Summary
- The Crown season 6, part 1 is receiving its worst reviews yet, with a 57% Critic Score on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score is still high at 94% due to the emotional examination of Princess Diana’s last days.
- Season 6 of The Crown is criticized for being melodramatic and simplifying its characters with cheesy moments. The storytelling has also become redundant, constantly focusing on Diana’s impending death.
- The show has been deemed too generous to the Royal Family, taking a pro-monarchy stance and not being critical enough. The spotlight has shifted away from Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 5 and 6, with minimal focus on her character.
The Crown season 6, part 1 is out on Netflix, and it’s receiving some of the acclaimed series’ worst reviews so far. The historical drama is known for chronicling the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family from the late 1940s to the 21st century, with different actors playing the roles every two seasons. The series has been nominated for a ridiculously impressive 69 Emmy Awards, winning 21, including several for its magnificent performances. The Crown season 6 is the show’s last season, with part 2 releasing on December 14, a month after part 1.
Season 6, part 1 has remained consistent with previous seasons in terms of its performances, with Elizabeth Debicki’s portrayal of Princess Diana a clear standout. However, The Crown’s latest installment has been the lowest rated on Rotten Tomatoes and the first to be considered Rotten with a 57% Critic Score, a far cry from season 6, which had 96%. In defense of season 6, the audience score is still 94%, with a widespread emotional response to the show’s examination of Princess Diana’s last days. Love it or hate it, critics have been consistent in their distaste for The Crown’s final season, citing several reasons.
8 Season 6 Is Melodramatic
The Crown feels like a soap opera at times in season 6.
The Crown has always had moments of melodrama, but season 6 seems to simplify its characters with cheesy moments. Mohamed Al-Fayed is portrayed like a soap opera villain, manipulating his son and Diana into their romance for his own personal gain. Not to mention, the Al-Fayed father-son relationship is packed with dramatic clichés. Scenes between Charles and his PR team and their tactics to soften the public’s eye towards his relationship with Camilla also come off as unrealistic scheming, with Charles even exclaiming, “This is war!”
7 The Crown Is Too Generous To The Royal Family
The series is a love letter to the Monarchy.
A common critique of The Crown has been its treatment of the Royal Family, prompting audiences to sympathize with the hardships and isolating nature of their roles and responsibilities. The Netflix series depicts the royal family as divisive figures, with public perception of them as a consistent subject throughout every season, changing with time and cultural development. Season 5 was particularly generous to then-Prince Charles despite examining the rougher edges of his marriage with Diana, commonly portraying him as charitable and progressive. The Crown overall takes a pro-monarchy stance, never being too critical of its subjects.
6 The Crown’s Storytelling Has Gotten Redundant
Season 6 felt predictable.
The Crown has always been a somewhat formulaic show, with each main character getting a couple of episodes to shine each season. Be it an episode that covers a historical event or crosses with a historical figure, the show’s specialty is its portrayal of the fictional, intimate moments behind the scenes, where the writer is forced to imagine what a member of the Royal Family might have done or how they felt. These moments make The Crown relatable against all odds, but season 6 is constantly chained to Diana’s impending death.
Everyone knows Diana’s death is coming, and the series consistently foreshadows the moment in a way that weakens it, taking from the usual authenticity that makes The Crown shine, replacing it with redundant lines like Mario Brenna referring to paparazzi as “hunters, killers.” Even Diana refers to her marriage with Charles as stepping on a landmine. Though, in fairness, it was an essential story to tell, and season 6, part 2 will allow the focus to shift back to Buckingham Palace and the storytelling that made The Crown exceptional.
5 Diana Has Engulfed The Show
Season 6’s four episodes don’t balance the characters well.
The arrival of Diana in season 4 helped contribute to making it arguably The Crown’s best season, with Emma Corrin fantastic in the role. Of course, while Elizabeth Debicki is still phenomenal in seasons 5 and 6, the storylines following her and the repetitive back and forth between Diana and Charles felt redundant after a while. Her death was an integral cultural moment for the show to portray, but critics felt the drama building up to it in the first few episodes of season 6 was weak compared to the show’s usual standards.
