The Crown S4 TV Show Review: Gotta Watch for Princess Diana!
Another absolutely gorgeous but also grim season of The Crown, with the main highlights being the additions of Emma Corrin as Diana Spencer and Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher. The Crown is an outstanding period drama that tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II’s time on the throne. The cinematography, attention to detail, and casting make this one of the most enriching watching experiences on Netflix, especially if you’re an anglophile like me. Season 4 is a really dark and sad season. For a lot of the episodes (and frankly all of the episodes that were focused on Diana), I found myself feeling heartbroken and angry at how characters can be so awful and mean. Although Queen Elizabeth has her endearing moments, this season’s Queen seems extra cold-hearted, especially when it comes to Diana and Charles. If anything, The Crown never fails to remind us that even in the most privileged of positions, characters will be insufferable, lonely, and lost.
Truly amazing performances all around, but Corrin and Anderson really steal the show with their character introductions and storylines! I think that ultimately, as The Crown inches closer and closer to present-day events, it becomes extra tricky to create stories that are both sensitive to the people that are portrayed while also entertaining for audiences. While Diana’s introduction in Episode 1 is extremely endearing and adorable (you basically fall in love with the character immediately), every scene that follows feels like I am screaming at the screen for everyone to stop the marriage. You also get reminded that this drama purposefully aligns you to Diana’s side, because that’s the side the media has taken for pretty much all of history - the beautiful and beloved princess being mistreated by the stuffy royals. I absolutely loved the scene where a narrator recites a speech about fairy tales as Diana is in her wedding gown. He essentially says that the marriage is like a fairy tale, but while stories end at the wedding, real life does not. It was such a great way to foreshadow and warn of the things that were about to come.
Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher was also incredible! She was the first character to make me cry while watching, and I honestly loved how unshakable but also raw her portrayal was. The writers also bring a bit of humor into the role, especially with the scenes at Balmoral. That episode was really entertaining, not only because it was actually a “happy” episode for Diana, but watching Thatcher completely out of her element in nature was really amusing (but also sad at the same time?). I feel like this season really shows the royal family to be insufferably clique-y and mean when it comes to outsiders, and it was really sad to watch.
In conclusion…
The Crown is not a show that is a crowd-pleaser for everyone. While it’s intricate and gorgeous at times, it’s also moody and slow, and is definitely more suited to people who are drawn to period dramas. In this season, I find myself truly despising certain characters for their actions, but ultimately, it’s important to remember that this show is not a documentary - it’s fiction. I hope that people are able to walk away from it a little more intrigued to find out more about the truth rather than taking everything at face value. And I will miss this cast immensely, but also can’t wait to continue the adventure with Season 5!