SPOILERS ALERT!!!
Hello everyone! 🙂
Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!
At the time of this review, ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ is out at cinemas! I’m hoping to watch the film on the big screen soon (hopefully by the time you read this review, I will have seen it already). It’s fitting I should finish watching the ‘Downton Abbey’ TV series before I check out the new movie.
Let’s talk about what I thought of Series 6 of ‘Downton Abbey’ as well as the series finale, which I saw on Blu-ray recently. I think it’s fair to say that ‘Downton Abbey’ has grown on me as a series and I’ve been able to get into the characters to keep me up to date with what’s happening in the films. 🙂
Series 6 and the finale wrap up the ‘Downton Abbey’ series on a happy, reassuring note. Ties are made to story arcs that have been going on throughout this series. Certain pairs of characters have their ‘happily ever afters’ and the future is set in terms of where ‘Downton Abbey’ should go next. 🙂
‘Downton Abbey’s final TV season takes place in the year 1925. Changes are happening to the ‘Downton Abbey’ characters and the world they live in, such as the running of the local hospital. This, the Dowager Countess of Grantham and the Countess of Grantham have different opinions on. 😐
It was nice to see Hugh Bonneville back as Robert Crawley as well as Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley and Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Crawley. It was a shock when Robert Crawley’s ulcer burst at the end of Series 6’s fifth episode. It’s so rare that a gory moment can happen like that in ‘Downton Abbey’.
I liked the love story Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith had with Harry Hadden-Paton as Bertie, and it’s nice that Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary found love again with Matthew Goode as Henry Talbot. To be honest, I found Lady Edith’s love story more interesting compared to Lady Mary’s in the TV series.
This is especially when Lady Edith struggled to tell the truth to Bertie about Marigold being her daughter. Also, Lady Edith is nicer compared to Lady Mary in the series. I’m pleased that Bertie was understanding in the end and Lady Edith got her ‘happily ever after’ when they married in the finale.
Jim Carter as Carson also marries Phyllis Logan as Mrs. Hughes in the series. It was amusing when Carson politely criticised Mrs. Hughes’ cooking when they were living in their cottage and she got her own back. 😀 In the end, Carson retires from being butler for Tom Barrow to take over from him.
Rob James-Collier as Thomas Barrow has grown into a more interesting and quite likeable character in the series, especially when he gets the promotion he wanted in taking over from Carson as the butler at Downton Abbey. It was such a shock when Barrow nearly committed suicide in the series. 😦
I like how the bad luck that Brendan Coyle as Mr. Bates and Joanne Froggatt as Anna Bates had in the series is resolved very quickly and happily in Series 6’s first episode. Anna also has a baby in the series and ends up having it in Lady Mary’s bedroom, as she was willing to help Anna in her labour. 🙂
There’s also Sophie McShera as Daisy, Lesley Nicol as Mrs. Patmore, Penelope Wilton as Isobel, Kevin Doyle as Molesley, Allen Leech as Tom Branson, David Robb as Dr. Clarkson, Raquel Cassidy as Baxter and Michael Fox as Andy. It was nice Rose Leslie as Gwen from Series 1 made a guest appearance. 🙂
It was also good to see Lily James back as Lady Rose in the finale, as she and her husband attended the wedding of Lady Edith and Bertie. There’s a Christmassy feel about the finale towards the end, especially when Lady Edith and Bertie have their wedding on New Year’s Eve before 1925 ran out. 🙂
I’m pleased to have finished the ‘Downton Abbey’ TV series through Series 6 and the finale. It’s nice a lot of the story strands for certain characters have come to a close, setting things up nicely for the upcoming two films. I’ve enjoyed ‘Downton Abbey’ as a series overall and I’m glad it ended happily.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to revisit the first ‘Downton Abbey’ movie before I check out ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ on the big screen.
Thanks for reading!
Bye for now!
Tim. 🙂
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