"The Feast is Over, the Lamps Expire"

All fled, all done; Downton has come to an end. Just last Sunday two weeks three weeks ago (I was not ready to publish my final post) we here in the US sat with the Crawleys and their faithful employees one last time, reminiscing over the past six years together. The end was predictably bitter sweet as we reluctantly let go but left most of our beloved characters in the throes of genuine peace and happiness. With Edith and Mary happily married and another baby on the way, with Molesley landing a teaching job and Thomas with his newly turned leaf and position as Downton's butler, the doors of Downton closed with a resounding happy ending.

It is not very often that a show like this comes along. Downton had an incredible run with six seasons garnering an average of 9 million viewers in the US, though I think these projections may be a bit low because so many pirated the show when it aired in the UK...damn those impatient bastards! But then again, this is the problem you face when you release the show three months after premiering it across the pond. I mean those Game of Thrones dudes figured this out on the first try but DA couldn't get in right in 6 seasons? Oh and it also doesn't help ratings when you release the series DVD 7 weeks before the finale! Okay, I'm done with the grievances and complaining, I promise! Globally Downton has totaled an estimated 120 million viewers and is aired in over 220 countries and territories around the world. When it comes to the statues, they are not short in recognition either. In those first five seasons they accumulated 58 Emmy nods and 13 wins, 11 Golden Globe nods and 3 wins, 9 Screen Actors Guild nods and 4 wins, and 14 BAFTA nods with 3 wins. Season six awards season is on the horizon and I see glints of gold in the distance.

Logistics aside, this show thrived because it touched the hearts of people everywhere. Strange to think of a show that was essentially about a bunch of rich white people who lived one hundred years ago in a far off country, but it truly was relatable and transcended through so many languages and cultures effortlessly (okay maybe not totally relatable, I mean I've never spent entire days sitting on my ass writing letters and taking off hats, but you know what I mean). But in spite of the relatability, it was the subtle differences that kept the fantasy alive. Like most people, we watch TV to escape the stresses of daily life. After a chaotic work week, we settle down onto our couches and let the glow of the flat screen envelope us and take us on these journeys and adventures away from the monotony of our own worlds. We develop connections with these characters, we love them, we hate them, we want to be them, marry them, or just beat them upside the head, and we identify with them or know someone like them. With such an amazing ensemble cast with so many faces and personalities, how could we not enjoy the ride with this crazy household?

The beginning...I may have spelled Abbey wrong but at least I didn't call it Downtown

Surprisingly I'm not much for TV shows. With the close of Downton, I am currently watching only two, yes, two television series that are still on the air. It takes a lot to get me to watch a new show, and even more to make me stick with one. I'm not sure what drew me into DA that first hour, but when I watched the first episode (which I only did to get my mother off my back about it), I needed to watch the second, then the third, and then buy season 2 and wait for season 3. I've been hooked ever since, and in spite of popular belief, it was not purely for The Wife...but she helped. A lot. But the caliber of the story telling, the insurmountable talent of the individuals who brought the script to life, and the pristine production of the show is likely the culprit of my addiction.

So I want to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the cast of Downton Abbey for this incredible journey we've been so blessed to follow you on, and though it may be over, with the immortalization of DVDs and Blu-Rays, we can relive it time and time again. Your talents truly know no bounds, and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the future. I also want to thank the crew for their extremely hard work and dedication to bringing this story to life. It takes a village far beyond those we see in front of the camera and we all know this greatness could not have been achieved without your efforts, your deliriously long days and your sleepless nights.

The only regret I have here is not having started this blog sooner, as I've truly had so much fun doing it, and want to thank all of my readers for sticking with me until the end. You guys rock! I'm certainly going to miss working on this little project of mine, and like I said I have been avoiding writing and publishing this post because I didn't want to close it down for good (this post has been sitting on my blog unfinished for two and a half weeks). But although we will be closing, there will of course be coverage of the upcoming awards season this fall. If anything major happens, like I win the lottery or I marry some magnificent sugar mama and somehow get my ass to Highclere Castle, I will post on that here as well. Likewise, with talks of a potential film, the blog may reopen if these rumors come to fruition so we can chronicle the next chapter for the Crawleys. Who knows what could happen in the 1930s? Granny's dead, Edith pops out some legitimate kids, Molesley finally puts the moves on Baxter, and George will be of draft-able age by the time WWII roles around; will he survive the war? Will the estate's future be in jeopardy again? I guess we'll have to wait and see...or maybe I'll get into this fan fiction craze and make my own epilogue.

Anyways, if you enjoyed the blog and you have any interest to see the others I write, check out some of the links below. I haven't been writing on some of them as frequently as I would like because this one takes most of my time, but I hope to get them up and running again soon.

Another Drop in the Ocean - General Topics
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - LGBT
Disturbed Universe - Mental Health Professionals
Pieces of My Heart - Autism

Happiness is for This Place, in This Hour (S6 E9)

Check out the episode review for the amazing Downton finale!

