Season 5 Episode 1 of The Crown goes back into the 90s with a central focus on Charles and Diana’s troubled marriage which is blooming in public but withering in private.
The Crown Season 5 Episode 1 Recap: Queen Victoria Syndrome
Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) receives criticism on The Sunday Times poll conducted on the monarchy, and the words used to describe her are – ‘irrelevant’, ‘old’, ‘expensive’, and ‘out of touch’. Prince Charles (Dominic West), on the other hand, receives positive public reviews where people call him young, energetic, empathetic, and modern, and almost half of them believe he can be an excellent King.
The news article calls the public sentiment toward Queen Elizabeth II as the “Queen Victoria Syndrome”, drawing parallels with the lethargy felt by the public towards the old reigning monarch, much like in the end years of Queen Victoria’s reign.
A beaming Charles hears the briefing of the article that will soon be published. Well aware of the liking that the public has for Diana (Elizabeth Debicki), Charles plans a family trip to present a pleasing public image and calls it “the second honeymoon” with Diana.
Elated to be spending quality time with her husband and children, Diana agrees to go on “the second honeymoon”. Their highly publicized trip is met with a beaming public and the media reports them as “the happy couple”.
Soon incompatibility issues between the couple come to the surface when Diana prefers spending time with their children, Harry and William, whereas Charles wants historical walking tours. Their marriage takes a sour turn when Charles says he has to leave the trip early to meet the Prime Minister and they end up arguing in front of everyone.
Charles meets the Prime Minister and discusses with him The Sunday Times article on Elizabeth and expresses his desire to be the King. The Prime Minister instead warns him not to give too much importance to the media reports.
With the poll published in The Sunday Times, the Queen’s staff hide the information from her in order to avoid disturbing her with harsh public criticism.
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip (Jonathan Pryce) converse about the Britannia, Elizabeth’s beloved ship. Philip complains about the clanking in the ship and refers to the Britannia as obsolete and suggests it better be replaced. Elizabeth wants to get the ship repaired and Philip finds out that it’s a costly affair of about 14 million pounds.
Meanwhile, at Balmoral, Elizabeth senses her staff’s odd behavior and questions one of them and finally, the truth unravels. Although upset initially, Elizabeth composes herself by saying that she doesn’t take it as a criticism to be compared with Queen Victoria.
Queen Elizabeth, insistent on getting funds for the Britannia, meets the Prime Minister but he hesitates as they are in the midst of a public recession. Elizabeth firmly asserts her request to get the costs of the refurbishments of the Britannia to be met and he finally complies.
The royal family organizes the Ghillies ball at the Balmoral Castle where the Prime Minister arrives as well. Important discussions take place at the ball that includes the failing marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and the expensive repair of the Britannia.
After the ball, Prime Minister John Mayor refers to the royal family as deluded and out of touch with reality in a conversation with his wife, showing concern about the deteriorating condition of the monarchy in light of the growing distress between Prince Charles and Princess Diana and the blossoming ambitions of Prince Charles to take the throne from his mother.
The Crown Season 5 Episode 1 Review
Set in the 90s, Season 5 of The Crown focuses on Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ tumultuous relationship, something to look forward to in the rest of the season. The new cast fits right into The Crown Season 5 and the performance of Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki does justice to the characters they play. Dominic is convincing and has a strong screen presence. Debicki’s uncanny resemblance to Diana serves as an added bonus, and her accurate impressions of Diana are commendable.
Season 5 Episode 1 of The Crown has a clever play with metaphors and symbolism and it was interesting when Queen Elizabeth II was compared to the Britannia, her old ship that’s referred to as obsolete and needs to be replaced. Her refusal to do so gives birth to the conflict emerging from the Queen’s resistance to change while her own son is conspiring for it.
Can season 5 of The Crown bring back the lustre that it had at its peak? This a question that needs patience and is most definitely worth the wait. With Princess Diana’s struggle and the royal family’s fall coming into focus, there’s enough to latch onto for the rest of the season.
Rating: 3/5
The Crown is now streaming on Netflix.
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