Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, now showing in theaters across the country, marks the end of a beloved era for fans on both sides of the Atlantic. The film, which debuted on September 12, 2025, brings the curtain down on a franchise that has delighted audiences for 15 years with its upstairs-downstairs drama, sparkling dialogue, and evocative portrayal of a changing British society. But this final act isn’t just about nostalgia—it’s also about change, resilience, and, for Lady Mary, a scandal that shakes the Abbey to its core.
The plot twist that has everyone talking? Lady Mary Crawley, played by Michelle Dockery, is revealed to be divorced from Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode). For a world built on tradition and propriety, this revelation is nothing short of seismic. As reported by TVLine, the news is so shocking that Mary finds herself hiding under the stairs during a party, desperate to avoid the royal guests and the social fallout that comes with being a divorced woman in high society. It’s a far cry from the confident, composed Mary fans have come to know—and it’s a storyline that creator Julian Fellowes says was born as much from necessity as from creative inspiration.
“For Matthew, once he’d done the series, I think he felt he’d done the job,” Fellowes told TVLine, reflecting on Goode’s limited participation in the first film and his absence from the subsequent two. “He was in the first film for a very short time—I think he gave us three days or something—and then he didn’t want to be in the second or third, so I had to come up with a believable reason for all of that, or I would have been stuck. Matthew is a wonderful actor, so I was sorry he didn’t want to be part of it. I can’t pretend that I was glad, but in this business, you must make what you’ve got work. That’s your job.”
And work it did. The divorce storyline puts Mary in an unfamiliar position—one of social vulnerability and personal uncertainty. “Mary has always been something of a winner all the way through, and suddenly it’s gone against her, and she’s a kind of loser,” Fellowes explained. “I felt that was good for us and good for Michelle.” It’s a bold move, but one that ultimately leads to Mary’s empowerment: by the film’s end, she is formally placed in charge of Downton Abbey, ready to guide her family through whatever storms may come.
The Grand Finale doesn’t just focus on Mary’s arc, though. As The Ringer notes, the film is a fond farewell to the entire ensemble, filled with nods to departed characters, emotional moments, and the kind of warm, comforting storytelling that has defined Downton Abbey since its debut. The story picks up in the 1930s, with the Crawleys and their staff facing the uncertainties of a new era—technological advancements, shifting social norms, and the looming specter of financial instability. As always, the world outside the Abbey’s walls is changing, and the characters must adapt or risk being left behind.
Fellowes, who wrote every episode of the series and all three films, sees this adaptability as central to the show’s message. “If your job is to be a screenwriter of a series, then some things will happen that you’re not expecting, and sometimes it’s not anyone’s fault. Sometimes illness comes in. All sorts of factors come in, and you have to be ready to fit in and change and make it work. And in a way, that’s the message of the whole show, to be prepared to accept change and not let it defeat you,” he shared with The Ringer.
Change isn’t just a theme for the characters—it’s a reality for the production itself. The departure of key actors like Dan Stevens and Matthew Goode forced Fellowes to make significant narrative adjustments, particularly for Lady Mary’s love life. “I would never have got rid of Dan. I think he was wonderful in the part. They would've had a marriage and they would've had, I don't know, difficulty having children. Mary would've had a terrible disease and they would've had to deal with something. But it didn't happen because Dan decided to go,” Fellowes recalled. Rather than lamenting what might have been, he embraced the opportunity to explore new directions for Mary, ultimately leading to the storyline that sees her at the Abbey’s helm.
Divorce, as a plot device, also serves to highlight broader societal changes. Fellowes, who has explored similar themes in his other series, The Gilded Age, notes the difference in how divorce was perceived on either side of the Atlantic. “I was very interested in divorce, because I think the divorce and the acceptance of divorce was a casting-off of the Victorian idea that you make your choices and, that's it, and you're stuck with them until you die—and the idea that you can remake your life and reshape it on different lines is essentially a modern one,” he explained. While America began normalizing divorce in the late 19th century, it wasn’t until the 1950s that England followed suit. This cultural lag is reflected in Mary’s struggles and the reactions of those around her.
Yet, for all its drama, The Grand Finale is also a celebration of continuity and comfort. The film brings closure to the journeys of beloved characters, from Daisy taking over as head cook to Barrow finding happiness in Hollywood. Even the setting itself—Highclere Castle, standing in for Downton Abbey—becomes a character, a symbol of endurance through changing times. As Mrs. Patmore muses, “Our lives are lived in chapters, and there’s nothing wrong when one chapter ends and another begins.”
For Julian Fellowes, the end of Downton Abbey is bittersweet but satisfying. “I think if we did continue, it would be in a different time, with different actors. Everything would be different. And I think we all knew that this was going to be the end of the original conception of Downton Abbey, the original cast, the original all of it, and I think that we chose The Grand Finale to make that clear,” he told The Ringer. Still, he leaves the door open for fans to imagine what comes next for the Crawleys, noting that, “there is a moment where you have to back off and let the audience decide.”
In its final act, Downton Abbey reminds us that what unites us—love, loss, resilience—is far greater than what divides us. Whether facing scandal or embracing change, the characters’ journeys feel deeply human, even in the grandest of settings. As Lady Mary herself declares in the film, “Long live Downton.”
