The Crown, Season 5 Review: Streaming On Netflix
The Crown, Season 5, is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.
The fifth and penultimate season of The Crown—the first new season published since Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's deaths—finds a turbulent House of Windsor at a crossroads between a conservative past and a progressive future. Since Edward VIII's abdication, the monarchy has been at its lowest point. Parents are perplexed as to why their children turned out the way they did, couples have become alienated, and the public is growing increasingly dissatisfied by the costly expenditures of supporting a scandal-plagued royal family largely perceived as out of touch. Nothing less than the monarchy's survival is at stake. Regrets and vengeance take centre stage.Season 5 of The Crown has a lot to balance, with numerous important historical occurrences and the introduction of a totally new core cast. But don't worry, because showrunner Peter Morgan and his team pull it all off with the elegance, intelligence, and seriousness we've come to expect from Netflix's award-winning series.
The entire season has a sad vibe to it, and it's not just because it comes out two months after Queen Elizabeth II's death. From Charles and Diana's failed marriage to the decommissioning of the Royal Yacht Britannia to the end of Britain's colonial authority of Hong Kong to the fire at Windsor Castle, finality and change are ever present. The younger generation believes their moment has arrived to shine, while the older regard their successors as irresponsible and unprepared.This generational split manifests itself not just inside the royal family, but also within the BBC and the Al-Fayed family. At times, the symbolism surrounding this topic is a little too obvious. When the Queen says in one episode that even televisions are now metaphors, the show's self-awareness threatens to yank one out of the moment.
The theme of the past vs. the future is most pronounced between Charles and Elizabeth on numerous fronts, ranging from his desire for a divorce from Diana to his more forceful drive for the monarchy to modernise and better represent the Britain of the 1990s. The Queen, for her part, remains steadfast—even immovable—in her lifetime obligation to protect the monarchy's traditions and place in British society. Neither party appears inclined to bend. Unfortunately, circumstances are beyond Elizabeth's control, and she finally authorises Charles and Diana's divorce, despite her beliefs as a wife, mother, queen, and head of the Church of England.She is in a world she no longer recognises, and she is under increasing pressure to change from politicians, the press, the public, and even the Prince of Wales, in the season's most contentious artistic choice. Charles, as shown here, is undeniably ambitious, but he's also dissatisfied by the gilded purgatory that has become his middle-aged life. He's restless and longs to live a life filled with meaning and love, but his mother stands in his way.
As Elizabeth and Charles, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West both give sophisticated and poignant performances. Viewers will definitely sympathise with Elizabeth, who is now a nice elderly grandmother, and Charles, who is a dissatisfied and unsuccessful husband but not a monster. Although Charles West does not resemble the actual Charles, his acting and writing bring him to life and make him understandable. Season 5's Charles is a terrible husband to his first wife, a dedicated partner to his future second wife Camilla Parker-Bowles (Olivia Williams), and a true social activist. So, if you're scared that Season 5 would be a smear campaign against King Charles III, don't be.
It also doesn't smack of hagiography. Charles from Season 5 feels that the monarchy must mirror what its modern people are experiencing, which is divorce and disorder. Similarly, Season 5 isn't entirely on Princess Diana's side, as her own mistakes in judgement come into play, but she is always a sympathetic and vulnerable figure who desperately wants the love and companionship Charles was never going to provide because Camilla was always the woman he loved and wanted to marry. (From Charles to his sister Princess Anne through Princess Margaret's reunion with her previously adored Peter Townsend, marrying for love rather than duty has been a big topic this season.)
Among such a powerful ensemble, the statuesque Elizabeth Debicki shines out as Diana, literally and metaphorically standing over the royal family she thinks has never appreciated her. Debicki captures Diana's voice and facial expressions perfectly, resembling the genuine Princess of Wales more than many other performers who have represented her. Her Diana, like West's Charles, is a complex, imperfect human capable of a variety of emotions depending on the circumstances. She may be flirtatious and humorous to break the ice, then heartbroken and dismissive when insulted. She's a caring, if overly open, mother and public person who has genuine and profound sympathy for the sick and poor.Diana's brief romance with heart surgeon Dr. Hasnat Khan is represented here, although Debicki and her scene partner Humayun Saeed don't seem to have much chemistry, which may be deliberate. Diana is so anxious for a loving spouse that she overwhelms this talented but average man, who wonders what he's gotten himself into once Diana's infamous BBC interview airs. (More on it later.)
