A relationship blossoms between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed before a fateful car journey has devastating consequences. Prince William tries to integrate back into life at Eton after his mother’s death as the monarchy has to ride the wave of public opinion. As she reaches her Golden Jubilee, the Queen reflects on the monarchy’s future with the marriage of Charles and Camilla and the beginnings of a new Royal fairytale in William and Kate.
Undoubtedly, “The Crown” is a huge show for the streaming giant Netflix. Creator Peter Morgan assembled great casts to play members of the royal English family. I think he also successfully managed to show that the humanness of the royal family stuck in this rigid institution. There are many valid criticisms against the crown and the royal family that the show slides in throughout its seasons, but in the end, we never understand what the creator of this show thinks about the royals, other than that he does hold Queen Elizabeth II in high regard for her service.
In this last season of “The Crown,” the first half focuses almost exclusively on Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) and how her death affects the royal family. The second half mainly focuses on Prince William (Ed McVey), who is in his university years pursuing Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy).
Unfortunately, these events are not very interesting. Diana is undoubtedly a standout on the show, with “The Crown” focusing on her since season 4. However, I feel they tried to drag out her storyline this season. Then, in the second half, rush through events that almost span a decade. The second half of the season also focuses on the younger royals like William and Harry, which makes the second half of this season feel overcrowded.
Honestly, I didn’t find the William and Kate storyline very compelling. Again, I think the show dragged out them getting together. You would think that their pursuit would make for captivating television. However, these two actors lacked the chemistry to hold my interest.
My favorite episode this season was “Ritz.” It’s a Margaret episode, and her episodes are usually a highlight for me, so this should be no surprise. However, I doubt the accuracy of this episode of a young Elizabeth and Margaret sneaking out and partying at The Ritz when World War II ended. But this episode emphasized their sisterly bond. You can’t help but feel both for Margaret as she suffers from stroke after stroke, and Elizabeth, who realizes she is going to lose her little sister after a series of other close losses. Even though the sisters have troubles with each other, Elizabeth always relies on Margaret. The loneliness she feels without her sisters has never felt greater.
The last episode ends with Charles (Dominic West) and Camilla’s (Claudia Harrison) wedding, which feels odd. Of course, this final season aired after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, so this could be how the show signals the transition to the new King and Queen of England. However, King Charles has yet to do anything of note, which ultimately feels hollow.
I did enjoy Season 6 more than Season 5. However, these last two seasons have undoubtedly been the show’s weakest. This show continues to impress on the technical front, especially its production design. The acting is also still pretty solid, but this season felt disjointed because it tried to tackle so much.
Now available on Blu-ray™ and DVD
3.4k
20k
1.5k
1.3k