By Adam Bloodworth
The Crown season 5 review: Forget the headlines that cry out that this show is sensational – the latest series is defined by its sensitive and careful storytelling. Elizabeth Debicki is an incredible Diana, the central force of this season, which documents probably the most challenging period for the royals since the Netflix drama began. Thankfully, it’s as thrillingly watchable as ever
It’s reaching boiling point:The Crown season 5, which drops on Netflix 9 November, feels sadder and more unnerving than ever as the show brings the drama into the 1990s. If The Crown season 4 was all about Blockbuster moments like introducing Margaret Thatcher and Diana, as well as those horrible arguments between her and Charles, season 5 is more paired back.
That’s not to say they don’t cram a lot in. These were the years when Diana did her Panorama interview revealing “there were three of us in that marriage,” and when the Queen spoke about her “Annus Horribilis,” the year when two of her children divorced and Windsor Castle burned down.
But in dramatic terms, The Crown season 5 has less loud ostentatious moments. It is also perhaps slightly less fun than season 4. There are certainly fewer games of Ibble Dibble, for instance, but instead there is a turn towards more serious scene-setting as the foreboding sense of Diana’s death looms.
Naturally, much time is spent telling her story properly, with much thought, detail and nuance put into showing exactly how she was screwed around by pretty much everyone, from Charles to Martin Bashir. The Panorama storyline is even more gripping than I’d hoped, putting Bashir in an intolerable light.
Imelda Staunton is just so obviously the Queen that it feels as if she always has been.
It all revolves around Elizabeth Debicki, who is ravishing and utterly convincing as Diana. During one scene in which Princess Margaret is watching the Panorama episode, I had to rewind to check whether or not it was actual Diana or Debicki acting that was being shown on screen, such is the likeness. Debick channels Diana’s mixture of self pity, openness and fear with near-perfection. She gives a commanding performance whether she’s front and centre or a small part in the corner of a different scene.
Elsewhere, there’s more majesty. Jonathan Pryce is hilariously austere as Prince Philip. He bowls into scenes and blurts out opinions in just the way Philip would have, and Imelda Staunton is just so obviously the Queen that it feels as if she always has been. This is the Queen most of us know best: older and marginally softer, she has an uncanny way of mimicking the way Her Majesty used to purse her lips and sort of wobble them up and down. It’s one small party favour from a giant bag of tricks Staunton employs. She’s also the best so far from across the seasons at getting across the Queen’s naivety.
Dominic West continues to extract the performative side of King Charles – replete with fancy suits – that many of us struggle to envisage today.
Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret gets perhaps the funnest scenes and the best light relief on a sojourn with Peter Townsend who pops up to visit her after 40 years, and Dominic West continues to extract the performative side of King Charles – replete with fancy suits – that many of us struggle to envisage today. Charles’ alleged plot to overthrow the Queen has gained headlines, but in practice those scenes aren’t particularly memorable. Much better is a noticeably plush-looking origin story about Dodi and Mohammed Al Fayed that introduces the idea of Dodi to Diana in the first place.
It’s surreal seeing William and Harry pop up, especially William, who gets a good few lines. His relationship with Diana is depicted as sometimes argumentative, another strand to season 5 which is likely to ruffle feathers among those that criticise the show as sensational and making up parts of history which simply didn’t happen.
The Crown season 5 is as supremely high quality as any of the other seasons. Casual viewers may find certain parts a bit slow, certainly by comparison to season 4, but things are getting serious now. We all know what’s coming in season 6 and if season 5 had one duty, it was to tell Diana’s story properly. Debicki, through a fabulous scene-stealing performance, achieves this and more.
The Crown season 5 streams on Netflix from 9 November
The post The Crown season 5 review: Subtle and sensitive, the outrage has got this show all wrong appeared first on CityAM.
