The family walk outside and have cocktails on the lawn as they speak of Marigold and how Edith (Laura Carmichael) wants to move to London and put her in a school there. Of course they can speak freely now since Mary (Michelle Dockery) found out about her. Henry (Matthew Goode) has gotten over his friend's crash and wants to stop racing but doesn't know what to do. Which Mary will be happy with. He also doesn't want to live off his wife, as he's taken to lounging around at the house and on the bed. The Dowager (Maggie Smith) hasn't had a visit from the family and Robert (Hugh Bonneville) decides they should visit her. But Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) can't go as she has a meeting. And he finds this unbearable cos she sees more of them than she does of him and he feels left out. Mary and Robert decide to visit her instead and she wonders if they'll be staying long enough for tea. She also talks of Edith and Bertie (Henry Hadden-Paton) and this gives Mary an idea. She arranges for Rosamund (Samantha Bond) to take Edith to dinner whilst arranging a blind date of sorts with Bertie.
He misses her and was a fool for leaving but can't live without her. He hasn't told his mother about Marigold and won't want to either but he wants Edith back and still wants to marry her. He invites Edith down with the family to visit his mother (Patricia Hodge) and meet her. She's very moralistic in tone and wants Bertie to be more moral and upstanding than his predecessor, whilst the family raise their eyebrows at that. Edith decides she can't get married with a lie hanging over her and so comes clean with her. She's disappointed but Bertie says he's going through with it no matter what.
At dinner, to announce the engagement, Robert tells Bertie's mother to do the right thing, otherwise she'll lose her son. Later saying she does approve of Edith as she was honest and forthcoming, instead of getting married without telling her. When they return home Edith knows Mary arranged it but can't think why, calling her a paradox. She's made her life miserable for years and now she wants her to be happy. As Mary says the Dowager made a comment which struck her. Obviously she's over not being titled like Edith who'll become a Marchioness.
Thomas (Rob James-Collier) breaks the news of having a new position and George doesn't want him to leave. He also has a chance to thank Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Andy (Michael Fox) for saving him. Anna hopes he'll think about what made him do it. He also tells Baxter how she shouldn't let Coyle have power over her and shouldn't go and see him, but put it all behind her. Which she does. As Thomas and Bates (Brendan Coyle) also part as friends. Thomas thanks Robert for all he's done and how he's grateful for everything he's learned from him. "I came here a boy and leave a man." And return as a butler! ha. But instead of making new friends, he finds there's only another two people at the estate and feels out of place. As we cut to the lavish grandeur of Brancaster Castle.
Carson (Jim Carter) it seems, has the shakes but it's an inherited condition his father and grandfather had before him, they called it a 'palsy.' He was hoping it'd pass him by and Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) is worried for him. He also spills the wine at diner which was new to him, in terms of it being highly irregular. He's not done that before. His condition materialized out of nowhere, he was perfectly fine all through series 6.
Isobel (Penelope Wilton) realizes she loves Dickie Merton (Douglas Reith) after all and can't fathom why she didn't marry him before. As she and the Dowager head to rescue him from the evil clutches of his son and Amelia (Phoebe Sparrow) after finding out he has pernicious anemia and there's no cure. The Dowager making a spectacle of herself by speaking loudly and getting Dickie out of his room. Isobel tells him he's moving to her house and she intends to marry him too; he's glad to leave. Giving them the house.
Rose (Lily James) arrives with Atticus (Matt Barber) and was eager to share photos of the baby with the servants and Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol)comments on why she didn't include her mother's name in the baby's names. As she shares news of her life in America.
Denker (Sue Johnston) tries to get Spratt (Jeremy Swift) fired for his writing in Edith's magazine column and she doesn't like his tone, implying there's something going on with him and Edith. Even after she was listening in at the door, which we knew she'd do. So she tells the Dowager to do fire him for this indiscretion. She however finds his column very amusing, especially also commenting how Denker already had the page open to the column too. She later tells Spratt that she'll ask him for fashion advice in the future and didn't know she had such a hidden expert in the basement. Denker trying to say she thought the Dowager already knew about the column. Spratt gleefully tells Denker that the Dowager doesn't like being predictable. Thus she wouldn't have fired him. Though she didn't notice Denker with her nail polish shade, even if it was a nude shade. Denker was quite irritating making comments about being honest and the truth.
Cora must attend a meeting and won't be here to help with the flowers for Edith's wedding. Much to Robert's chagrin. Leading Robert to ask for more claret from Carson but he can't help him, asking Andy for help instead. Cut to Thomas and his boring job where he just stands around with nothing much to do. He's been invited to the wedding though and will be glad to get away. Henry and Branson also have an errand to run and Rose will help with the flowers.