In Episode 3, titled "Mou Mou," one of the strongest of this season's ten episodes, Mohamed Al-Fayed (Salim Daw) and his son Dodi (Khalid Abdalla) are introduced. Mohamed's climb to power and money is swift; this is a guy who wants the worldto admire him, notably the white British world of his home Egypt's conquerors. He'll play the game and pay whatever it takes to get a seat at the table (or, in this case, at the Royal Windsor Horse Show). Dodi, on his part, desires his father's respect as well as the fulfilment of his own dreams, which he momentarily achieves by creating the Best Picture-winning Chariots of Fire.While the tragic romance of Dodi and Diana will have to wait until Season 6, this fifth instalment delves into who the Al-Fayeds are, what they seek, and how they came to be.
Colonialism, institutionalised racism, and classism are all present in this third episode, but the sweet bond between Mohamed and his servant Sydney Johnson (Jude Akuwudike), who had previously worked as Edward VIII's personal valet following his abdication, is the program's highlight. Mohamed's initial bias against Sydney, who is black, fades after learning about his previous profession. Mohamed learns how to be a "British gentleman" with Sydney as his instructor and valet in order to obtain access to and respect from the white establishment. Sydney Johnson, who featured briefly in Season 3, finally gets his due here.
Other Season 5 standouts include Jonny Lee Miller's understated portrayal of UK Prime Minister John Major and Natascha McElhone as Prince Philip's companion (and possibly crush) Penny Knatchbull, both of whom quickly endear themselves with sympathetic turns as people drawn into the royal family's most private matters.Lesley Manville, who plays Princess Margaret, creates an enormous feast out of her inebriated and decades-overdue showdown with her sister Elizabeth about being denied marrying the love of her life, Peter Townsend (Timothy Dalton). The connection between Margaret and Elizabeth is undoubtedly the series' linchpin, allowing us to witness both the Princess and the Queen at their most human and amusing, particularly here during their late-night phone conversation to patch things up following Margaret's outburst.
Jonathan Pryce's old portrayal of Prince Philip is full of crotchetiness and passionate curiosity. He's accepted his status and is completely committed to his wife and the monarchy, even if he now wants to play around in carriage rides with his godson's lovely bride, Penny. One episode highlights his links to Russia's dead Romanov royal family and how Philip's DNA helped to solve a decades-long mystery, a turn of events that resurfaces long-buried resentments he harbours toward his loving wife. Each important character gets their own devoted episode to shine this season, and this one showed the Duke of Edinburgh's delicate relationship with (what he refers to as) "The System."
Diana's controversial interview with the BBC's Martin Bashir (Prasanna Puwanarajah) in which she not only revealed Charles' lengthy romance with Camilla but also appeared to throw doubt on his fitness to one day serve as king is the biggest historical bombshell explored in Season 5. In recent years, it has been shown how crafty Bashir and, by extension, the BBC were in convincing Diana to conduct the interview. Bashir fabricated papers and concocted conspiracy theories in order to have the interview of a lifetime with Diana. The BBC isn't the only target here; the British media in general is portrayed as unfavourable and predatory throughout the season.
Verdict
Set against a backdrop of transition and tension, romance and remorse, The Crown's fifth season sympathetically explores broken hearts, duty versus desire, and the pursuit of love above all else with the introspection and elegance fans have come to expect from showrunner Peter Morgan, even if the metaphors are a little thick here. The series' last permanent cast delivers, with Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, Salim Daw as Mohamed Al-Fayed, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, and Jonny Lee Miller as John Major standing out
