The Crown (Season 1)

So last year around this time, I started watching a lot of the movies on my Netflix list that I wanted to watch but never put the effort into watching with the goal of clearing out my queue. And while I probably still need to do that, I think my theme for the end of 2019 was to watch some of the shows that were on my watch list but I never got to for some reason or another. This, not surprisingly, is more difficult than movies because its anywhere from an 8 to 12 hour commitment at least to get through a full season of these shows. However, this year I focused on some really great shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and The Crown that that felt very attainable.

It might have been the recent royal drama that made me get into The Crown, not because I'm particularly interested in the domestic drama, its more a curiosity as to why other people are so interested in it. When a royal wedding happens, I couldn't really care less about it but a lot of people do and I wanted to investigate that a little bit.

The first season of The Crown follows the story of soon to be Queen Elizabeth II (played by Claire Foy) in the years following World War 2. In the first episode, she marries Prince Phillip (played by Matt Smith) and it starts the course towards her eventually becoming Queen in the wake of her father, King George VI's (played by Jared Harris) death.

Obviously, the show is a historical drama taking from the actual life of Elizabeth and Phillip throughout the latter part of the 20th century at a time where Great Britain's role in the world was changing. I found a lot of entertainment in this because I have a distinct interest in history and politics. But where The Crown really shines is how its able to stay above the fray when it could easily delve into the melodrama of the privileged monarchy that a lot of shows devolve into. While relationships and scandal are involved in the history of the monarchy in Great Britain and there probably are some liberties taken with the show, I feel like the show is trying to say something greater than just the scandal, instead its trying to make a point on the history of Great Britain and the political system that is the monarchy, without going too deep into the House of Cards, everything is awful motif.

This is really where Claire Foy shines because from the beginning, she starts off as a young Queen learning the ropes of this antiquated system that has years of baggage and political gridlock that makes it what it is at the time.

There's a really interesting history lesson to be had in this show and Elizabeth is actually a really great vehicle for that. While she's grown up in this world, she's learning it at a similar rate that we are while at the same time transforming from this naive new monarch to a really popular one that is on the path to greatness by the end.

While there is an overarching arc for all the characters throughout the season, the use of time really makes each episode its own 1 hour movie accounting the early life of Elizabeth in her early years as Queen of England, returning to her and other characters who have their own motivations. But again, nothing feels gratuitous or necessarily down right evil, everyone just has their own view of the world and how they view the monarchy. Sure the vehicle is thrown Elizabeth, but everyone has their own view and individual episodes delve into individual characters.

A crowning (no pun intended) example of how those episodes of this season are done well is the performance of John Lithgow as an aging Winston Churchill at the end of his time as Prime Minister of Great Britain.

The use of his character as a former war hero in a changing environment like Great Britain in the fifties is done masterfully throughout the season, but mostly in the 9th episode "Assassins". It's a slow burn, but it gives a great look into a man who was once the Father of Great Britain deciding on what his legacy is going to be and when its time to call it quits. Its an underlying theme of his throughout the season, but it comes to a head masterfully in the 9th episode.

Lithgow is actually the one outlier in this show as the majority of the cast is made up of really prominent British actors playing these larger than life historical figures with incredible realism. I'm not sure why Lithgow was the only American tapped to play such a huge figure in British history, but he does a great job.

Another stand out is Matt Smith as Prince Phillip, the husband to Elizabeth. I think he has a really interesting role as the husband to a woman who is expected to be this larger than life figure. I wonder how much of my liking to this character was to the fact that he's played by Matt Smith, a former Doctor, and how much of it was due to his performance which is really good, but he is a complicated character that isn't boring in his enduring support, but complicated in that he loves his wife, but wants his individuality and his freedom to live as he pleases, something that is not permitted for someone of his status. He and other characters underline the underlying tone of the tradition versus modernity. Furthermore, the show takes an in-depth look at the internal struggle between duty and love with three really good examples, one of them is Phillip, the other is Princess Margret, (played by Vanessa Kirby)

Vanessa Kirby plays Elizabeth's sister, a person I didn't know existed who has a pretty complicated history and relationship to the monarchy. A big plot point of the series is her relationship to her late-father's personal attendant Peter Townsend (played by Ben Miles).

This of course is paired with her and Elizabeth's uncle, the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII (played by Alex Jennings) who abdicated his responsibilities as king, passing it onto Elizabeth and Margaret's father and changing their lives forever.

These end up being some of the juiciest and more interesting parts of the series because they highlight the systemicness of the monarchy and how rigid the rules are, both out of historical precedent, as well as being utilized by older establishment forces to maintain the status quo.

Some of my favorite moments of the first season was watching these characters being torn between the love they have for people, and the love they have for their country and their family.

I feel like Alex Jennings does a phenomenal job of that, especially in the fifth episode where Elizabeth is crowned Queen and the mini movie focuses a lot on the former King and the alienation from the family due to his desire to marry the woman he loves.

What sets The Crown apart from other shows is how grand and important it feels. Whether its the music, performances, or the historical themes questioning tradition versus modernity. It starts to ask the question, what is the role of an antiquated system like the monarchy in a changing world like the one that existed after World War 2. And while there are mentioned of how the world is changing, I never get the feeling that any of the characters really know how the world is going to end up in the next half century and how the system they've known for centuries is going to change.

The show does take a little bit to get going, especially as you're trying to ascertain who everyone is. Who is married to who, who is related to who, who has what job, etc, it does get a little bit confusing at the beginning. But it is a good history lesson on a subject I don't think a lot of Americans know about, without succumbing to the melodrama that might come with a royal family drama. It is also pretty dry. There's no high stakes action, a lot of the drama comes from politics and the look we get into the system of the British Monarchy, so just be prepared to slog through some British jargon and politics.

I think the appeal of this show is how these historical events and larger than life historical characters are going to be portrayed in a live action medium, but I think the success of The Crown is more than that.

Anybody can dress up like the Queen of England or Winston Churchill, its a lot different if you can connect to these characters and understand what they're going through, and I think The Crown does it very well. It brings to life a piece of history and it does it well. I can't speak to the accuracy, but if you want accuracy, watch a documentary. I feel like The Crown gives the subject entertainment value, while at the same time keeping it dignified when it could easily be exploited for the sex and drama that usually comes out of a show like this. While that is definitely implied, The Crown feels like character studies more than anything and an entertaining history lesson on an institution I think a lot of people don't understand.

But those are my thoughts on Season 1 of The Crown. If anything, this show has made me want to buy the Hans Zimmer theme song on Itunes because it is awesome. Comment and Discuss below what you enjoyed or didn't enjoy about The Crown. You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for other TV shows or movies I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!