“The Crown” Season 5: Great Characters. Interesting Ending.

By ​Maggie McCarthy ‘23 & Chip Genung ‘25

Spoilers ahead
Rating: 3.5/5
This season of “The Crown” was decent, but not the best one.
In this season, small connections to previous seasons make “The Crown” feel like one continuous show. Right off the bat, there was a flashback to the beginning of the Queen’s reign. It added a lot to the storyline as it helped to put continuity between the seasons, which The Crown did not do as well in previous seasons. Another connection was made when the show brought back Peter Townsend, Margaret’s former boyfriend, after him being gone for three seasons. These connections are very difficult for the producers to make as the cast changes every two seasons.
Within this season, there were also many interesting connections across plot and characters. For example, the directors did a very good job portraying the parallel between Princess Ann and Princess Margaret. The show shows both starting off as central members of the Royal Family before gradually drifting away from the spotlight. The introductions of Prince William and Prince Harry were alright. Both are depicted as significant to the storyline and to the continuation of monarchy. However, the show could have portrayed the two characters better. Princess Diana played by Elizabeth Debicki was obviously going to be a fan favorite. The producers did an amazing job portraying the Princess, completing living up to the expected hype. This is a very impressive feat when considering the popularity and fame Diana has in international pop culture.
Overall this was an amazing season, but there was one large issue that if done differently would have improved the series as a whole. This season felt like it ended in a really weird spot. It ended, for the most part, at the separation of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, but the authors think that it should have ended differently. The producers have announced that the upcoming Season 6 will be the final season. Thus, instead of ending at a month before Diana’s death, this season should end right at her death. This would pave the way for the next season to begin in the early 2000s marked by the death of the Queen, marking a perfect ending to a show about her reign.