Return of The Crown

The fourth season of The Crown was released last weekend, and the ten episodes were devoured within a couple of days. I watched five episodes on Sunday and the rest after work on Monday. I was so looking forward to it, as I enjoyed the first three seasons. It was also a welcomed change compared to other series - a la Star Trek - which was released weekly. This allowed me to binge.

Compared to the previous seasons, this offering was a lot darker. Baroness Thatcher, Princess Diana, Princess Margaret ... you know from history how they ended up. And seeing the “Iron Lady” literally doing some ironing was surreal.

Coming out of it, all I felt was sympathy. I had sympathy for Princess Di and Prince Charles. They were just not compatible. Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister the UK needed in the late ’70s and by the ’90s, the time has definitely moved on.

Among the episodes, I must say the arch concerning the Queen’s cousins with genetic issues was interesting. Inbreeding has its consequences. The bloodline is not exactly pure. Gillian Anderson and Helena Bonham-Carter were terrific in their roles. Emma Corrin tried hard to become Di, but she lacked the charisma to fill in her shoes.

It was announced that there would be another two series before The Crown wrap up. I can see that the Royal Family would not be keen to have the series continue on any longer. Some of the critics on the characters were scathing. The Queen being cold and how detached the members of the family were certainly hit home.

None the less, I am looking forward to more seasons in the coming years