Some farewells feel inevitable, but that doesn’t make them any less tender. Julian Fellowes offers a graceful closing chapter to one of television’s most beloved worlds with Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.

For more than a decade, Downton Abbey has been less of a television show and more of an escape – to a world of candlelit dinners, rustling gowns, and quiet dramas unfolding under the watchful gaze of Highclere Castle. Since its debut in 2010, the show has offered audiences a dream of the past, both comforting and bittersweet, where the lives of aristocrats and servants intertwined in endlessly captivating ways. Now, with Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, show creator Julian Fellows and Director Simon Curtis deliver what feels, at last, like a true farewell.

What makes this final film resonate is not its plot, although there are plenty of twists involving Lady Mary, Lord Grantham, and the downstairs staff. It is the film’s tone. Unlike the previous film installment, A New Era, this story embraces the essence of what made Downton endure as a show. The characters are wrestling with the inevitability of a societal change along with a house that seems to hold an ocean-sized amount of history and memories. Even with all the change occurring inside the manor, the Crawley family remains bound by loyalty, love, and resilience.

There are absolute treasures here. Of course, Michelle Dockery’s sharp-tongued brilliance as Lady Mary is once again a standout here, along with Edith (wonderfully played by Laura Carmichael) finally discovering her strength. The costumes by Anna Robbins shimmer with vintage glamour that will leave you just itching to try on a gown. However, the film’s true achievement lies in how it captures the sense of an ending. Fellowes has always been drawn to the passing of time, and in this film, he lingers on it just lovingly, reminding us that even the grandest of traditions must part.

Dedicated to Dame Maggie Smith, whose Dowager Countess gave the franchise much of its wit and heart, the film closes with images that feel like a blessing or benediction. This is not just a farewell to its characters, but to an entire way of storytelling. For longtime fans like myself, it serves as a gentle parting gift, a chance to walk the halls of Downton one last time. Whether or not this truly marks the end, The Grand Finale leaves us with gratitude – for the beauty of the journey, and for the reminder that some stories never really fade.

Rating: B+

Oscar Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: None

Where to Watch: In Theaters