The Crown - Season 1 Review
This review of The Crown Season 1 has mild spoilers!
If you're a fan of anything related to royalty, you know of the Queen of England. Myself personally, I've never really been too interested in the monarchy as much as a large majority of pop-culture media, but The Crown has made me interested. Before even beginning to discuss this series in depth, I feel it is necessary to tell those who are casual TV fans, this may not be a series for you. The Crown is a work of art, and while I will take this article to praise it, there are those who appreciate a series for it's spectacle. This is not for you, this is a show all about it's characters and their quickly developing world. And for me, that's just what makes it so great.
Queen Elizabeth is a figure of popularity among many popular media sources. The fact is: she's been in her position for so long that I've lost interest in the monarchy and it's true purpose. The Crown shows Elizabeth before and just beginning her reign as Queen, and it's absolutely amazing. Claire Foy's portrayal is jaw-dropping. The complexity that is needed to portray a part like this is large, and she has the chops to do it. Elizabeth has to face the challenges of working to help her people and also keep her family happy. The stresses of being Queen come quickly to her and I've never seen someone show the small pieces of that so well on screen. Seeing her and Prince Phillip's (Matt Smith) interactions are great. Matt Smith is another fantastic casting for this series. Prince Phillip doesn't have the same priorities as Elizabeth and as such he can play a more carefree role in the monarchy.
The Crown starts before Elizabeth becomes Queen, taking multiple episodes to show her world before she takes her role. As a princess, she can make casual trips to areas around the world and while she will receive media attention, it is nothing she can't deal with. She has to worry about having disputes with Phillip because of those media outlets watching her, but she can easily handle it. When her father comes ill and passes away, she has to take the crown. It turns out though, it isn't that easy. Winston Churchill (John Lithgow) is just coming back into office and she is taking her throne, and their relationship throughout the series grows as well. After she becomes Queen her world turns upside down. Whether it is dealing with a romance between her sister and a captain of the guard, or her relationship with her own husband that is falling apart, or handling political disputes with Churchill, she has a lot on her plate. The story is just excellent, and I was captivated throughout each episode regardless of there being no action and it being an entirely character focused show.
Something that I feel needs to be noted and praised is the management of characters throughout the show. The Crown has multiple personalities being portrayed, and every character has time to be explored. Specifically the two characters who became major interests are Winston Churchill and Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby). Churchill's final days are absolutely fantastic and seeing his world crumble and the fact that he is an old withered man finally come to him is great. Margaret's private life with Group Captain Peter Townsend (Ben Miles) is also captivating. Under the rules of the crown they cannot be wed, and their troubled story holds another major part in all of Elizabeth's worries. It's simply fantastic how all of these different story threads are handled.
The Crown is an example of what a story without action and outstanding visual pieces can be. An in depth character study of Queen Elizabeth is what The Crown truly is, and I loved every moment of it. As I noted at the beginning of this article, I know it won't be a series for everyone. I believe though, you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't take the time to watch this great piece of television. I may have not done the best job of truly analyzing the series, but that is simply due to my pure enjoyment of the show as a TV fanatic. Take the time whenever possible to learn about the Queen.
