It’s a new decade, and the royal family are facing what may be their biggest challenge yet, proving their continued relevance in ’90s Britain. As Diana and Charles wage a media war, cracks begin to splinter the royal foundation.
Season 5 brings an all-new cast to the beloved Netflix series, “The Crown.” Everyone is once again aged up. Imelda Staunton stars as Queen Elizabeth, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Phillip, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Dominic West as Prince Charles, and Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret.
I like everyone in the new cast; however, the material they worked with this season was not the best. This season is set in the ’90s as the royal family’s reputation continues to suffer in the eyes of the public, mainly due to the press. The queen also contends with her family falling apart as her children, Princess Charlotte, Prince Andrew, and Prince Charles, seek divorce.
It doesn’t help that Prime Minister John Major, played by Jonny Lee Miller this season, is quite a bore. He is not given anything to do and finds the royal family frustrating like the rest of us.
It is strange to see Dominic West as anyone other than Jim McNulty from “The Wire.” His portrayal of Charles frankly pales in comparison to Josh O’Connor’s version. Charles still comes across as stuck-up, whiny, and arrogant, but I found something in his performance lacking this season.
I did think the season captured Diana’s paranoia pretty well as the paparazzi and press continued to harass her and what led her to do that TV interview with journalist Martin Bashir. The British tabloids continue to be unrelenting in their pursuit of scoops to this day, as we can see with how they harass and villainize Meghan Markle.
I remember being surprised that this season did not contain Diana’s death; we will get that heartbreaking tale early next season. Of course, I’m excited to get more of Debicki, who was able to embody Diana’s mannerisms in this season perfectly, but I can’t say I understand why the creators decided to wait to do this. The season concludes by teasing this tragic event instead of just committing to it.
I also did not find the Phillip and Penny (Natasha McElhone) storyline compelling. That whole relationship felt weird, though I knew that was the point. In fact, most of the relationship drama this season was simply tiring. It has just gotten old, especially with the influx of royal family drama hitting our screens since Harry and Meghan decided to step away from the royal family. But all the marital conflicts feel pretty tiring, and unfortunately, that is the main focus of this season.
The standalone episodes were not very compelling this season, either. “Mou Mou,” which centers on a young Mohamed Al-Fayed, felt unnecessary. I appreciate the backstory, but didn’t think it needed an entire episode length. I also think it should’ve been applied more to Fayed’s son, Dodi. “Ipatiev House,” which centers on the exhumation of the Romanovs, was also forgettable, though I believe Stanton got a chance to shine towards the end of that episode. Hopefully, we’ll get more of that next season.
I also thought Manville was very much underutilized this season. The episode where she reunites with Peter Townsend was my favorite storyline from this season. Overall, season 5 of “The Crown” left much to be desired. I found this season to be a slog to get through. The writing was definitely at its weakest and didn’t give enough chances for the new cast to stand out. However, I am still optimistic about the sixth and final season. I think creator Peter Morgan can stick the landing. And one dull season does not diminish the greatness of the previous four seasons.
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