Warning: This article contains spoilers
Seven years and 60 episodes later, The Crown is bidding us farewell. The second half of season six, released on December 14, was starting to drift from the chaos following Prince Charles and Diana’s turbulent relationship, and brought us back to its roots: Queen Elizabeth — the person at the centre of the show.
Although I was captivated by the drama between Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki), Prince Charles (Dominic West) and Camilla Parker-Bowles (Olivia Williams) in the last seasons, I found it refreshing that the last six episodes had a classic The Crown feel to them.
Part two follows how the Royal Family, particularly Prince William (Ed McVey), grapple with Diana’s death. It also deals with William starting university and becoming acquainted with Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy), the rising tension between Prince Harry (Luther Ford), William and Charles, the Queen’s (Imelda Staunton) Golden Jubilee and Tony Blair’s (Bertie Carvel) premiership.
Someone, please pass the tissues
Though we are subjected to death all throughout The Crown, the latter half of season six deals with questions of mortality, namely around the Queen, who lost Margaret and, five weeks later, her mum.
It begins in episode eight, Ritz, one of my favourites this season.
In this episode, the emotional tether jumps back and forth between a teenaged Elizabeth (Viola Prettejohn – who looks like Claire Foy’s younger sister!) and Margaret (Beau Gadsdon) sneaking out of the palace to celebrate the end of the war and the much older version of the two sisters dealing with Margaret’s health issues.
It was a heart-wrenching episode. Margaret-centric episodes always were, in a way. This one, however, was different. It was hard to watch Margaret, the ever-so-illustrious woman, slowly decline in health. Lesley Manville was simply incredible. Her acting is so captivating and raw, and I’m glad we got to see more of her. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry.
Having lost so many loved ones, it is no wonder the Queen begins questioning her death in the final episode, Sleep, Dearie, Sleep.
This was another moving episode, and I loved that Olivia Colman and Claire Foy made a comeback. Their reappearance wasn’t purposeless. They served as an “in” into the Queen’s thoughts, which was interesting because the Queen’s feelings were usually hinted at rather than explicitly stated. It was a powerful technique and made me feel nostalgic for the previous seasons!
Speaking of the ending, I like how it looks like the Queen made peace with dying as she walks past her coffin, but it also serves as a touching tribute to her. It truly felt like a “love letter” to the late Queen.
The new cast
I’m in awe of Meg Bellamy, Ed McVey and Luther Ford, whose breakout roles were in this season. Perhaps they didn’t fully resemble Kate, Will or Harry, but I wasn’t bothered by that. Their acting made up for it, and I often wished I had bought myself some popcorn – their scenes were entertaining to watch!
My favourite?
Well, I’ve got plenty – especially those involving funny one-liners from Harry – but one of them is when Charles tells Will: “Hating the press is not the way to endear yourself to them,” and Will replies with: “I don’t need to endear myself to them. I’m not the one with the image problem.”
Ouch! Peter Morgan, you’re one clever writer.
A re-invented classic
As I already mentioned, these six episodes had a similar feel to them as earlier seasons of The Crown. The focus was back on the Queen and other royals, which felt like a breath of fresh air after the heaviness of the last two seasons, but it was clear the characters had matured and changed.
The writing and presentation changed, too. In the last season especially, there were more artistic choices made – the “Ghosts” in part one, and a hilarious dream sequence where Blair gets crowned King in part two. It was so extra, and I liked that we were once again shown the relationship between the Queen and a PM. It was something we hadn’t properly seen since the Thatcher era in season 4.
One criticism I have is that I wish we had more than six episodes. Perhaps that is just me trying to cope with it finishing, but The Crown truly was a masterpiece. And I believe it will bear this title for years to come.
Featured Image Credit: Daily Mail Online (via Twitter)
A 23 year old aspiring writer.
News Editor at Brig Newspaper, 23/24. / Comment Editor, 22/23.
Msc International Journalism.
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