'Downton Abbey's' final season is worth enjoying

Even the best shows must eventually shut down.

For PBS’s Emmy-winning Downton Abbey (Sunday, 9 ET/PT; ***½ out of four), the top-rated drama in the service’s history, that down-time arrives with nine last episodes as this beloved British series begins its sixth and final season. And truth be told, the timing seems right — not just because the storylines at the Abbey had begun to fray, but because setting an end date has freed the writers to bring those stories to a close, without undue delay or unconvincing complications.

But don’t panic. There’s still plenty of time left for a few beautifully dressed and set dinners and races; a few nods to times a-changin' (Edith edits a magazine! Mary won’t ride side-saddle!); and many more bon mots from Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess (“If I withdrew my friendship from everyone who’s spoken ill of me, my address book would be empty”).

And of course, there’s still time for a slew of soap complications, from delays in a downstairs wedding to the inevitable waffling around Lady Mary’s (Michelle Dockery) latest romance — this time with Matthew Goode's very modern race-car driver. For viewers and Abbey residents alike, impeccably performed surprises are in store, most infused with the sympathetic warmth that has helped the series survive a few bumps in its plotting.

How it all ends isn’t clear yet, as PBS only made eight of the nine episodes available for review. And obviously, what happens before it ends should be left for viewers to discover. But it isn't a spoiler to point out that what was true from the beginning holds true now: creator Julian Fellowes seems to love these characters and he seems determined to do right by them.

It is now 1925, and more than ever, Robert (Hugh Bonneville) is worried about the estate’s financial chances and Mary and Edith’s (Laura Carmichael) chances for happiness. And a new worry is about to arise, as his mother (Smith) and his wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern, an under-appreciated joy) begin a tug-of-war over the local hospital. Granted, that turns out to be a thin crisis on which to build a world-turned-upside-down season-long story, but the actors make do.

As is probably inevitable with such a popular, plot-consuming series, there are moments this season that will fill you with no-not-again dread — starting, probably, with the first time Anna (Joanne Froggatt) bursts into tears. But unlike some seasons past, none of those moments take fatal hold. (There is an embarrassing stint built around Neville Chamberlain's aversion to “scrapes,” but let that pass). Far more frequent are those moments that are likely to cause anyone who likes the show and the characters to smile or tear up, as on-screen and off, we all face the necessity of letting go of the past.

But not yet. You still have nine episodes in front of you.

The Dowager Countess won’t be rushed into a Downton-less future, and neither should we.