Lamar Reviews - "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" (Airdate 10/10/2025)

To say I never got into Downton Abbey is an
understatement. It had been out for a couple
seasons before I even realized it was Downton
and not Downtown. That is how uninterested I was
in the show. It first appeared in the UK in 2010,
then the U.S. in 2011. The show ran for fifty-two
episodes over six seasons, including five
Christmas specials. There are three Downton
Abbey movies, Down Abbey in 2019, Downton
Abbey: A New Era in 2022, and this one, Downton
Abbey: The Grand Finale.
I actually reviewed A New Era in 2022 to make fun
of it, and wound up really enjoying it, even though
I had no clue who these people were and what in
the heck was going on! Luckily, or tragically,
depending on how you look at it, I have spent my
entire life endlessly watching TV, so I can figure
out the plot and the characters of a show pretty
quick. If I had spent half as much time on
something actually important like world peace, a
cure for a disease, or answering the question, “Is
a hotdog a sandwich?”, I’d have a Nobel Prize.

By the end of the movie, for reasons I’ll never
understand, I was in love with the show and all of
the characters. I wanted to go back and start at
the beginning and watch the entire thing, but I
never found the time. Now that I am living my
dream of co-hosting The Bob & Sheri Show I
spend every waking moment looking for content,
just like Sheri warned me and still don’t have the
time.
So, I jumped at the chance to review Downton
Abbey: The Grand Finale. If you are interested in
this review, you are a fan of the show and have
watched it all. You know way more about it than I
ever will from watching two movies.
Grand Finale is set in the summer of 1930 with
Lord Grantham, played by Hugh Bonneville,
coming to the realization that it is time to turn over
sole leadership of the family estate to his daughter
Lady Mary Talbot, played by Michelle Dockery.
Everything is done in a very “English” way, “Stiff
upper lip, carry on old fluff, pip pip, toodly-oo and
all that.

The big problem is Mary’s divorce and the reaction
of horror it brings to everyone outside of the family
as she becomes a pariah.
There are quite a few subplots in the kitchen and
the fact that there are still money problems that
have to be solved. Dealing with the changing
times doesn’t make it any easier.
The movie is 2 hours and 3 minutes, Rated-PG.
This is a wonderful ending for all of the fans of the
show, I’m sure. I say it that way because I do not
have the shared experience of seeing Downton
Abbey from start to finish. I’m just a spectator
catching a glimpse and enjoying the experience.
The biggest thing missing is Dowager Countess
Violet Crawley, played by the late Maggie Smith. I
loved her in “A New Era”, she stole every scene
she was in. This movie is dedicated to her.
To watch all the seasons is definitely on my bucket
list. If you are a Downton Abbey Fan, this movie is
a “must see”.
My Score: 5 Cold Budweisers