AIBU To Be Disappointed With The Crown (Season 5)

[TheShellBeach]

I've enjoyed all the episodes of The Crown so far and was really looking forward to the start of Season 5.
We started watching it last night and we were terribly disappointed.
Imelda Staunton is wonderful as the Queen but she seems to have a very small role in the proceedings so far.
AIBU to wish they'd left it at the end of Season 4? Or is there a reason why Season 5 is just a bit "meh"?

Absolutely awful... Staunton and Pryce have not got the voices right at all.
Diana is being portrayed as someone fun and sweet and generally lovely.
Don't get me started on the Queen mother...FFS.
It has been so good up to this series

I've watched three and am enjoying it so far.

Particularly the last one done through the perspective of a valet for Edward VIII and then Mohammed Al-Fayed. One of the best episodes from any of the series, for me.

And Dominc West is brilliant as Charles. All the mannerisms without making it look like an impressionist act.

watched Three episodes so far and not enjoying them. Shame because the last seasons I binge watched in a day. Couldn’t be bothered to watch another episode last night. The casting is really poor. At times I don’t know who the person is meant to be.

@satelliteheart
I agree. At the beginning there was a portrait of Imelda as the Queen and I expected to see lots of cats circling it any second.
Thought she played it well though and the actress who played Diana was amazing.

Just wondering how old people are who think the portrayal of Diana is good. Remembering the coverage of her when she was alive, and having been to two events where she was present for an evening, it's rubbish. It's based on a coy pose she occasionally struck in photos. She didn't walk around with her neck painfully bent all the time peering up from under her eyelashes at everyone.

I was about 13-17ish when this season was set. The voice is spot on but the rest is definitely off. Diana was more curvy, she was more confident and business like. They’re trying to portray her as delicate and vulnerable but she never really came across like that - until the Bashir interview (might have spelt that wrong) where she spent the entire time glancing up under heavily made up eyes. And everyone found that weird!

I think Dominic West is very good as Charles. Mind you I've never found DW good looking so maybe that helps.

Marcia Warren is an excellent actress but completely unbelievable as the Queen Mum, who we all remember as a tiny dumpy little old lady. Margaret was even smaller actually, six inches shorter than Vanessa Kirby from the first batch of casting, but because we don't have endless news footage of her going on walkabouts that's not such a problem.

John Major can't possibly have been that grey in private, he must have had a bit more oomph to get where he got, so I don't have a problem with his portrayal.

My problem is with the clunky exposition they throw in to remind us that Major was a working class Brixton boy or Edward VIII was a Nazi stooge. As we get nearer to the present day, it's going to grate more and more with UK viewers.

Imelda Staunton is perfectly fine as the Queen, and far far better suited than Olivia Coleman was. I always felt that season three and four were dreadfully miscast, and did not enjoy them as a result. The casting for season five has been much better judged.

Dominic West has captured Charles' mannerisms well. Elizabeth Debicki, however, is doing the full-on caricature of Princess Diana and it's a little ridiculous.. Am also enjoying Lesley Manville's Princess Margaret, far more so than HB-C's.

The main problem though is that seasons one and two were wonderful - Claire Foy, Matt Smith and Vanessa Kirby were an enchanting inhabited their roles in a way none of the principals have since. Unfortunately they've proved to be an incredibly hard act to follow, and I do feel that subsequent seasons have suffered as a result.

That’s hilarious, Prince Philip and Jonathan Pryce are exactly the same height.

That's interesting, Pryce seemed very short compared to the previous actors. Perhaps it's body language/how he carries himself. He just doesn't seem to have the right presence on the screen

Thought this series was rubbish unfortunately with the exception of Diana. So much material they could’ve mined but a whole episode on Al Fayed seemed like filler, same with revisiting the Margaret story… and yet Fergie doesn’t feature at all? I know Andrew is toxic but their marriage breakup was a huge part of this period of time and seemed like a bit of a white wash.
Also they did a lot of telling instead of showing, unnecessary speeches that seemed to only exist to tell us part of the story or who another character was.
And seemed to be really awkwardly trying to balance positives and negatives when it came to Charles & Di I.e criticise Charles, then do a scene where you show horn in his achievements with Princes Trust. Didn’t flow.
How did they manage to make the extraordinary events of the time seem so so boring??

John Major wasn’t that dull and grey, that was his Spitting Image puppet!

Yeh didn’t he have an affair with Edwin’s currie? He was clearly a dark horse!

@MavisChunch29 and a few others. I really agree about the episode about the Al Fayed’s and Sydney Johnson being stand out. I even went away to look up the real story.

One thing about this series is the queen is so much less sympathetic as in the earlier series she was conflicted and working things through but in this phase of life was fully captured by the institution. It’s a much less likeable characterisation but it chimes. I remember the queen, royals and Diana being quite unpopular at one point.

I absolutely loved the Al Fayed episode.

In my opinion, nobody could beat the casting of Anne in seasons 3 and 4. She was absolutely brilliant. I also really rated Gillian Anderson as Thatcher.

I really liked the Al Fayed episode too. Have only seen as far as episode 3 but really enjoying it. I’m of an age to remember the 90s well - Diana was only a year or two older than me and I think it’s quite a good portrayal. DH and I are enjoying the little references to people like Tiny Rowlands as well. I’m not yet convinced by Imelda Staunton or Jonathan Pryce.

The guy playing Charles is far too good looking charismatic and friendly looking with a lovely smile good actor but too charming we need a bit more uptight snobby reserved very sensible not so good looking one. I can't look at imelda Staunton is without thinking if Harry Potter but she does look like the Queen and has accent right. William looks like William. The imagined conversations are a bit unrealistic. I still think the one who played the young queen and Margaret were the best. Why aren't they making another season of Victoria anyway loved that. The crown is now a bit too up to date and recent (and damaging to rf) for my liking.

Yes agree

The actor playing him was not grey and dull enough John major was the greyesr and most boring monotone bore alive the actor has not captured this and comes across as charismatic in comoarison which I'm afraid John major most definitely is not.

Yanbu it’s pretty poor characterisation but I’ll still watch as it looks good - sets and scenes etc and some of it is ok (I like Al Fayed etc)

Do you know him personally?

They didn't do well with time jumps. It really needs a year, unless I missed all of them.
And I usually do well with time jumps!

Mohammed Al Fayed's protrayal was interesting imho.

but a whole episode on Al Fayed seemed like filler

It has significance to what happens later. It totally broke down with Dodi's death and Mohammed being refused citizenship etc. Since they showed his obsession to get in with them, I am assuming the accusations after the accodent and later issues will feature. Otherwise it was a filler, albeit interesting filler!

Unfortunately I lived through his time as PM and every single time he has ever appeared or said anything ever I feel exactly the same, grey boring nothing more don't need to know him to see and hear this! Monotone dreary boring grey. That is him to a tee Edwin's Currie obviously just wanted a place in the cabinet or was deluded.