The series finale of ‘Downton Abbey’ season six is set to air on Christmas in the United Kingdom.
"The last ever episode offers all the love and loss, happiness and heartbreak of ‘Downton Abbey,’ and as the family and servants prepare to welcome 1926, they celebrate an unforgettable New Year's Eve together at the great house," Masterpiece's press release stated.
While relationships are expected to be settled, the last episode before the Christmas finale will bring on multiple challenges for the Crawley family and their downstairs employees.
Although some members of the cast have begun to step into their happy endings that fans have been wanting for them, others are still left to question their fate. Viewers of the hit ITV drama have then questioned whether a two-hour Christmas finale can really tie things up pleasingly for everyone.
For Lady Edith’s (Laura Carmichael) best chance of having a happy ending, Lady Edith’s former beau and his mother will reportedly be featured on the season finale, prompting fans to wonder whether the middle Crawley sister will finally find her own happiness.
“The cast of Downton spent a week filming at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, which doubles as Brancaster Castle, the home of Pelham – implying that a reconciliation with former fiancée Edith could be on the cards,” an episode synopsis states.
Actress Patricia Hodge is said to be joining the cast as the unsympathetic mother of Bertie Pelham (Harry Hadden-Paton), which may suggest that a wedding could finally be in store for the couple.
Aside from Lady Edith, other storylines are yet to be addressed, including the possibility of Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode) stepping in as a father figure to Master George, and Tom Branson (Allen Leech) getting a chance to love another woman after mourning for his late beloved wife, Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay).
There is also the relationship of the Bates family, which has brought on more questions for fans especially after circumstances that include prison, false accusations, and rape.
After a leaked synopsis, it is speculated that the Christmas finale will put forth the birth of a baby to Mr. and Mrs. Bates (Brendan Coyle and Joanne Froggatt). With ‘Downton Abbey’ considering the couple’s story as one its central storylines and drawing attention the unfortunate couple’s many struggles, John and Anna will reportedly be conceiving despite a series of miscarriages.
“With the help of a procedure by a Harley Street gynecologist, paid for by Lady Mary, Anna was apprehensively enjoying the prospect of having a child of her own,” the Telegraph noted.
‘Downton Abbey’ season six premieres Jan. 3, 2016, in the United States.
