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Reconsidering “The Crown”
Hi Ricochet! It’s been a while since writing. Holidays, friends and family along with a healthy dose of Steelers, Rams and LA Kings take its toll. Actually, I should really blame it on my new love affair with The Crown on Netflix. First I should say, I didn’t want to watch this series. It looked like it would be a slog through some Merchant Ivory/Downton Abbey costume drama that has never interested me. Forty years ago I would stand on the streets of old Londontown donning my AC/DC schoolboy uniform (for realz) as Her Royal Highness parade-waved us commoners from her gold-leafed carriage. I recall not really caring about any of it even then. It all seemed so … unnecessary. And now, I am reconsidering my apathy.
A few years later, I was living in SoCal as a fresh legal immigrant. I was woken at zero-dark-thirty by my excited Mum so we could watch Charles and Diana walk down the aisle on our 19-inch RCA, which Princess Diana would one day say was the most disappointing day of her life. When she died in 1997, my then-fiance had the brand new MSNBC on 24/7 (don’t hold it against her … it wasn’t Maddowed yet). While I was of course saddened, for me it was more curious voyeurism seeing how the country of my youth stopped everything for a week and reacted with what I assumed was probably America’s reaction to the assassination of JFK. The real-life sociological drama played out live, resulting in the House of Windsor being torn apart because the Queen didn’t want to break a thousand years of tradition by … lowering the flag? In my mind, the whole thing was silly. That Monarchy was the equivalent of Ronald McDonald or Aunt Jemima … a symbol, an avatar, an empty relic of the past that happens to be ridiculously expensive for the British taxpayer.
Almost 50 years of not caring, and then I watched one television series and can’t stop thinking about it. Now, I’m not suggesting I will replace my Robinson/Long portraits with a painting of the Queen anytime soon, but I feel a new found respect for the history, and more importantly, their sacrifice. More on that in a moment.
The primary story is the intersection of Elizabeth the person, wife, sister, daughter and mother and Elizabeth “the Queen.” The real-life events move the story forward, and what is happening around the Royals allows us to get a sense of who the Royals are. The players on stage are the very people we already feel we knew, but only now do we see their most private moments, insecurities, and the psychology behind some of the 20th centuries most historic decisions.
We already knew that Winston Churchill’s (brilliantly played by John Lithgow) second turn at No. 10 Downing Street was not the triumph many had hoped. To be fair, living in post-war 1950s England was brutal as food rations and economic blight would have resulted in a no-confidence vote for any Prime Minister. My late cockney Father often told me stories about coping with “The Fog” and was actually one of the reasons he would mention why we left (coal-induced fog was fairly common for many years thereafter).
We learn some shocking things about King Edward VIII who we already knew abdicated the throne for the love of a divorcee … (the reason I personally can’t be King, otherwise, shine up my scepter, guv!) This resulted in his reluctant speech giving brother George VI taking over and changing the trajectory of his daughter’s lives (Elizabeth and Margaret) as well as his country’s history. The little known chilling details (and the post-credit real pictures) about David’s (HRH Edwards’) dark Nazi secrets could have derailed England from prevailing over Germany in World War II, which would likely have resulted in my not being here to write this review. This was a gut-check moment for the viewer comparable only to some of the best episodes of another must-see series, “Breaking Bad.”
We already knew about Prince Phillips restlessness but see his perspective of having not only his name, home, and future removed by the Crown but how he had to conform to rules that would have made any reasonable person rebel. You may not like some of the things he did, but you sympathized with the dominated man.
We knew Prince Charles as an adult typifies the upper crust, weedy silver-spoon which is largely an embarrassment to more alpha Brits. A guy like Charles would never have landed Diana unless he was a Royal or early investor in Facebook. After watching an episode about his childhood schooling, there’s a greater understanding of the man. Notwithstanding, I feel England has been better served by the long life of his Mother. Yet, for better or worse, we will likely one day see King Charles and it’s good to understand his trajectory.
The beauty of the series was not just the captivating storylines, but the cinematography, music and showing all of the money on the screen, reportedly $100 million! As Kurt Schlichter pointed out in our recent podcast, they could have easily referred to a parade, but instead actually put it on screen. You were there, and for the first time since my childhood, I saw the very same golden Royal Carriage that passed me by as a young boy.
Now, we look forward to seasons three and four which reports have confirmed will introduce new actors to play the major roles as they age. Claire Foy (Queen Elizabeth) will be very hard to replace. We should assume to see the introduction of Lady Thatcher and Ronald Reagan along with the psychodrama of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. Everything ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s will be surely compelling.
