The crown season 5 rating
The fifth season of “The Crown”, Netflix’s huge hit about the British Royal House, is probably the most controversial season (so far at least) of the series and this even before it became available to watch on the streaming service. Many factors contributed to this, whether it was the first season to be broadcast after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, or whether it was the storm it caused due to the way it chose to represent the new king and his relationship with the late Princess Diana and his lover.
Now, about a week after the season became available, we can say with certainty that if we put all this unnecessary noise aside for a moment – the fifth season is indeed not the most successful of the series, but it is definitely great, high quality and in its own way managed to reinvent itself – just as it was required to do accordingly She had to deal with the content.
I’ll point out right now that if you haven’t watched the new season yet, it’s your responsibility to continue reading because there will be spoilers from here on out.
As mentioned, the fifth season of the series dealt with the disintegration of the marriage between Prince (now the King) Charles and Princess Diana, in the shadow of his well-publicized affair with Camilla Parker Bowles (now the Queen). It’s safe to say that this is the main content for which season viewers clicked “play” but that’s absolutely not all they got.
The season dealt mainly with what is considered the worst decade of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign. In this decade her beloved Windsor Castle burned down, two of her sons divorced, the royal yacht that had accompanied her until now stopped working and more – Charles and Diana were just the icing on the cake. Alongside them we could enjoy the broader context of that period (yes – even if a considerable part of the discourse and scenes are fictitious; entertainment is entertainment).
The fifth season, and I say this to its credit, is different in spirit from the previous ones. The difference stems from a successful diagnosis of the entire production, from the producers and writers to the directors and actors, regarding the mood that prevailed in the kingdom at the time, in relation to the previous years of the queen’s reign and even before that (by choosing an unexpected plot line concerning the change of government in Russia and the murder of the Romanov family).
The fifth season is grayer, gloomier and especially interesting to watch because it presents us with such a complete and ironic contrast to the queen we remember right before her death in September 2022. We can only ask ourselves – what happened in these 20 or so years that turned her from a woman with archaic values into the beloved grandmother more than most of the world?
The producers of the series dealt with this contrast in a wonderful way. They were not ashamed to express covert and open criticism of the queen and equally they succeeded in glorifying her and giving her the respect she deserves – these two truths exist simultaneously and in harmony together. Charles also receives a refresh here, but it is not entirely clear whether it is the character of the new actor, Dominic West, who plays the 50-year-old prince, or the inspiration from the prince himself and the change made in him after the divorce from the most famous woman in the world. Whether they wanted it or not, the producers of the series presented the viewer, both old and young, with the new and modern King Charles precisely through the period when he was the most hated man among the citizens of the kingdom.
More in-
Speaking of the actors, it is impossible not to mention the wonderful actress who was chosen to play Diana Spencer, Elizabeth Debicki. Quite a few actresses tried to bring Diana back to life and very few succeeded (they also did this quite partially). Debiki, on the other hand, was 98% successful in her work, while the remaining two percent were only the scenes that reminded me that they are not always the fruit of reality, alongside the random memory that brought the real Diana back to life in my mind’s eye.
A surprising and important climax, which is hard not to mention, is the unexpected union between Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister, and her former lover Peter Townsend, played by former James Bond Timothy Dalton. The union of the two older people whose pure love was interrupted by the establishment, the system and especially by the queen herself, was without a doubt a complete surprise and closing the circle of the entire series from the first season. It is better to say as little as possible about these scenes and my warmest recommendation is to just watch them and be moved.
Compared to the previous seasons, the amount of tension that the script built between episodes was not as evident here and we got more and more long silences, “touching” monologues, speeches, attempts to innovate, convert and change – while we already know the main points and the final results of each and every story. They also succeeded in this challenge to a fairly adequate extent with a well-written script, first-rate actors and precise direction. Even so, those who have survived this season may find that they get a little bored here and there and that they may even want to fast forward a bit at times.
I will conclude by saying that the new season of the crown, one before the sixth and last, does the job. It brings us wonderfully written drama, actors who sell their characters without trying too hard and of course it brings us one of the best and saddest stories in British and world history.
As for the criticisms of the series that claim that it does not have a sufficient grasp of reality, I will respond and say – at what point in the previous seasons did you imagine that they were? It is important to remember to divide and rule between history and entertainment and when the two come together we must exercise discretion and allow art to teach us the lessons of that history – with limited responsibility.
“The Crown” – Season 5 | Netflix | Score: 9
The Bottom Line: A high-quality and successful season that pays respect to the historical figures represented in it, with the slight offense of distorting reality in its respectable parts.
Comments to the article(0):
Your response has been received and will be published subject to the system policy.
Thanks.
for a new comment
Your response was not sent due to a communication problem, please try again.
Return to comment