Review: The Crown (2016) Season 1

I've finished watching season one of The Crown, so here's the full review of it.

Actors I recognised:
Claire Foy (Amy in Little Dorrit 2008) as Queen Elizabeth
Matt Smith (the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who) as Prince Philip
Vanessa Kirby (Estella in Great Expectations 2012) as Princess Margaret
Eileen Atkins (Miss Deborah in Cranford) as Queen Mary
Victoria Hamilton (Mrs. Forster in Pride and Prejudice 1995) as the Queen Mother
Greg Wise (Sir Charles in Cranford and Willougby in Sense and Sensibility 1995) as Mountbatten
Jared Harris (Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows) as King George
Alex Jennings (Rev. Hutton in Cranford) as that oaf known as the Duke of Windsor
Harriet Walter (Fanny Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility 1995) as Clementine Churchill

The story starts before Queen Elizabeth's coronation, shortly before her father dies. Among other things, we get to see her marry Philip, become Queen, face several trials and crises, and deal with her Prime Minister's attempts to hide things from her.

Elizabeth

Philip

My opinion of the series is best summed up in one word: overrated. Or perhaps it would be better to describe it as "good idea, poor execution". The cinematography and music are beautiful. The costumes are... sometimes beautiful. The historic events are interesting. I'd never heard of the Great Smog before this series, and I'd no idea how much work it took to film the Queen's coronation. But the whole thing falls flat on its face in the most important part of any series: the characters.

No one wants to watch a series full of immature jerks with only one or two decent characters. But that's what this series subjects its viewers to. There are exactly three truly likable characters, two of whom die less than half-way through: Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, and King George. Everyone else is a spoilt brat.

The Duke of Windsor is the sort of "royal" whose mere existence puts the monarchy in danger. Princess Margaret is an overgrown child throwing tantrums. Instead of feeling any sympathy for her and Townsend, I wanted to box their ears. Prince Philip isn't far behind. I spent a lot of his scenes thinking "For goodness's sake, grow up!". The Queen Mother has all the personality of a brick wall. And Winston Churchill is an arrogant imbecile. Yes, let's just hide the fact two of the most important politicians in the country are seriously ill. What could possibly go wrong?

Almost as bad are the clumsy attempts at exposition. I find it very hard to believe Queen Elizabeth was as naïve as the series portrays her. Do the series' creators really expect us to believe she didn't know what a regnal name is? 😒

Overall this series is interesting for the history, but has many glaring shortcomings.

Is it available online?: I'm pretty sure it's on Netflix.

Rating: 5/10.