The Crown: season 5

[KillingMeDeftly]

Anyone seen this yet? I'm not quite as convinced by the casting for this season as I was for previous ones but will withhold judgement until I've watched the whole series.

Elizabeth Debicki looks the part as Diana, although I thought Emma Corrin captured her voice better. Dominic West is very flattering casting for Charles but Olivia Williams as Camilla is uncanny. I never thought she looked anything like her but they've made her a dead ringer! Same goes for Jonny Lee Miller as John Major.

It looks like this season will cover events up to and including Diana's Panorama interview.

The Al Fayes episode was super

Fuck. I seem to have a crush on John Major.

Anyway, finished the series. I didn't think it was terrible. Did I prefer earlier series? Yeah, s1 & 2 were probably my favourites. I seem to prefer the series that tie in politics and the RF, so the wider context of what is occurring politically rather than all out focus on the RF, but then again I suppose the 90s were very much the decade of the Waleses.

Claire Foy was definitely my favourite Queen, Matt Smith my favourite PP. Vanessa Kirby my favourite Margot. Josh O Connor my favourite Charles. I preferred ED to EC as Diana. I miss Anne from the last two series.

I probably felt more for Charles than I did for Diana, which goes somewhat towards quashing the sentiment that Charles is depicted badly and thus his reputation as King is at stake. I wonder whether there was a lot of very last minute post production on that although I believe filming hasn't wrapped up when the Queen died? Either way, I would say Diana was portrayed worse.

I’m only on ep 3 and it’s interesting you say that. The episode with the Italian holiday made him look like a bastard - the scene at the table where he belittles her for wanting to go shopping. So far, there have been no mention of Diana’s affairs. Does it come up later? FWIW I think marriages are complicated and there are rarely complete baddies or goodies. I have no opinion about Charles and Di other than they were clearly unsuited. I do think they would have had an amicable relationship if she hadn’t died.

It's quite sympathetic to Charles so far so I suspect all that talk about character assassination etc was just tabloid hype.

Mine too, and I am finding myself not caring if it's true or not.

Ok. Watched the Mohammed Al Fayed ep. That was better. More like it. Loved seeing that and knew nothing about Sydney.

Imelda Staunton is growing on me as the queen we got a "Porchy" and a smile when at the races. Makes me think the characterisation chosen is on the direction and the edit, not her performance.

I’m enjoying it but some of the casting seems so wrong. Imelda Staunton would have made a better Queen Mother imo and Dominic West is so wrong for Charles. He misses just about every aspect of him - his weird, stretched out facial expressions, his voice and enunciation, his mannerisms, his discomfiture in public etc and doesn’t capture his personality in any way. Apart from the rheumy eyes I can’t buy into Jonathan Pryces Philip for exactly the same reasons. I’m up to epi 7 and didn’t know about Sydney’s existence which was very interesting and touching and thought the Al-Fayed storyline also very interesting. The Yeltsin scenes and Romanov history were also well done. I can see why the Royals aren’t happy with it though Charles isn’t coming off nearly as badly so far as I expected him to do.

I've just started ep 6 but I find it a bit hard to judge Imelda Staunton's performance because, despite the series apparently being about the Queen, the episodes so far have focused on other characters while she is just peripheral to the action! Perhaps she'll take centre stage in the second half of the season.

SPOILER ALERT

I've seen many depictions of the murder of the Romanovs but this one was particularly affecting as they were so relieved and convinced "cousin George" was going to save them. It was only at the very last moment that their realised their hopes had been futile.

I've seen 4 episodes. The script is dreadful, utterly trite tripe. I dont recall the earlier shows being so bad. I had thought the bad reviews were just pro RF propaganda but apparently not. I'll probably watch the rest but meh.

I'm on the Russian one now. It's a hard watch.

Only watched two episodes so far - DD was outraged I had started without her so have to wait for her to come home for the weekend to watch more (and rewatch the first two )
Debicki has really got Diana well, I can hear her voice, and the mannerisms and dipped head capture her so well. Not keen on most of the other casting. Especially Anne - I loved the younger Anne! She seems to have lost her fire and horsiness, there's no fun in her.

I haven't got far enough into the series to have seen this but if it relates to the last holiday on Al Fayed's yacht, with romance brewing between Diana and Dodi then I am sure it is true. I read somewhere that William described it as the worst holiday of his life, it must have been really grim for him. And I feel sorry for him now, with painful events from his life being portrayed, it must be horrible for him.

Agree re Anne, she's more like the Anne from The Windsors! The actress would've made a good season 2 Margaret though. I far preferred Erin Docherty's Anne.

Me too. Plus the actress who played young adult Anne.

I posted this on the style thread but for those interested in the fashion here is The Telegraph's take on it.

www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/style/five-wardrobe-choices-got-wrong-crown-four-got-right/

archive.today/hdI2A

Hopefully the archive link works.

I just can't believe Charles sat around on a yacht in the Med wearing his summer suit and a tie. What happened to his action days when he scuba dived on the Mary Rose or went surfing in Australia and was mobbed by young women?

I think you may have nailed it. They are all so ordinary. But they are probably pretty ordinary in real life too. I’ve only just started episode 5 so hopefully it will get better.

Have seen the first three episodes, distracted by Archie from Monarch of the Glen and Sick Boy from Trainspotting.

It is obviously VERY pro Diana. Barely a mention of Hewitt in season 4, entire episodes devoted to Charles and Camilla. Those of us alive at the time were aware that it's never as black and white as that. Diana was a difficult, damaged woman with a horrendous childhood and the tendency to cut off friends if they did something to offend her and I think they are overplaying the victim role for her.

The entire 3rd episode about the Fayeds was just total total twaddle and added zero. Don't like Princess Anne. The kids playing Will and Harry are hood look a likies but I don't think they've actually said anything yet.

Oh and a positive - the clothes and the make-up/hair are SPOT ON. Netflix have a $$$$ budget for this and the wardrobe is just perfect.

Have seen the first three episodes.

The Fayed storyline was interesting although did seem to take up a hefty chunk of the overall story. I was a bit disappointed that the valet took the job after being turfed out of the Ritz event due to racism but I guess his life had many twists and turns we aren’t party to and his decisions were his business.

I am in the minority here as I prefer Pryce to Menzies as PP. I also loved Smith in the first two series.

I agree some of the other casting is not great. I do think Debicki is hamming it up just a bit too much. I felt that way about Anderson playing Thatcher too. So far only Foy has nailed the Queen for me.

So a few thoughts and will plod on (it is all a bit ploddy so far).

😂😂😂😂😂😂

I may have binged up to ep.9.

Dominic west is acting like he crammed last minute character study in, so he's having to make do with chewing his lip in every scene.

Prince Philip was a handsome ramrod sort of man until he was very old. The actor playing him is sending me into a rage.

Me too. The sloping shoulders

In fact all of them seem so feeble, but mean

Dodi is hunched over, Di is too skinny, Queen is unmoving

The one who comes off best is Major

Meant to quote this. I even googled PP as it was bugging me so much

Just watched the Al Fayad episode - brilliant. Loved the back story, loved how he was played as so desperate to get it right, and how awfully snobby and unpleasant the royals were about him. Just loved everything about that episode and spent half of it googling Sidney Johnson and the Fayads.
The casting this series, hmmm. Prince Philip is totally wrong, much too old. Queen Mum not right at all, Dominic West is too well known. I actually think Elizabeth Debicki is very good. Diana was so coquettish all the time so I don’t think it’s overacted.