Downton Abbey - Season 6

If you really can't wait to leap ahead of the American broadcast schedule for Julian Fellowes' smash-hit British period drama "Downton Abbey," or if you're planning to luxuriate in its soapy nostalgia for years to come, this Blu-ray set is the way to go.

Spoiler-free, what I'll say here is that Season 6 is more of what came before, though the inevitable transition from the old ways to the modern world is felt throughout - and so are the personal transitions of the characters.

It's a safer bet to focus on the special features, but there are fewer here than you might expect. One of them is "Changing Times" - of course - and that's self-explanatory. Less obvious is the featurette dedicated to "The Cars of 'Downton Abbey,' " a peek into a nook of the show's period that is less predictable than, say, earlier featurettes exploring the wardrobe or props, and which is all the more delightful for it. The third of the set's three extras is "Farewell to Highclere," the castle that "played" the role of the show's titular grand manor.

All in all, the "Downton Abbey" saga spans about a decade and a half; the social changes it documents feel more like they should have taken place over the course of a half century, but that upheaval in itself is what propelled the show and gave it such a captivating sense of momentum. (That said, the show's repeating motifs were getting pretty threadbare long before the final chapter arrived.) Whether you feel that six seasons was one too many, or yearn for a never-to-be-produced seventh, this final volume is essential to your Downton collection. If you haven't been watching and adding to your Blu-ray stack all this time, a complete series edition is sure to follow (and we can hope for a fuller set of extras when it does).

"Downton Abbey, Season 6 - The Final Season"
Blu-ray
$34.99
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