Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

I had planned on seeing Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale when it was first released but I knew that I needed to see it with both of my sisters.  The three of us eagerly anticipated each new episode on PBS every Sunday night and then discussed it for the rest of the week (I cannot even begin to express how shocked we were by Matthew's death) and I loved seeing each of the previous movies, Downton Abbey and Downton Abbey: A New Era, with them so it was only fitting that we went to a matinee yesterday afternoon together.  I am so glad we found a time when when the three of us could go because we had so much fun (I lost count of how many times we gave each other meaningful looks when a character had a full-circle moment) and we all think it is a great conclusion to a series we have loved for so long!  Lady Grantham (Maureen McGovern) thinks it is time for Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) to hand over the running of Downton Abbey to Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) but she has become a social pariah because of her divorce from Henry Talbot.  It is up to Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) to rehabilitate Mary's reputation and up to Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and Lord Hexham (Harry Haddon-Paton) to convince Robert to pass the torch and move to the Dower House with Cora.  The theme of passing the torch is also mirrored with the other characters.  Lady Merton (Penelope Wilton) inherits the organization of the county fair from the late Dowager Lady Grantham and goes head to head with Sir Hector Moreland (Simon Russell Beale), Daisy Parker (Sophie McShera) becomes the cook after Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) retires to live with her husband Mr. Mason (Paul Copley), Andy Parker (Michael Fox) takes over as butler when Carson (Jim Carter) finally steps down, and Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) is promoted to Lady Mary's maid when Anna (Joanne Froggatt) moves to the Dower House to be with Bates (Brendan Coyle).  My favorite scenes include when Mrs. Patmore asks Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan) about *ahem* marital relations (all three of us laughed out loud at this callback), when Barrow (Robert James-Collier) is invited upstairs, when Edith confronts a fraudster (Alessandro Nivolo) who has been embezzling money from Cora's brother Harold Levinson (Paul Giamatti), and when Molesley (Kevin Doyle) becomes a footman once again to meet Noel Coward (Arty Froushan).  I enjoyed seeing how big all of the original children from the series have gotten, especially Sybbie (Fifi Hart), and the closing montage featuring several original characters brought a tear to my eye.  The production design, locations, and costumes (especially Lady Mary's red dress) are as fabulous as you would expect and it was very nostalgic to hear the original score from the series.  I absolutely loved bidding a fond farewell to the Crawley family with my family and I highly recommend this to the fans.

Note:  Creator Julian Fellowes says that this is the definitive end to this story but he is open to spin-offs.  I think there should be a prequel with the young Violet!