Dodoties atpakaļ uz Downton Abbey, lai iegūtu “grandiozo finālu”, dod ērtu katarsu

It’s the end of “Downton Abbey.” No, really — this time it’s right there in the title, “The Grand Finale.” After six seasons, five Christmas specials, three movies, and a partridge in a pear tree, it’s the end, until the next time writer and creator Julian Fellette is struck with inspiration.

All jokes aside, “The Grand Finale” is a subtle send-up to the beloved British costume drama that follows the ups and downs of the aristocratic Crawley family—and their staff—as they navigate the bleak beginnings of the 20th century.

While the previous “Downton” film, the 2022 film “A New Age,” saw the Crawleys venturing to France and hosting a film crew at their Yorkshire estate, the key to “The Grand Finale” is that Fellowes doesn’t venture into unfamiliar territory. He keeps us on the low end of social and family drama with some fun guest stars who nod to the year the story takes place in: 1930.

What Fellowes has done so well with “Downton” is offer an escape into the past while using the period setting to comment on issues of contemporary relevance. He creates an appealing tension in the simultaneous presentation of archaic cultural norms alongside issues that feel as urgent as ever. “The Grand Finale” features a tabloid scandal that overshadows Lady Mary’s (Michelle Dockery) divorce, as well as the ongoing struggle that is Lord Grantham’s reluctance to pass the reins of Downton Abbey to the next generation. (Returning as the patriarch is Hugh Bonneville.)

We can sense the shock and horror that some of the characters feel even in the same room as the divorced woman — Lady Mary is rudely escorted from the ball and asked to hide under the stairs so she doesn’t come into contact with the king — and also a sympathetic sense of discontent with the younger generations desperate to take over from the old guard and maybe even shake things up a bit. It sounds a lot like the complaints that Gen X and Millennials have with the boomers. Some things never change, even if divorce is no longer grounds for social ostracism.

Fellowes isn’t exactly subtle with the messaging in his final chapter. American Uncle Harold (Paul Giamatti) declares that it’s more convenient to live in the past. Fellowes gets even more self-assured with the character of Molesley (Kevin Doyle), who went from footman to screenwriter in the last film and is now demanding the recognition he believes he deserves. You have to laugh when Molesley tells the camera that screenwriters are more important than even the stars of the film. (Hear that, Lord Fellowes, Oscar winner for his original screenplay for “Gosford Park.”)

The “Grand Finale” brings back old friends from the “new era,” like film actor Guy Dexter (Dominic West), now in a quiet relationship with former Downton Footman Barrow (Robert James-Collier), and their friend, the theater charmer and playwright Noel Coward (Arty Froushan), who represents the new wave of media celebs. In a truly delightful, star-making performance, Froushan delivers evil doubles as the cowards, practically licking his chops for all the juicy material he finds at Downton for the new plays, whether it’s Lady Mary’s Loves Grief or the inner workings of the Downton staff “down there.”

With the late Dame Maggie Smith no longer delivering her usual barb, Simon Russell Beale has stepped in to represent the traditionalist mindset. Playing Sir Hector, who argues with Lady Isabella (Penelope Wilton) about the planning of the county show, he is mighty resistant to change and isn’t afraid to let her know about it. He also delivers one of the most impressive lines of the phrase “beekeepers and bottling” ever, so don’t worry – the spirit of the Dowager Countess lives on.

In other subplots, the Crawleys must manage both the financial pickle of the American stock market crash and a smooth-talking con artist going by the name of Gus Sambrook (Alessandro Nivola), who has tricked Harold into a currency blunder in Argentina and Lady Mary into a kickback. Ultimately, he’s just a device to illustrate Lady Edith’s mannered English claws when she scares him with threats to his social standing, and a way to encourage his active involvement in the new administration, but he’s fun to fly in the ointment.

With its mix of old characters and new, worldly turmoil and small-town drama, Fellowes illustrates what “Downton” has always done best, which is a social examination of how much things have changed and how they haven’t changed at all. While some of the character work doesn’t exactly develop or deepen our understanding of them or even take them on new journeys, it’s simply a joy to revisit once more — or at least until the next one. (Why pretend otherwise?) World War II is just a few years away. Wouldn’t you like to see the creeps deal with it?

Katie Walsh is a film critic for the Tribune News Service.