Television will be less civilized after this weekend, for Sunday night is the finale of "Downton Abbey."
The British soap opera about the Crawley family and their servants is the highest rated series in the history of public television.
But if internet memes and fan videos are to be believed, one character will be most missed by fans: Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, played with snobbish panache by Dame Maggie Smith.
She will be missed for good reason. The Dowager Countess got all the best lines. She is the master of the aristocratic put-down, and was both cunning and persuasive.
And in a show about marrying off daughters, her battles with the equally strong-willed and clever cousin Isobel (Penelope Wilton) were refreshing. If there’s a legacy for "Downton Abbey," let’s hope it’s a spin-off show featuring these two whip-smart frenemies.
Here are some of the best moments from the Dowager Countess:
