Jared Berg
Editor in Chief
For those viewers still reeling from the finale of Downton Abbey, Netflix’s The Crown provides a more than acceptable alternative. If Downton Abbey has a legacy in the States, it is because of the show’s ability to make the most menial and seemingly inconsequential minutiae in the lives of an aristocratic class interesting to the American public.
A smartly-written series that capitalizes on the wealth of source material made available to it, The Crown continues Downton’s tradition of making the most pretentious elements of Britishness not only accessible, but compelling and moving.
Spanning an envisioned six seasons and 60 episodes, the show aims to illustrate the life of Queen Elizabeth II from her wedding in 1947 up until the present day. The first season, covering 1947 to 1955, leaves the impression that this lofty goal is very much within reach for Netflix’s 100 million pound investment.
Overall, The Crown’s scale is at once both its strength and its weakness. On one hand, the large timespan gives its writers no shortage of marriage, death, scandal and drama to turn to in order to craft six wholly enthralling seasons. On the other hand, the abundance of these stories can feel overwhelming, costing the series the more understated, intimate, character-building scenes that its magnificent actors require.
In large part due to this structural difficulty, the series heavily relies on flashbacks to build its world. For the most part, this strategy works expertly, such as in the episode “Smoke and Mirrors,” which parallels Elizabeth’s coronation with that of her father. These flashbacks allow the show to skip the majority of Elizabeth’s childhood and call upon it only when it is narratively necessary. The result is a series that expertly navigates broad expanses of time while adding depth to its characters.
Nina Gold, Game of Throne’s casting director, nails nearly every major casting decision. The cast does not meerly try to be imitations of the Queen and Prince Phillip but tries to bring their own interpretation to these iconic figures. Claire Foy, who dazzled as Anne Boleyn in last year’s series Wolf Hall, thrives in a role in which many would feel dwarfed. Her, and perhaps the show’s, best scenes feature herself and Prince Philip (Matt Smith). Smith and Foy’s intricate partnership breathes life into a very complex relationship as both struggle with the ramifications of Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne on their marriage.
When Philip asks Elizabeth “Are you my wife or my queen?” after she demands that he kneel to her during her coronation, she responds with “I am both and a strong man would be able to kneel to both.” It is interactions such as these that make Elizabeth a sympathetic and relatable character despite her lofty status.
Other notable performances come from Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret and John Lithgow as Winston Churchill, both of whom are amongst the trickier characters to portray. The title of The Crown can be misleading because the show’s supporting cast is as essential to the story as Queen Elizabeth herself.
The first season tackles universal themes such as family repsonsiblity, the loss of a parent and struggles to meet others’ expectations. Like many of its Netflix predecessors, The Crown ends its first season with viewers eagerly awaiting the news of the next season’s airdate.
Due to the series’ scope, recasting will probably be necessary before the third season. If Gold and the series’ creator, Peter Morgan, manage to cast with the same degree of accuracy that time around, The Crown will continue along the foundation it set this season as a smart, thoughtful, expansive and intimate portrayal of today’s quintessential modern monarch.