Without its crowning glory
I've continued watching The Crown out of some sense of duty to the Queen. I mean, that must be it, because what other moral obligation railroads me to watch the Netflix show that released way back in 2016. Alright, I did wait in anticipation for the fifth season because of Humayun Saeed’s cameo. But that too disappointed me with how minor his role was as Diana’s love interest Dr Hasnat Khan; he had all but five lines in total albeit including a kiss with Elizabeth Debicki who plays the iconic Princess Di. Since then the show has been dwelling on the ripples Diana caused in the royal household and the tornado of her own journey after separating from Charles. The latest season’s first part was released last month. It recalls how one of the most charismatic icons of the 21st century hurtles toward her untimely death, focusing on the last year of her whirlwind existence, 1997.
The Crown has dwelled on the major characters of the British royal family; those who could have worn it (Margaret, Duke of Winsdor who abdicates) instead of Elizabeth II, - and in real life we even have seen her successor wear it (Charles III). They have been shown as vulnerable and weak human beings behind the doors of their gilded cage. But each had at least one enduring strength to redeem them and described their place in the monarchy. I’m not sure what Charles was…I think it was his petulant whinging that remained in one’s mind.
Of course the biggest appeal of seeing historical figures on television is that you get a peek into what their life may have been like. It really worked well while Queen Elizabeth was the omnipresent protagonist, and we see her growing up and filling her monarchal role and executing her divine duties as Britain changes governments through the decades. The latest season was reminder that many roles have not shown the same evolution of character. The central figures of the seasons based on the 1980s to 1990s era are Charles, Diana and Camilla, the marriage of three as Diana had famously pointed out in real life. In contrast to the portrayal of the queen in the initial seasons, these three primary characters exhibit little growth of character and it is more evident in this season.
Charles is still fighting for his own identity from behind his mother’s shadow. Camilla is a total dud, hardly even given a proper line this season. She only grunts or gives looks to her now husband and makes one wonder how much supporting actors get paid for such roles. Diana is as lost as ever, motherhood being the only anchor in her frail and scattered personality. The only intriguing story arc this season is provided by the Al-Fayeds and we are not sure how close to reality their portrayals are.
Mohammad Al-Fayed (Salim Dau) is the tyrannical, meddlesome father who orchestrates his son, Egyptian film producer Dodi Al-Fayed (Khalid Abdalla) to meet Diana while she is single and gallivanting through Europe. While Dodi’s struggle has been to resist his father and make his own decision, his Achilles heel is ultimately getting his dad’s approval, and love. In the show, Diana likens the father-son tug of war to her desire to seek Charles’s love and attention. Al-Fayed Senior sets up the seduction trap for Di in Saint-Tropez, inviting her and her sons for a holiday on his yacht. Meanwhile, he summons Dodi from the US to join her at sea and woo her. His ultimate goal is access to more privilege and influence – specifically a British visa – via the royal connection. The entire charade sets in motion the paparazzi frenzy and hunt for Diana in Paris which led to her untimely death. The Crown places the blame almost entirely on the Egyptian father’s avarice. Dau’s performance has received praise as the grieving and remorseful father after the car crash kills both his son and his coveted prize, Diana. Neither father nor son is blameless in the show, however. There’s a weird scene in the second last episode where while the atmosphere is charged because Dodi and Di are trying to dodge the journalists, they are hiding out in a hotel room. She has refused his proposal with the gargantuan Cartier ring. Encouraged by Diana to set some boundaries with his father Dodi calls up his dad to tell him to back off and state that he and Diana are not getting engaged after all. But Dodi doesn’t have the guts to inform his father that he has failed in his task. He cuts the phone and pretends to say those things to his dad to deceive Diana.
Like this scene, there were too many moments this season that were fabricated which only made you cringe. Diana and Dodi’s conversation, as she plays the piano on the yacht for example, her phone calls with her therapist, and - oh lord - the ghosts of both car accident victims visiting others.
Although Part 1 of season six recreates the events leading up to the death of the “Queen of Hearts”, an occasion that had the world in mourning, the show fails to evoke anything of the sense of tragedy that rocked the world on August 31, 1997. Mainly the reason is because viewers may have grown tired of watching Debicki tucking her chin and looking at everyone from under her eyelashes. Did the real Diana perpetually hold her head like that? Whereas the newly divorced princess is clearly struggling to hold her life together and is at her most vulnerable, her (losing) battle with the paparazzi rages on.
Two out of the many tabloid moments that are recreated this season, are treated in contrast to each other. Diana’s famous landmine walk in Bosnia is juxtaposed with her dealing with depression; she seems to behave as if she has nothing to lose and her bravery is mixed with her throwing caution to the wind in all aspects of life. The Crown does not expand on her personal investment in the landmine cause other than showing a book in her hand about the subject. What was hailed as a selfless act by the world back then, the show turned into a call for attention by an unraveling has-been.
The other tabloid fuelling interaction is the boat scene in episode one. While Charles celebrates Camilla’s 50th birthday hoping to get good coverage for his new wife in the press, Diana seeing the pictures in the papers she plays the press to her own advantage. Dressed in a nifty leopard print bathing suit, she herself goes to the journalists bobbing about the water camera-ready. She shows some power by giving the tabloids what they want so she can get back to the royal couple through the press. And such is her influence in the media, that the two-minute boat visit is game, set, match for Diana.
Since Peter Morgan lost Claire Foy as queen, the drama has held less interest and appeal, with the narrative sapping in substance. Not even Olivia Coleman could hold it together in Season 3, and one was almost relieved that she did not return to it. This season Imelda Staunton continues to hold the court while we watch disaster upon disaster brew and the life of Diana crash and burn.
The series still offers the lavish royal settings, and large-scale production value, for those who love castles and the British countryside. The treatment of the royals’ glamourous life, however, leaves the viewer feeling indifferent to all. Another Netflix show The Windsors is a spoof spin on the British royals and, after this season, does not seem too far-fetched.