EVERY season of The Crown, each of which covers roughly a decade, is essentially a 10-track compilation of the greatest hits of the British royal family. Season four is probably best summed up by adding the letter S to the beginning of the last word of that sentence.
The sentiment doesn’t last long, of course, only during episode two, The Balmoral Test, in which the newly elected prime minister and her husband Denis (Stephen Boxer) spend a disastrously awkward weekend at the Queen’s estate in the Scottish Highlands.
Out of place and awkward, they mercilessly taunt an entire group of braying royals, but especially Helena Bonham-Carter’s spectacularly rude Princess Margaret.
In contrast, 18-year-old Lady Diana Spencer (a wildly confident performance by rookie Emma Corrin) passes this test with condescension and is considered the perfect wife for 30-year-old Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor). ).
The couple was, as we know, anything but compatible. As Princess Anne (Erin Doherty), the royalty who comes closest to being recognizably human, tells her mother in one of the later episodes:
Diana had her share of adventures, of course, but The crown She blames the breakup of her marriage firmly at the feet of Charles, who marries a woman he doesn’t love and continues to see one who does: Camilla Parker-Bowles (Emerald Fennel).
He is portrayed throughout as a tedious, whiny, petulant, self-pitying, and selfish idiot who resents being overshadowed by his beautiful young wife.This is a dominant narrative from season four. The other is the thorny weekly meetings between the queen and Thatcher, each of which begins with the latter’s absurdly slow and elaborate bow.
In stark contrast to previous seasons, which reserved a certain sympathy for the queen, this portrays her as a cold fish.
The main narrative is put on hold for a couple of essentially bottle episodes, one devoted to the backstory of Buckingham Palace intruder Michael Fagan (Tom Brooke), who confronted the queen in her bedroom.
This is the most explicitly soapy season yet. It may not be the heavyweight drama you think it is, but it certainly is highly entertaining.