As the well-known history and stories happen, it’s fascinating to witness this group of people coping with simply being human. While most anyone would quickly switch places with Royalty to enjoy the trappings, luxury and never having to worry about mundanities, there is more than a hint of the imprisonment each member of the family feels. They are not in control of their lives. They can not choose what to say, what to wear, who to employ, or who to love. There is an overarching sadness to each character as to be born into Royalty does not permit to be anything but Royal. Their duty is to the Queen, who, in her own words, answers to God. She cannot allow for personalities, feelings, and human traits that we commoners take for granted. In fact, it is human frailties themselves that are the greatest threat to the sovereign, as they can derail the entire monarchy.
To be reminded daily of such is not a burden I think I would choose. Instead, from my commoners’ couch, I eagerly anticipate future seasons of what is some the best television ever created.
Published in General
Thanks for that Dave. I haven’t watched and probably won’t but at least I know what I am missing. Happy New Year.
I haven’t watched it yet, but you aren’t the first to recommend it, so I think I’ll start on it. I wouldn’t be royal for all the world.
This is what got to me too in the first series. I can’t wait to watch the new one.
That crown is a lot heavier than I ever imagined. I came away with great respect for both Queen Elizabeth II and her father.
And Edward VIII–what a cad!
Great review. Thank you. I can’t wait to see the new season.
Nice review Dave. Me and the honey will give it a go.
Polish that golden scepter Dave. Oh wait…..
I have enjoyed the ? on Netflix. As you say, the human frailties are the greatest threat to the Royals running the monarchy. We commoners share those very same frailties, even if the consequences are more private and have a narrower impact.
Thanks for the review.
I’ll have to give up the diet of Netflix superheroes and give this show a spin.
Knowing who Prince Charles is, and why Henry despises him, kinda puts a new wrinkle on the engagement to Meghan Markle.
She is absolutely perfect for the role of royal spoiler, Chuck and his crowd must absolutely hate her. She’s an American divorcee who is black and half Jewish. She ticks off every box that ticks off every member of the “pure laine” crowd that is the extended royal family, and sycophants. I would imagine once the cameras are off, she gets a fairly chilly reception from most of the families.
My husband and I have really enjoyed it. He remembered a lot of the things that happened having been there.
Claire Foy did a fabulous job. I’m going to miss her, but aging make-up never really works well. Olivia Colman is a good actress, but at the moment I have a bit of trouble seeing her as the Queen.
I agree with the review and am still watching season 2.
What I cannot believe are the production costs and quality going into this series. Variety has a great article about these escalating costs.
In the interest of full disclosure and under my employer’s policies, I need to state that I am an employee of Sony Pictures Entertainment, producer of The Crown
Beautiful review, Dave. I finally binged most of it over the Holidays, and was struck by the show’s restrained treatment of the tragic bondage of duty. Having never given much thought to the Royals, (indeed, I don’t remember watching Prince Charles’ and Diana’s wedding) this has been a revelation.
Also it might be a good idea to rethink your decision to not replace the Robinson/Long portraits; I have a set as well, but it’s kind of creepy how the eyes follow you, no matter where you go.
Thank you, Mr. Sussman for the great review. I’m sure it looks wonderful on your Samsung Smart TV.
One of the best produced series ever on television. It’s refreshing to see these royal personages as real human beings with all their foibles, recklessness, fears, anxiety, intelligence, loyalties, wit and from time to time their raw, bloody courage. The cast, the costumes, the sets, the props, the attention to detail is astounding. Yes, a few liberties with history now and then but all in all an amazing series. Well, worth watching several times over. The episode dealing with Edward’s (David’s) Nazi sympathies and dealings is probably the best of the series and better than anything I’ve seen on television in the past ten or more years. A tour de force.
Once you get sucked in, it’s hard to walk away. Set some time aside and enjoy!
British, not Polish.
Watched the Nazi episode last night while I am in the midst of reading Victor Davis Hanson’s The Second World Wars. What a great temporal connectedness.
That’s the thing, I have always felt the coverage was always uninteresting to me, and don’t care when babies were born or who Harry is getting married to. Kind of strange now I am writing about them.
I’ve been interested in the Royals since I was a little girl, prior to WWII, and decided then I never wanted to grow up to be a princess. I felt so sorry for those girls, never any privacy and always being told what to do, how to act, what they can say or not.
People knew at the time, and talked about King Edward and his fascination with Hitler, and I always thought that was why he abducted the throne. Not just because he married a divorcee.
