: My quick take on Netflix web series “Crown”
Let me confess that my childhood crush Gillian Andersen (X-Files) led me to start watching this grand web series. I had seen few clips of Gillian Andersen playing the Iron lady of England (Margaret Thatcher) confronting the “Crown” of England (Season 4). I was simply intrigued by the clip and started watching season 1 of “Crown” which is available on Netflix since 2016, it’s a 6 season-long series with 4 seasons already available on Netflix.
Earlier I had my reservations which stopped me from watching this series about a monarch that had enslaved us for more than two centuries. Secondly, I had presumed that it will be more of a “documentrish” glorification of the country which pompously claimed that “sun never sets on the empire”. But as I started watching it (no, it’s not a binge-watch category because of the length of each episode (60mins)) I fell in love with the series. Currently, I have reached midway through Season 2, hence I will limit “my take” to whatever I have seen & enjoyed so far.
The series is rightly touted as the most expensive web-series made so far by Netflix, rightfully so because the production quality is simply rich, royal & amazing. The Royal splendor of palaces & castles and beautiful countryside is very well recreated. The best thing which impressed me is the way they have depicted the “human side” of the first family, though I am not sure of the historical accuracies of the screenplay the makers have dared to “bare” the conflicts, affairs, sibling rivalries, outdated traditions, ego trips & shortcomings of the royal family (On the other hand in India, one doesn’t even dare to name the first family leave apart making a film on their lives)
The cast of the series is simply awesome, Claire Foy as the young Elizabeth has simply slipped into the skin of the character and so is Vanessa Kirby as rebellious princess Margaret, in fact, each and every cast is handpicked and their performances make you feel that the role was just tailor-made for them. However, I found the character of Winston Churchill whom Russians had nicknamed Bulldog played by John Lithgow bit caricaturish (maybe is it because an American actor playing a British character). Season 1 starts somewhere in 1947 with Queen’s grand wedding and revolves around three main characters, the Queen, Princess Margaret & PM Winston Churchill. Each season has 10 episodes of an hour length each, which dampens the pace of the series as some episodes are painfully slow. However, the top-notch performances, the rich and royal ambiance, Victorian language, and engaging storytelling will keep you engaged as a viewer.
I am thoroughly enjoying the series, also found it amazing how the British reluctantly agreed to give us freedom, and sarcastic references made by Churchill about Lord Mountbatten on how he lost India to us and wife to Nehru, will keep you amused. In fact, I had few revelations too, like Winston Churchill was a wonderful “Landscape artist” too. Secondly, the life of a monarch is definitely not a bed of roses. It’s a painstakingly researched to the minute details with an engaging story, hence qualifies as a must-watch.
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