Out with the old and in with the new is a now familiar part of “The Crown” and its rotating cast, serving as a reminder of how rich the existing British acting pool is with its slew of recognizable faces. This series can also make careers as Emma Corrin and Vaness Kirby were launched into the stratosphere after her breakout performance as the young Diana Spencer and Princess Margaret. Unlike most players, Corrin only got one year in the Princess of Wales sandbox, and Elizabeth Debicki takes over as Peter Morgan’s Emmy Award-winning juggernaut heads into contentious territory.
An ongoing debate about whether the Netflix historical drama needs disclaimers at the start to remind audiences this isn’t a straight-up documentary continues—for the record, I don’t think a title card is required. Recent headlines are dominated with details about what will be covered this season, including the infamous “Tampongate” conversation between Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Camila Parker-Bowles (Olivia Williams). This back-and-forth is far sweeter in its intimate portrayal than the coverage when the scandal broke. In fact, at no point does it feel like this is ever a hatchet job that hopes to end the British Royal Family because there is always an underlying sympathy regarding the people at the center of these narrative threads.
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Yes, painful moments are covered and embellished, and it is impossible to ignore the tragic event on the horizon. It is impossible to watch the new season without considering the background noise of panicky headlines about Morgan’s use of a dramatic license. The other real-world context that is hard to forget is the tributes that followed in the wake of Queen Elizabeth’s death in September. Emotions are heightened, and the furor will likely grow when the new series hits the streamer on November 9.
“The Crown” tackles a very different period in the Queen’s (Imelda Staunton) reign when her popularity is waning, and the relevancy of the monarch is called into question. Whether Charles will ever be King is a repeated narrative, and these conversations also require disconnecting that part of your brain that is more than aware of what has recently transpired.
It goes without saying that as “The Crown” barrels toward more recent events, I was mentally ticking off incidents like the raging Windsor Castle fire, Andrew Morton’s infamous book on Diana (including how he scored those personal details), and the incendiary “Panorama” interview. I am the same age as Prince William, so it is safe to say I have memories of the headline-making moments.
With all this in mind, there are undoubtedly lofty expectations for this season, and Morgan doesn’t always follow the path you might expect. As the woman who has become a thorn in this family’s side, Diana’s presence looms large, but she disappears for long stretches when other characters snap into focus. It works out better this way as while Debicki is incredible in this role (and the similarities to the real Diana are eerie), the show needs space to breathe away from the media circus of this failed marriage.
Instead, with a new century (and Millenium) on the horizon, it is the Queen, and her role as a sovereign dominates a season preoccupied with themes of stability. There is a new prime minister in office, and it is apparent from the jump that John Major (Jonny Lee Miller) is well-liked by the palace. The Tory leader is mild-mannered and less confrontational than some of his predecessors. His starry rise from Brixton and lack of university education (a rarity in political leadership) make him an outlier, and he takes a personal role in later disputes.
Miller’s understated performance shouldn’t be ignored, as he is the low-key MVP of the season. Although out of the main cast, Major could do with fleshing out. While Miller makes a mark when he is on the screen, there are plenty of question marks about what makes him tick outside of his love of cricket and his ability not to be drawn into the contentious Charles and Diana spat.
The latter pulls all the oxygen out of the room, so it is welcome whenever the warring couple is preoccupied with other romances and projects. Charles is depicted as a modern thinker trying to break free of the tight parameters that have boxed in many before him—including his Aunt Margaret and his great uncle. Divorce is the cause of much bitterness, and “The Crown” offers a brief history of how the royal family has evolved over the last 100 years when it comes to remarriage.
Margaret (Lesley Manville) is an example of someone whose life could’ve gone down a different path if her sister hadn’t vetoed her choice of love match. This painful event is revisited, and Manville is equally adept at portraying the deep bitterness as she is at the fluttering nerves that never went away. Some of the series’ best moments are between the two sisters, whether gossiping, briefly dropping the stoicism, and showcasing how lived in this dynamic is — something each pair of actors has done brilliantly.
Stepping into the Queen’s sensible shoes is no easy feat when following in Claire Foy and Olivia Colman’s footsteps, particularly when this version deals with a litany of scandals and the existential dread of aging in public. There is an unexpected spikiness to some of Staunton’s delivery, which is jarring at first but fits the Queen’s frame of mind, particularly the infamous “Annibalus Horribilus” referenced early in the season. Some source of conflict is a little contrived, and you can’t help but feel like you are being smacked in the face with symbolism—a figurative anvil is dropped any time the Royal Yacht Britannia is mentioned.
“The Crown” favors drawing from the past, which means other familiar faces pop up throughout (I shan’t spoil who). These can occasionally lean toward hitting the theme of the episode without any semblance of subtly. One episode dealing with WWI is more successful, and the early introduction of another main player had me hitting pause and reaching for my phone to find out how accurate some elements are—again, they don’t need a disclaimer as everyone is capable of searching what really happened before the episode is even over.
While the pacing early on is somewhat erratic, and certain narrative elements fall on the clunkier side (see everything with Prince William), the performances remain riveting. West as Charles is far more confident and charismatic than Josh O’Connor’s exceptional portrayal of the young prince’s awkwardness, which at times is distracting. West is far too good at playing devilish cads, and this is hard to forget. Still, as the season progresses, I found his Charles to be more successful—though not the same chameleon quality as his predecessor. Debicki’s resemblance to Diana is equally hard to ignore, but she also captures the charm and paranoia the princess felt in equal measure. Williams, the other woman in this marriage, hits an array of contrasting notes as Camilla, including the sweet, flirty phone call that leads to public humiliation.
It is also a series that pays attention to detail, such as getting the right supermarket carrier bag that spun me back to the early ’90s. Elsewhere, costume designer Amy Roberts has again captured the sartorial flair we associate with each figure—especially Diana. The extensive array of impressive estates doubling as royal residences adds to the fantasy-meets-reality mood.
Much like the Royal family at the heart of the series, “The Crown” has its detractors and supports, and the fifth season maintains the melodramatic antics that keep us wanting more. [B]