Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is a tribute to its present and past matriarchs
The new film puts the beloved period drama's iconic woman at the front and centre.
Since it’s small-screen debut back in 2010, Downton Abbey has closely followed the ever-evolving position that women held in the early 1900s though the three Crawley sisters, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Edith (Laura Carmichael) and (in her time) Sybil Crawley (Jessica Brown Findlay).
From taking on men’s roles during the war to choosing to work when it was over, adopting more androgynous styles and haircuts and fighting for a right to inherit property, it’s been a riveting ride through the roaring twenties and beyond for women’s liberation. Despite being set in a repressive time for women, Downton has always felt at its core very forward-thinking and the franchise’s final outing is no different.
In The Grand Finale, the Crawley family are once again hit by a scandal of Mary’s own making, when it’s announced in the papers that she is now divorced from her former husband, Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode). The news sets her social circle ablaze and Mary is swiftly shunned as a social pariah and even dismissed from a family friend’s home, as their guests cannot bear to be in the same room as a divorced woman.
In a stark change of tone to the early series, even Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) is outraged by her unfair dismissal as everyone’s tolerance for the double standards towards women starts to tire. Surprisingly, it’s Edith who comes to her sister’s aid by luring the locals back to Downton to stomach Mary’s presence, as the renowned playwright Noel Coward will be there too.
Gone is the catty sisterly friction between Edith and Mary, in its place a mutual respect for each other. Edith uses her prestigious position in society as a ‘great lady’ as leverage to bargain for a snake’s silence and protect Mary’s reputation. No longer do the Crawley women cower from scandal, but they face the potential storms together and refuse to be threatened by men who want to exploit their power over them.
The Grand Finale is a tribute to the present and past matriarchs of Downton Abbey and their colossal impact in the community to bring about change. Most of the resolutions in the film happen due to the female characters stepping in to resolve every challenge that comes their way.
Lady Edith brings her sister back from social disgrace, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) helps her brother recover from losing their mother’s fortune (and ensures he won’t lose any more money too). Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Mrs Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) even get the word around the village to other ladies’ maids about Downton’s famous dinner guest so they reconsider their invitations. Meanwhile, Daisy (Sophie McShera) is invited to be on a local committee by Isobel (Penelope Wilton) and the duo form an unlikely alliance to challenge oppressive, sexist and classist views within the village.
Once an impressionable, uncertain girl, Daisy has grown into a confident woman who isn’t afraid to speak up for injustice or to command her new-found authority as head of the kitchen as she prepares to take over from her mother-like figure Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol). Even at dinner parties, Mary is now openly asked for her opinion on building developments at Downton, as opposed to being disparaged by her father or kept completely out of the conversation.
A new age has dawned at Downton, one that is ruled and guided by women both up and downstairs. The female characters work to dismantle social stigmas and fight against repressive social norms to bring about more liberal beliefs in their community that benefit everyone, as opposed to one class or another.
One notable absence is the former ruling matriarch, Dame Maggie Smith as Violet, who passed away in the previous film. The Grand Finale also serves as a tribute to Violet (and Smith), as a woman who stood up for what she believed in and usually did it with a charming quip or a stellar one-liner.
At its heart, Downton’s final farewell is a nostalgic reflection on the past sixteen years and a tribute to the women who have, in spite of the odds, shaped the trajectory of its future. They now hold positions of power within their homes and communities, command respect and in a Violet-like fashion, don’t back down from fighting against injustices.
Julian Fellowes has crafted a final farewell to the matriarch they’ve lost, Violet, and the ones who have been left behind to steer the ship. Downton is left in Mary’s charge, as a happily divorced woman with a son, George, and she has the support of the entire family and local community.
It’s hard not to feel emotional for Mary, as arguably it’s one that a decade ago, she wouldn’t have ever been allowed to pursue on her own. But she is her grandmother’s daughter, and the next great Lady is ready to command the next chapter of Downton Abbey. I wonder if it’s one we’ll get to see...
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is now showing in UK cinemas.
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Authors
Jess Bacon is a freelance film, culture and TV critic and interviewer who is obsessed with everything from Marvel to Star Wars to the representation of women on-screen. Her work has been featured in publications such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Stylist, Total Film, Elle, The Guardian, Digital Spy, Dazed, Cosmopolitan and the i. She’s also interviewed the likes of Zendaya, Brie Larson, Amy Adams, Dan Levy, Aaron Pierre and Brian Cox. In between overanalysing her favourite new comfort watch or internet trends, she’s working on her debut non-fiction book.