Thank you very much Dave for this review. I too am looking forward to seasons 3 and 4.
wow…. “Peak TV has created an expansion-league environment,” Wachtel says. “Actors and writers and directors who used to compete for jobs are now having studios compete over them.”
Industry sources say writers and producers who might have been making less than $20,000 an episode a few years ago are now able to command loftier job titles and fees closer to $40,000-$50,000 or more.”
Thought that was your oil painting of Kid Rock.
Quit watching me creeper!
Agreed. I haven’t watched every episode 2x, but I recommend watching some of the first episodes again. You pick up so much more once you have gotten to know the characters.
By way of explanation to the other Ricos on this thread:
We were introduced to it by one of our daughters. It is superb! We liked Downton Abbey and needed a little more of the posh life, so we started watching The Crown. It really has exceptional production values, and I’ve wondered how they can spend so much! But, it also is a pretty sad story when you consider that- if you’re the queen, you really don’t get what you want- but you do what you must.
Makes me happy I was born to a long line of dairy farmers in the United States of America. All that social class folderal, and pompous ceremony really isn’t my thing. Fun to watch, but it would have been miserable to live.
Here’s the thing with this show. It’s well done. I just don’t find the story to be compelling. By this stage of the monarchy there was no point other than show and performance. So far the biggest excitement has been one abdication because of a royal and a commoner, the non-relevant king being in charge of the coronation, and another royal being involved with another commoner who got more press than the queen. Maybe this is the American in me but whoopty doo! Scant mention of how the court felt about the UK losing its empire, no talk of the Cold War despite being in the mid-50s when it was pretty hot. Nope just mundane pap that just is not interesting.
+1
Deep under cover, I presume. Keep up the good fight.
People knew of Edward’s sympathies during the war, but the full extent of his treason didn’t come out for decades.
And along the lines of “recent” revelations, I saw a documentary about the royal family last month. It addressed the execution of Nicholas II and his family during the Russian revolution. An agreement had been negotiated for the Czar to receive asylum in England. When it fell through, it was widely believed to have been scotched by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. It is now known that it was George V, Nicholas’ own cousin, who vetoed it. George had fears that Nicholas’ presence could spark a similar worker uprising in Britain. This although he and Nicholas had been as close as brothers while growing up.
Also enjoying this, although still in Season 1. Got hubby interested too, and he is a hard sell on anything that’s not action/thriller/murder/mystery.
It is a great series well done in every way from acting, casting, sets, music, costume and writing. It does give you a sense of these royals as people, which makes them more sympathetic as people, but I also find myself in watching the show grow more contemptuous of the institution, which is essentially the largest most regressive welfare program in the world. Their personal problems are often caused by the strange and unnatural pressures and privileges of their unearned station. England has been fortunate that Elizabeth II has been such a great person, but could you imagine a Queen Margret, King Charles, or Edward VIII? They dodged some bullets so far, but you can’t keep dodging them forever. Mediocrity and vanity wait in the wings and what will the monarchy be then?
Ultimately the concept of royalty is unsustainable and in congruent with Enlightenment Humanist Philosophies that underpin modern nations and the Western World. You don’t need a Jacobin uprising to do away with these people, but letting them fade away won’t be the worst thing either.
Perfect timing. My boss left the office a broken man today, having promised his wife to start The Crown tonight. I assured him I had heard wonderful things about the show and that what little I know of the Royals was interesting (for instance, my mother never let anyone forget for a minute that the Queen Mother was a Scot), and Edwards’ dark past gives us with even the most dysfunctional of families solace
I had zero credibility having not watched a moment of it myself. I might try and wrestle the remote out of the hand of which ever male is occupying the couch and give it a try.
I didnt really care either – I did get up at 5 am to watch the royal wedding of Chuck and Di (mostly because my mom woke us up for it) – I liked Meghan Markle because of her work on “Suits” – she really reminded me of 50s movie star, glamour, class, style – no nude photos, no sex tapes. Because of her unique demographic, she’ll be driving the royal soap opera for next several years.
Orchestrating and managing the fade away would be the trick and more than likely the notion would be more palatable if it came from the royal family themselves (and no doubt contingent on their collective agreement) rather from anti-monarchists in Parliament or around the country. Accommodations would likely have to be made for at least a comfortable landing pad/retirement for current members of the royal family. At the moment, the vast majority of Britons are quite happy with the monarchy and Elizabeth has proven herself to be a wise and thoughtful sovereign. Charles, given his advanced years, may have a short reign and William, thus far, seems to be less kooky than his father. William may prove to be above average or even someone of Elizabeth’s equal. So, it appears the monarchy will endure for at least a couple of more generations at least.