Happiness is for This Place, in This Hour

Life After Highclere

So you're missing Downton, quite possibly experiencing brutal withdrawals this first weekend without them, and you want to know where you can see your favorite actors again. If you're desperate to see a familiar DA face and are wondering just how versatile these amazing performers can be, check out this wonderful compilation of future works for (almost) all the characters.
From Vulture.com

Downton Abbey came to a close in the U.S. Sunday night, but for its stars the show has been over for a good seven months. Where does one go careerwise after starring in one of the most popular television series of the past decade? Quite a lot of places outside the constraints of a Yorkshire country estate, it appears — read on and see for yourselves. (Note: We’ve only included actors whose characters appeared in every season. Sorry, Matthew and Sybil.)

Michelle Dockery (Mary Crawley)
Moving stateside, Dockery will be donning an American accent in TNT’s upcoming drama series Good Behavior, where she plays “a con artist recently released from prison with a country twang and a lot of demons who … gets caught up in a hit man’s plan to murder someone’s wife.” She recently wrapped production of an adaptation of the dramatic novel The Sense of an Ending and will soon be seen in a supporting role in Consider Yourself: The Lionel Bart Story, a biopic about the famous British composer and writer.

Laura Carmichael (Edith Crawley)
Carmichael is currently starring alongside Uzo Aduba in the well-received The Maids, a contemporary stage adaptation of Jean Genet’s 1970s radical play, in London’s West End. She has a supporting role alongside David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike in the upcoming film A United Kingdom, about a scandalous interracial love affair between “Prince Seretse Khama, the heir to the throne of Botswana, [who] has fallen in love and married a young, white English girl.” She’ll be returning to British television as a leading role in Marcella, a “multi-layered noir thriller” set in contemporary London. 

Hugh Bonneville (Robert Crawley)
Besides showing up on Galavant every now and then as a pirate king, he’ll be the leading man alongside Gillian Anderson in the historical drama Viceroy’s House, which chronicles “the turbulent final days of British rule in India in 1947.” He also appeared in a recent episode of the popular British miniseriesThe Hollow Crown as Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.

Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates)
Froggatt has a pretty packed 2016. She’ll be back on television later this year in Masterpiece’s two-part miniseries Dark Angel, where she’ll play Victorian serial killer Mary Ann Cotton. She also has three films on the horizon — the romantic drama A Storm in the Stars, an adaptation of the dramatic yet feel-good novel A Street Cat Named Bob, and the relationship-drama Starfish.

Maggie Smith (Violet Crawley)
She has yet to announce her future acting plans or actually watch Downton(she’s living her best life, okay?). So in the meantime, go watch The Lady in the Van, which netted her a Golden Globe-nomination last year.

Brendan Coyle (John Bates)
Coyle has a busy year ahead. He’ll be starring as Augustine Birrell in the Irish biopic drama The Rising: 1916 (about the infamous Easter Rising Rebellion); the original romantic drama Me Before You; and an adaptation of Carol Shields’s novel Unless, alongside Catherine Keener.

Allen Leech (Tom Branson)
Leech is playing a supporting role in the upcoming action-thriller Hunter’s Prayer, which revolves around a hired assassin who bonds with his intended female target and helps avenge the death of her family. Outside the acting realm, you can hear his voice in the video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Elizabeth McGovern (Cora Crawley)
McGovern is starring alongside Uzo Aduba and Adam Brody in Showing Roots,an indie drama about “two women who work in a local beauty parlor [who] see the town’s balance turned upside down when the slavery miniseries Roots hits the airwaves and are inspired to integrate their community.” It’ll be out later this year. She’s also in a toe-tappingly fun indie-rock band called Sadie and the Hotheads.

Rob James-Collier (Thomas Barrow)
Downton’s favorite rapscallion most recently played the lead in the family-friendly holiday film A Christmas Star. Surprise, surprise, he played the baddie.

Sophie McShera (Daisy Mason)
She’s happily singing and dancing on ABC’s musical comedy Galavant, where she plays yet another servant. She also has a recurring role as a work-shy slacker on the British comedy series The Job Lot.

Jim Carter (Charles Carson)
Carter has been devoting his time to his charity, WandAid, which puts on theatrical events to raise funds for “communities impacted by natural disaster, political crisis, and disadvantage.” He also has a damn fine head of hair.

Penelope Wilton (Isobel Crawley)
You can see Wilton as the Queen of England this July in Steven Spielberg’sThe BFG and in Brief Encounters, a British television drama about Ann Summers, seller of sex toys and lingerie. In a perfect world, there will also be aThird Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in our future.

Phyllis Logan (Elsie Hughes)
Like Smith, Logan hasn’t solidified her post-Downton plans just yet, but to get your Mrs. Hughes fix you can watch her in a Bones episode from about a year ago.

Lesley Nicol (Beryl Patmore)
Nichol’s currently lending her voice chops as the Fairy Godmother in the animated children’s series Goldie & Bear (it’s cute!). She also had a brief guest role on the CW’s long-running Supernatural last year.

