Netflix’s “The Crown,” based on the life of Queen Elizabeth, has recently dropped the first four episodes of the sixth and final season. I can’t believe the series is coming to end. It’s been flooded in drama, history and glamour for the last six seasons.
Season six starts off on a heart-wrenching note. The final episode had me in complete tears!
The Good
I am forever in awe of the amazing casting and writing that “The Crown” has had the past six seasons. Elizabeth Debicki is Princess Diana — I could not have imagined a better fit than her. She truly captured her.
So, what did we like in the first four episodes?
- We got to see more interactions with Harry and William. They played a very minor role in season 5.
- I loved seeing Diana and her sons interact. It was equal parts sweet and sad knowing what you know.
- Did I mention the acting? The performances from Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki were especially INSANE! In a good way.
- The cinematography is so well done. Everything that happens, whether it be Diana in Saint Tropez or the tragic crash, is done in a way that evokes emotions.
The Tears, Oh the Tears
As “The Crown” is based on history, we know what happens. I was an infant when Princess Diana died, so I didn’t know much about the tragedy, aside from the crash that transpired from the paps chasing her. I never knew the events leading up to the death that made it that much sadder.
Diana was spending time with Dodi when she decided she wanted to head back home to London to be with her boys. Dodi, remembering the ring Diana had pointed out to him, took his father’s advice to hunt down the ring in Paris and propose. Paris was not in Diana’s plans, and when they got there, the chaos ensued at a higher rate.
Eventually, Diana decides to head back to Dodi’s flat. Here’s where things get even worse. The driver had been drinking when he took the keys and got behind the wheel, a fact that I never knew about. So awful. As they escape from the Ritz, seemingly free of any paps, a few still follow. As the driver tries to speed away, he crashes in the tunnel.
I could not stop crying the entire fourth episode. From seeing Dodi’s burial to William and Harry getting the news that their mother had died, it was all so devastating. Diana certainly brought a halt to the world that day. It just shows the wonderful impact she had (and still has). Such a tragic death that should never have happened. “The Crown” did such a good job tugging at the audience’s heartstrings.
I’ve seen criticism of showing Diana as a ghost. I’m not usually a fan of that, but I think it worked for the purposes that it served for the conversations Charles and the Queen had with her ghost. The same goes for Dodi and his father.
The Meh
I will say that the first four episodes dragged a little. I understand why they did it, but it definitely could have been condensed to two, maybe three episodes at most.
Aside from Diana and Dodi’s story, there wasn’t much of other stories, which goes back to it dragging a bit. We barely saw much of the Queen in the four episodes. The most we saw was how badly she handled Diana’s death.
I’m curious to see how the second half of the season will unfold. Obviously, there’s going to be a large focus on William and Kate and presumably Charles and Camilla’s wedding. In the next decade, the Queen also loses Princess Margaret and her mother, so there’ll be some somber moments. I do hope that there’s way less tears shed! Overall, it was a decently strong first half of the season. I am eager for more.
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