’s hand. (It’s hard to remember over six seasons, but I think that’s the first handshake between them.)Elsewhere there are signs that things are working out for everyone. In addition to Edith and Bertie, many other couples have formed or look like they might: Baxter and Molesley. Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Mason. Daisy and Andy. Tom and Edith’s editor. Did I miss anyone? Only Barrow looks out of luck in love and maybe it would have just been too much of a stretch to think he could have the job he always wanted and find a man as well in the final episode.
Finally, the clock strikes midnight. It’s New Years', and there is happiness all around. Everyone begins to sing Auld Lang Syne, a perfect song on which to end the show:
So long, Downton. It’s been good to know you.
Rico says there will doubtless be something equally addictive from the BBC soon...
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