Kevin Doyle (Joseph Molesley)
Doyle joined the British crime drama Happy Valley for its second season, where he’ll be playing a complex and flawed detective. It’ll be available to stream on Netflix later this month.

David Robb (Dr. Clarkson)
He most recently portrayed Thomas Boleyn in the Golden Globe-winning miniseries Wolf Hall, adapted from Hilary Mantel’s famed historical novels. His next film, Sacrifice, is a Shetland Islands-set murder-mystery and has wrapped production.

Samantha Bond (Rosamund Painswick)
Bond currently stars as one of the leads in another British period drama, Home Fires, which centers around rural Women’s Institute members during World War II. A second season has been ordered.

Behind the Scenes Part 2

DA Spin-Offs

People.com has published some interesting suggestions for potential spin-offs, and I've even heard a few on the IG vote for a spin-off of Lady Edith's London life (but I guess no one was biting for my earlier idea of Better Call Carson. Anyways, here's something to set our imaginations running even if it doesn't get Julian's pen going (though I have to admit the last idea is a bit off the mark).

1. Top Gear- hosted by Tom Branson and Henry Talbot
Henry may have married Mary, but we all know Tom is his true BFF. Throughout the last season of the show, the two ave bonded big time- mostly over their love of cars. Combine that with their respective British and Irish backgrounds, and they're a perfect fit to take over the UK's favorite car show, Top Gear.

2. Edith's Big Adventure
An alternate name for Downton Abbey could be The Depressing Life of Lady Edith, after everything she went through on the show, including being left at the altar, having a child out of wedlock (a big no-no at the time), losing her boyfriend after finding out he was married and dealing with her sister's constant sass. So it would be nice to see Edith post-series finale, enjoying life at Brancaster with her new husband Bertie and outranking her entire family.

3. Mrs. Patmore on the Food Network
After six seasons in the Downton kitchens, Mrs. Patmore knows a thing or two about preparing meals for picky crowds. She's more than earned her own spot on the Food Network- just think of her as the English answer to Julia Child!

4. Etiquette  Hour with Mr. Carson
Now that he's retired from his post as Downton's butler, Mr. Carson needs something to keep himself occupied in a suitably dignified way. And what does he do best? Making sure everyone follows the rules. Just picture it: Mr. Carson, walking the halls of Downton, teaching the masses all about proper uses for each individual fork and how to address people with varying titles. Fun and educational.

5. Live from the Red Carpet with the Dowager Countess
Since the death of the late great Joan Rivers, no one has been able to match her hilarious wit when it comes to critiquing celebrity fashion. Well, we know one woman whose tongue is as sharp as Rivers was and he schedule just opened up!

6. Daisy's Divine Hairdos
After she attacked her hair with a pair of scissors and the same level of enthusiasm that Isobel takes to each and every one of her charitable causes, it became clear that Daisy has a future outside Downton, and it's on YouTube. We foresee her starting her own channel and teaching the masses about how to master the 20's bob (but she should probably watch a few tutorials herself first!)

Julian Reflects on Saying Goodbye

From Entertainment Weekly
By: Jessica Derschowitz

Julian Fellowes brought the world into the gilded halls of Downton Abbey and introduced us to the characters fans have grown to love over the past six seasons. And now, it's time to say goodbye.

Ahead of Sunday night's series finale, the Downton creator, writer, and executive producer shared what he wanted the finale to be like, and how he hopes fans will feel as they sit down with the Crawleys and their staff for a final time.

"I didn't want it too tide, but I did want a sense of the warmth," Fellowes says on this week's episode of the Masterpiece Studio podcast, which you can hear here. "I wanted a sense of generosity towards these people we'd come to know so well."

"I wanted everyone to kind of go to bed that night feeling content because, in a way, you watch the final episode in a slightly different mood. You watch it to say 'goodbye' to them because you know it's the end," he continues. "And I felt that I wanted that atmosphere where people around the world were sort of raising a glass as they bid them farewell."

Downton producer Gareth Neame also promised a "satisfying" close to the British period drama.

"Although the show has light and shade and it's got good and bad things going on in it-there have been big shocks and surprises even in the final season- the overall direction of travel is one of optimism," Neame told EW recently. "It really felt that because these characters are so beloved, they had to have decent endings."

Final Fan Art Friday

Sadly, this is the last Fan Art Friday that J'adore Downton will be posting with the season finale just around the corner. Therefore, it only seemed fitting that the final fan art collection be a tribute to The Wife and the incredibly memorable role she played during these past six years

Carson and Little Lady Mary
Artist: Vincha

Artist: Lordoff Hepirates

Artist: Frigate-1812

Artist: Lasthielli

Artist: Daniel_firefly

And just for fun...

Artist: Malinew

Awkward Fan Requests

Upon reflection, I have realized I missed some golden opportunities here...

More Laughter

Again photo credits go to Downtonabbeyhumor on Instagram. Please note the account owner is organizing a farewell project, so check out their IG for details and contribute by March 5th!

and she dead...

Behind the Scenes Part 1