What on earth? Is it just me?
Has anyone watched the latest series of The Crown?
I’m such a fan, and I was so excited when it was released but I’m so disappointed!
What a departure from the first three series. It’s as though it’s been written by someone who hasn’t watched any of the previous episodes and has completely missed out the crucial elements that made the other series so addictively watchable.
Apart from the fact that I couldn’t watch hardly any of the first two episodes because of the stag hunting, I found almost every episode lacking in anything that glued me to the screen.
Not because of the acting–I think the parts have been brilliantly cast (particularly Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher)–but, for me, there was something missing from series four.
It didn’t help that news broke shortly after its release that some of the scenes were completely fabricated for dramatic purposes. I understand the need for artistic licence, but I’d have thought the royal family would have enough drama in its history to warrant not having to resort to including so many false scenes alongside factual events–how are viewers supposed to know what happened and what didn’t?
I know The Crown is entertainment, but I think we should be able to watch it knowing that everything we see is based on fact, even if it isn’t always portrayed exactly as it happened. This article by Simon Jenkins, columnist for The Guardian, explains more.
There are some changes in the cast for series five, apparently, most notably Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth, Johnathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana, and Dominic West as Princes Charles (can’t wait to see that one!)
I’m still a fan but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a better season five than four.