4 Season 6 Has Minimal Focus On Elizabeth
The Crown has shoved its main character into the background.
The Crown has always been the story of Queen Elizabeth II, and in a sense, her presence as the ruling Monarch is always relevant, even when she’s off-screen. However, the spotlight has been notably away from Elizabeth in seasons 5 and 6, with attention primarily on Charles and Diana. Not to mention, Philip and Margaret, who’ve had less and less to do in each season, have essentially become background characters. Season 6, part 2 will have to rectify this, as both were vital characters to the show’s early success.
3 Diana’s Story Isn’t Handled Well At The End
The Crown season 6’s opening episodes are simplified.
Building up to the death of Princess Diana is the greatest challenge The Crown has ever faced, as it’s a recent historic event that remains relevant in the hearts and minds of viewers. While the show respectfully doesn’t show the actual accident or her body, it still reduces the build-up to the incident to a predictable clock-ticking narrative. Everything about the portrayal of Diana, building up to The Crown season 6 part 1 ending, is in anticipation of her death.
2 The Crown Season 6 Is Boring
The latest season’s interpersonal moments aren’t as engaging.
The Crown has always had slow dramatic build-ups, but the show has commonly found success from its acting talent and chemistry between actors. Even in the most mundane scenes between Elizabeth and Philip in the early seasons, Claire Foy and Matt Smith brought a charisma that made them so enjoyable to watch. Season 6, part 1 may feel boring because Diana and Dodi lack chemistry, and they take up a great deal of screen time.
1 Princess Diana Appears After Dying
Diana appears in Charles and Elizabeth’s imaginations after her death.
The most shocking decision made in The Crown was to bring Diana back following her death, appearing before Prince Charles and the Queen. Diana guides them in how they should handle her passing and how to tend to the people after the shocking accident. It’s certainly a strange and daring creative choice that’s been met with backlash.
In an interview with Variety, showrunner Peter Morgan clarified that Diana’s return wasn’t a ghost, “I never imagined it as Diana’s ‘ghost’ in the traditional sense — it was her continuing to live vividly in the minds of those she has left behind.” He added, “Diana was unique, and I suppose that’s what inspired me to find a unique way of representing her. She deserved special treatment narratively.” Regardless, the decision feels too direct, with Diana returning to reinforce the show’s message rather than let the moment linger with the characters and viewers.
Sources: Variety
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The Crown
- Release Date:
- 2016-11-04
- Cast:
- Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton, Matt Smith, Tobias Menzies, Jonathan Pryce, Vanessa Kirby, Helena Bonham Carter, Lesley Manville, Victoria Hamilton, Marion Bailey, Marcia Warren
- Main Genre:
- Biography
- Genres:
- Biography, Drama, History
- Rating:
- TV-MA
- Seasons:
- 5
- Summary:
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This drama follows the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and the events that shaped the second half of the 20th century.
As the 1970s are drawing to a close, Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) and her family find themselves preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession by securing an appropriate bride for Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor), who is still unmarried at 30. As the nation begins to feel the impact of divisive policies introduced by Britain’s first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson), tensions arise between her and the Queen which only grow worse as Thatcher leads the country into the Falklands War, generating conflict within the Commonwealth. While Charles’ romance with a young Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) provides a much-needed fairytale to unite the British people, behind closed doors, the Royal family is becoming increasingly divided.
- Website:
- https://www.netflix.com/title/80025678
- Cinematographer:
- Stuart Howell, Adriano Goldman
- Creator:
- Peter Morgan
- Distributor:
- Netflix
- Main Characters:
- Peter Townsend, Prince Philip, Anthony Eden, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Queen Mary, Prince Charles, Princess Margaret
- Producer:
- Andy Stebbing, Martin Harrison, Michael Casey, Andrew Eaton, Oona O’Beirn, Faye Ward
- Production Company:
- Sony Pictures Television, Left Bank Pictures
- Sfx Supervisor:
- John Smith, Chris Stoaling
- Writers:
- Peter Morgan
- Number of Episodes:
- 50