Mary and Robert find out what's wrong with Carson and he offers his resignation as he can't perform his duties. He'll stay for the wedding and will interview prospective butlers. Should've just asked Thomas instead, which is what all this was leading to anyway. Mary thinks Carson can stay on run things as before, but he's adamant the new butler wouldn't want to work under such circumstances.
Dickie has more tests since he should've been much weaker by now and he's not. He feels quite well. Clarkson (David Robb) runs more tests. Rose takes Robert to the village and he watches Cora speak to the locals about the hospital and he tells Rose she reminds him of when she ran Downton as a convalescent home during the War. Branson and Henry show Mary their new car sales business. They aim to sell new cars too eventually and even produce their own. Mary is proud of Henry and she tells him her news of being pregnant. But doesn't want to steal Edith's thunder by announcing it just yet.
Daisy (Sophie McShera) wants to spruce herself up a little bit and says how nice and smooth Rose's hair looked. She cuts her hair and next morning looks a bit of a mess. Seems Mary's new hairdryer came in handy for all. See no one caught her in Mary's room. Anna has to help fix her hair and Andy couldn't help but laugh and Mrs Patmore tells him she made a fool of herself for him. He thinks she looks like Clara Bow. And he says they should sort this out. Did anyone think, "Daisy, Daisy give me your answer do..." ha. Maybe just me then. She also decides to move to the farm.
Henry wants to break the news about the baby already. Rosamund hopes they'll be happily married and the Dowager says they'll be happy enough, blaming the weather for the way the English are. Branson meets Laura Edmunds (Antonia Bernath) and obviously there's another romance waiting to happen. Dr Clarkson tells Dickie he has anaemia but not the serious kind and he'll live. Anna asks Thomas about his job and if he's getting on with everyone. Not that there are many of anyone to get on with. But she tells him it feels good not to be at war with anyone,
Robert is proud of Edith and how beautiful she looks in her wedding dress. He has seen her in a wedding dress before in series 3?? when she was stood up at the alter, or rather jilted at the alter. She hopes he'll be as proud of her for as long as possible. The other romances being Baxter and Molesley (Kevin Doyle) and Mrs Patmore and Mr Mason (Paul Copley). Henry asks Mary if she'll get on with Edith now and she tells him not to mind that cos they're "sisters and sisters have secrets." Robert feels "a great sense of achievement" at having the last of their children off their hands. Robert was proud of Cora too after he watched her at the meeting and she's a "woman of real substance" and seems Robert is proud of many people in this final Christmas episode. The servants gossip about Marigold heading for Brancaster Castle and wonder if they'll tell Bertie's mother about her. Just as well they didn't know about how she already knows then, with their gossiping.
Carson loses the plot when he's unable to pour the champagne and "cannot pour the bloody stuff." Robert decides Thomas will be the new butler and Carson will stay at the old house and have a pension. Carson trained Thomas and so he'll be able to handle the job. See after all that drama they could've just had him stay anyway, what with Molesley leaving. Anna has her baby in Mary's room and Carson dictating that Anna can't have it now and in Mary's bedroom either. They have a son. As well as Robert taking them champagne, Anna's going to drink straight after giving birth. So what was the son named? Think it was a first Anna calling Bates "John" maybe they'll name the baby after him. What with Molseley leaving to teach and getting a cottage on the grounds, everything was moving so fast here.
Laura catches the bouquet of course. Edith tells Bertie's mother she won't disappoint her and she just wants her to love Bertie. Robert having to console Carson. Downton will be different without him there running things. The world is changing he replies. Robert wants to give them plenty of booze to see in the New year (!) and they're grateful to Carson for everything. Cora believes the more adaptable we are the more we'll be able to get on through the years. She just wants a long and happy life to watch the children grow up. Robert thinks they have a good chance of that. Cora and the Dowager make up and she thinks Cora will do an excellent job. It's all hers now, the village, the hospital. As they all ring in the new year. Mrs Hughes knows they can make it work, echoing Cora. Isobel says they're moving into the future and to the past, somehow the Dowager would've preferred moving back to the past like Carson.
Lots of jokes from the Grantham's after Edith's call to them, like Cora saying she's pregnant again or she's been arrested for treason. Also we didn't quite get to hear what Cousin Peter did in Tangiers that was so scandalous! As well as Bertie finally standing up to his mother in favour of the woman he loves, so what took him so long. Apparently Cora was right about the pregnancy, but wrong daughter. Mary certainly did turn over a new leaf and it was like a butterfly emerging from a selfish cocoon. She was in the helping mood, what with being sad at Thomas leaving, helping Edith and being worried for Carson and being thrilled Henry had given up racing. You'd think that really wasn't Mary. Seems being married to Henry agrees with her.
SO it ended, five years of love, laughter, scheming, scandals, weddings, deaths, back stabbings and everything else this show could fit into six series. Maybe someone might come up with a movie or two in the future.
"Should old acquaintance be forget..."
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