Downton Abbey 3rd Movie: The Grand Finale

[HeavensWhatASnappyCharriot]

Thoughts please…
I’m a huge Downton fan and I’ve just watched the final film. I’m not entirely sure how I feel as I really built it up in my head and the film was so… different. It did feel a bit warm and fuzzy in places but also quite disappointing. What did you think?

I risked a trip alone to the cinema (never done it before). Thoroughly loved the easiness of the film, shed a few tears at the memories at the end and the portrait. Laughed at points and was delighted for Barrow.

it's on 5 times in my local cinema each day and they said some were getting close to selling out. I think that's actually really lovely and shows how much affection people have for Downton.

Bonhams auction house is currently selling so much of the Downton memorabilia including furniture and dresses. It's going for insane money in some cases, but was great to nosy through earlier too.

I loved it. Yes there was no great storyline but it tied up the loose ends.

A few tears in my eye at the end.

Downton started as TV series when my first born was about 6 weeks old and i have really enjoyed it over the years. I loved it so much i re watched it all in lockdown

So I've been over analysing the plot....
So Mary is now in charge and son George is the heir.
But isn't Mary only the heir because she married Matthew?
So if George dies in WW2 (and hasn't married and had children) who will inherit Downton after Mary?
Her younger child is from the divorced husband so wouldn't be in the inheritance line.
1950s/60s Downton could be very interesting 🤔

I was thinking about this overnight as well. (Insomnia).

I feel generally that we all know what is coming in 9 years time and can see the ages of the children and know they will be caught up in the horrors of WW2. George would have gone in at the beginning and hopefully got out at the end.

Unless Cora and Robert have another later in life child (not beyond the realms.... ) then who inherits?

My DH's family of that and earlier eras tended to send their naughty black sheep sons away to Canada and Australia to make their fortunes. I am imagining a sort of King Ralph scenario.

@JustStopItNorasaurus I'm glad it's not just me who over thinks about these things 😂😂

I’m rather cynical about this. Not that they don’t get on, but I suspect it’s all part of the hype.

Loved Edith in this film. She definitely had the best lines.

I snorted at "was he Turkish?"
😂😂😂

@JustStopItNorasauruswould it go to Peter? Edith and Bertie’s son.

Hmmmm..... let me try and work it through in my head. Robert's heir had to be a male. His heir(s) died so Matthew was the heir. Then Matthew died so George becomes the heir after Robert dies. If George dies before Robert then there would be a hunt for the new heir.

Although.... I'm just remembering now..- Matthew wrote that will that was discovered and he made Mary his heir- did that break the entail? So, what then if George dies? If Mary is alive then if the Matthew will broke the entail then Mary could bequeath as she wishes?

That makes my brain hurt 😂😵‍💫

Entail ended in England with the Law of Property Act 1925

So if George dies in the war (🙁) would his younger sister inherit?

I mean realistically entails by 1930 (and even before 1912, always a pothole with DA but we just overlook it) were easy as hell to break, you just had to get a judge to agree. I seem to recall that actually in season 1 they found they COULD break the entail with a private bill in Parliament? But Robert was all “Oh but I have a son now I never had, so let’s not bother, screw you Mary” as Mary was really upset he wouldn’t fight for her.

I imagine in the case of George dying before Mary she’d fight that in Parlaiment

@JustStopItNorasaurus
Unless Cora and Robert have another later in life child (not beyond the realms.... ) then who inherits?

In what realms is that possible? Cora is well into her 50s at least. Though I suppose Robert could father a child with someone else.

I was always confused about the ownership of Downton. Didn’t Matthew buy in with his inheritance from Lavinia Swire’s father?

I assume Peter would be the next male in line - it only went to Matthew originally because Robert had no direct male descendants, but he does now - George and Peter. If the entail isn’t a thing anymore then presumably it would go to Caroline. Though I expect Peter would probably let Caroline have/manage Downton anyway as he is the next Marquis of Hexham (if I remember correctly?)

Oh we so need a Next Generation sequel.
I wonder what Sybbie will do during the war.
She'll be 19 when it starts but I don't think call up for women was until 1941.
Would she do something like join the ATS as a mechanic (following her Dad's car mechanic/driving background) or will she be a nurse having grown up with tales of her mum doing voluntary nursing in WW1.
Will Downton get evacuees?

Yes he did because Robert made a bad investment.

Robert is 65 in the new film! Way too old to be parents, assuming Cora is a similar age

I was so disappointed with it. It would have made a good Christmas special but it’s a weak movie

Yeah....it is more of a telly thing.

Depending on wills, the status of the entail, etc. if George dies without children, Caroline or Peter or even Marigold or Sybbie might be able to inherit the estate, but not the title. That would go to some other distant male relative or possibly become extinct.

I just remembered a REALLY odd bit

Robert said Bates took a bully for him the Boer War!

But Robert didn’t even know Bates was injured when he first came to Downton and Bates said it was shrapnel

Now they both remember it was actually a bullet?! I hate pointless plotholes

@LayerCakeOfStrangers that’s a very good point. If it was true, it would have been mentioned in the first episode. I notice his limp has miraculously healed, as has Thomas’s hand, Carson’s tremor. And Mrs Patmore no longer needs glasses. Cora also appears cured of her Pernicious anaemia. Forget Lourdes, we should have pilgrimages to Highclere!

Cora was born in 1868. She's 62.

Disappointing, I thought I would feel more emotional but I didn’t.