What fans can expect
Some romances will wrap up, while new ones unfold. Previews have already shown that Lady Rose returns — but with whom? And “Downton” will veer from its traditional Christmas-themed season finales to ring in New Year’s 1926.
Tune in
› What: “Downton Abbey” finale› When: 9 p.m., 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. tonight› Where: WTCI-TV,› Extras: At 8 p.m., the special “BAFTA Celebrates ‘Downton Abbey’” will air on WTCI.
June Scobee Rodgers and husband have watched all six seasons of “Downton Abbey” three times through. On nights when the couple can’t find anything else on TV that interests them, they’ll watch reruns of favorite “Downton” episodes, she adds.
She and her husband, retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Don Rodgers, have traveled to England to tour Highclere Castle, where the PBS drama is filmed; she’s even received a personalized message from Hugh Bonneville – yes, “Downton’s” Lord Grantham himself – on her birthday last August.
Having already completed the DVD series, the couple knows how “Downton” creator Julian Fellowes will wrap up his Emmy Award-winning drama in the series finale that airs at 9 p.m. tonight on PBS.
“I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I will say this last two-hour episode is ‘Downton Abbey’ on steroids,” she teases. “They tie up storylines and leave just a little bit of a wink, so you think that there’s more to come – maybe in a movie, which I’ve heard there may be.”
Downton’s aristocrats, the Crawley family, are closing the estate’s doors on the period drama that spanned 1912-26. Fellowes’ beautifully drawn characterizations have followed the loves and losses of the upstairs lords and ladies and their downstairs staff of servants while all worked in their own ways to preserve an aristocratic way of life in post-Edwardian England.
“I’ve watched every episode of ‘Downton Abbey’ as well as the add-ons about ‘Manners of Downton Abbey’ and tours of Highclere Castle,” says Jan Belk, public relations manager for the Chattanooga Theatre Centre. “I’ll miss the upstairs fashions and the downstairs dramas.
“I believe Fellowes has real affection for his characters and will wrap them all up with a bow and leave them in happy places,” she says. “Since Lady Mary married last episode and her story is tied up, I suspect the final episode will settle Lady Edith’s search for love.”
Whether Lady Edith and Bertie, the seventh Marquess of Hexham, reconcile after Edith’s sister, Mary, sabotaged their engagement is foremost on the minds of many local fans. Having been left at the altar in her last engagement, Edith might finally get her happy ending.
“I’m waiting to see if Lady Edith finds happiness in the final episode,” says Debbie Harris of Ringgold, Ga.
“Downton Abbey” is the top-rated PBS drama of all time, according to local PBS station WTCI. More than 25.5 million people were tuning in by the end of Season 5.
“The blockbuster success of ‘Downton Abbey’ and the Masterpiece brand have allowed local PBS stations like WTCI to reach more viewers across all platforms,” credits Paul Grove, WTCI president and chief executive officer. “Today more and more viewers enjoy programming on demand, accessing content online on phones, tablets, computers or streaming devices like Roku or AppleTV.”
That’s an ironic contrast to one source of humor in the weekly drama.
“It’s so intriguing to see the reactions when the first-time electrical appliances that we take for granted are introduced into the household: lights, toasters, phonographs, mixers,” says June Rodgers. “It’s fun to escape into another world of authentic historical fiction, see the vintage automobiles, elegant household furnishings and lush costumes.”
Lana Wilkinson of Ooltewah hosted weekly “Downton” viewing parties for three years until other obligations broke up the five friends’ schedule.
“We’d have brie, crackers, red pepper jelly, wine and hot tea,” she describes. “I’ve watched the show since the beginning and my daughter has followed it with me as well.”
Wilkinson adds that the family show has opened discussions with her daughter Ally, a seventh-grader at Ooltewah Middle School, on life lessons taught in the characters’ storylines.
“We talk about scenes, like Mary trying to destroy her sister’s new love because she felt unloved, and discuss what we learned from them,” says Wilkinson. “I’ve enjoyed it because I can allow my daughter to watch it and it shows that, whatever generation you are in life, it can be messy, and how you respond can lead to a lot of life lessons. We almost feel like this is the end of an era for us because we know there will never be another show like it.”
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.