The Crown, Season 3: Women in Power
This holiday season, if you find yourself in need of a sensible, British melodrama steeped in strong character development and historical occurrences, then feast your eyes on the latest installment of Netflix’s The Crown. This has been a long-awaited season for many reasons, foremost of which is the recasting of all of the series’ roles to mark the progression of time. Beginning in 1964 with the election of Prime Minister Harold Wilson and ending in 1977 with Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee (to mark her 25th year on the throne), we trace the major historical events involving the British Royal Family that occurred in between.
Coinciding with this time frame, the major theme explored in this season is aging and its effects — and more specifically, the effects it has on women. This is seen throughout the season in the dynamics held between the Queen (Olivia Coleman) and her sister, Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter); between the Queen and her children as both a mother and ruler; between Princess Margaret and her adulterous husband who opts for an affair with a younger woman; and between the Queen and the public. The interesting thing about this season is that, while we tend to think of the Queen as a strong, rigid figurehead that “technically” out-ranks any man around her, we actually get an honest look at her vulnerability and what it means to be an aging woman in power. These struggles are shown on many levels. She battles with the Prime Minister. The surrounding men feel like they know more than she does. Her children question her judgement. And oh, she is also outshined by her glamorous, socialite sister. All of these are things I never would have thought about before seeing them portrayed in such a touching and honest way. So while we don’t necessarily see a “strong, heroic female” on screen, we are made aware of the small injustices she has faced in her role because of her femininity.
Ironically, and unlike the previous two seasons, the Queen and her relationship with husband, Prince Philip (played by the amazing Tobias Menzies), is actually the strongest it has ever been. The show really does an expert job at pacing itself slowly-enough to deeply explore all of these relationships and how they have influenced the overall standing of the Royal Family over the years.
As far as ethnic diversity, this show is about what you would expect. Since it is set in England in the 1960s to 1970s and focuses specifically on the Royal Family, there is almost no representation of other cultures. Practically the only non-white characters seen are Emperor Hirohito of Japan (Togo Igawa) and Prince Edward’s butler, Sydney Johnson (played by Zimbabwean actor, Connie M’Gadzah). The show doesn’t portray any characters offensively. But sadly, it doesn’t really portray any people of color. I am honestly not sure what could’ve been done to make the show more diverse in this sense, but if you are looking for a show that will teach you about any culture other than white, British Monarchs of the mid-1900s, The Crown definitely isn’t it.
I do think that the quality of the show is good — from the design, to the cinematography, to the acting, and even to the great attention to characterization. The show has been known to take a few liberties with historical fact, but that is to be expected of a show that has to cram 13 years of history into less than 10 episodes. Again, the pacing can be slow, and for those that get bored easily, this one probably wouldn’t be your “cup of tea.” Then again, no one should go into this expecting any crazy stunts or action from these characters. However, as much as I liked it, I do see this mostly as an “in-between” season — it does a good job of setting up what is to come in the next (Margaret Thatcher, Prince Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana and her subsequent death, etc.). Season 4 will most likely be a much more exciting season, but for what season 3 needed to accomplish, I think it did a fair job. Here’s to hoping we don’t have to wait so long for Season 4. Cheers!
