Although Mary has done her best over the six seasons of Downton Abbey to make her middle sister's life miserable, all of that changed in the series finale. After ruining Edith's relationship with Bertie in the previous episode, Edith and Bertie got back together in the series finale of Downton Abbey, thanks to Mary secretly reuniting the pair. Even Bertie's mother's judgments couldn't stop Edith's happy ending from happening on Downton Abbey.
In case you could have possibly forgotten, Downton Abbey really wanted to remind you that no one — from her parents to the servants — ever expected Edith to get married. (Oh, Julian Fellowes — did we really need all those comments about how "unbelievable" Edith finding love was?) Yet "poor" Edith showed them all. Previously, Mary was her standard horrible self and told Bertie that Marigold was Edith's biological child, so he understandably ended their engagement — especially since he had just become the Marquess of Hexham. However, after some time passed, Mary set the pair up to meet (with a little help from Aunt Rosamund) and Bertie pleaded with Edith to accept his marriage proposal again because he couldn't live without her. Everyone together now, "Awwwww!"
There was another bump in the road when Edith told the truth about Marigold to Bertie's overbearing mother, but with a little help from Lord Grantham, Bertie's mom got on the Edith bandwagon too. She acknowledged that Edith is not only intelligent, but also "unimpeachably honest" and gave the union of Edith and Bertie her blessing.
Edith's accomplishments outside of her romances, most notably her work as a magazine editor, are important enough, but this is Downton and love rules all. Although I had expected that Downton Abbey would finally give Edith the ending she deserves (and then some since Bertie now lives in a magnificent castle), it was heartwarming to see Bertie and Edith kiss while their parents looked on. After a few tries, Edith gets the romantic wedding she has always wanted — and unbelievably, she can (kind of?) thank Mary for it. Now, if only Mary had been this nice throughout the rest of Downton Abbey.
Images: Courtesy of Nick Briggs/Carnival Film & Television Limited 2015 for MASTERPIECE
