Familiar faces return in a pleasant but unnecessary sequel.

How many finales does one series need? Apparently for Downton Abbey, the answer is "one more". After wrapping things up with a tidy bow in the original TV series finale, then wrapping them up again after The New Era film, Downton is back for more. It wasn't a bad movie, by any stretch. The superb cast rocks their characters, as always, and it was nice to see them again. The plot was fine. It just felt a bit tacked on to a story that had already finished.

The show that begin in 1912 with the sinking of the Titanic is now entering 1930. On the heels of the stock market crash of 1929, the world is sinking into the Great Depression, and the Crawley family is beginning to feel the pinch. Lady Cora's brother, having lost much of their family's money in some bad investments, has come to Downton with his pal Sambrook to discuss how to recoup their losses. Meanwhile, her daughter Mary faces ostracization after news of her divorce hits the papers, and Lord Grantham contemplates retirement.

Like the show, the film focuses on the changing times. The staff is smaller, and big changes are afoot. Yet it also retreads some ground. How many times have we seen Carson come out of retirement, or Lord Grantham struggle to let Mary take charge, or poor Mosley humiliate himself at a dinner? The absence of the late Maggie Smith as the also-late Dowager Countess is keenly felt, since she was one of the more powerful characters in the show.

I've always enjoyed the show (and the films), but my enjoyment is tempered by my dislike of its central character, Mary. Michelle Dockery is a great actress, and Mary does have her moments. On the whole, though, she is selfish and entitled. I find her sisters far more compelling. In the early seasons, Sybil was my favorite. Interested in the suffrage movement and trained as a nurse during WWI, she bucked social custom by marrying the chauffeur. The middle sister, Edith, was also pretty cool, learning to drive a tractor and running a magazine. (Edith gets a great scene in this film standing up to Sambrook; it's nice to see her shine.) Their stories, as much as Mary's, reflected the changing roles for women of the time.

If you're already a fan of the show, you've probably already seen the Grand Finale. It's fun to pop in and visit old favorites, but I think maybe it's time to move on.

By the way: the Downton YouTube channel has these nice compilation videos summarizing some of the key storylines of the series. It's a great way to revisit the show without having to watch it all the way through. Here's one of my favorites: