Review: ‘The Crown: The Final Season’ Blu-ray Highlights The Series’ Epic Scope
by David Lewis
Netflix’s epic royal family saga The Crown comes to a close with the sixth and final season, available now in a handsome — but flimsily packaged — four-disc Blu-ray set.
The final season takes place during the late 1990s and early 2000s, in the wake of Prince Diana’s (Elizabeth Debicki) shocking death. But tragedy gives way to romantic blossoming as Prince William (Ed McVey) and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy) begin their University courtship, and Prince Charles (Dominic West) weds Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams), all under the watchful eyes of Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton), who celebrates her Golden Jubilee, and Prince Philip (Jonathan Pryce).
In the set’s special features, showrunner and principal writer Peter Morgan explains why he chose to end the series in the early part of the current century rather than continuing up to the recent death of Elizabeth and the ascension of King Charles. After some 60 episodes, Morgan states that the idea was always to end the story on somewhat of a high note of resolution with the wedding as the centerpiece instead of keeping up with today’s Royal Family headlines.
Overall, the special features are comprised of three short but fascinating documentaries going behind the scenes. Morgan is joined by various cast and crew members to give the show a teary-eyed send-off, and look back at the massive production, which for the most part maintained the same major crew members for its run.
The docs highlight the show’s attention to period detail, and the trickiness of depicting a familiar place and time without letting those details overwhelm the plot and characters. Likewise, several cast members address the fine balancing act of portraying a very famous figure without falling into mimicry, with the help of The Crown’s longtime costumers, make-up artists, and hairstylists.
Another way to bring the series full circle was the return of director Stephen Daldry, who was an active participant of the first two seasons, only to leave for the subsequent few entries. He returned to direct the finale, lending the production a sense of closure.
Because the features are retrospective in nature, with cast and crew discussing earlier seasons, it would’ve been nice if former cast members such as Claire Foy, Matt Smith, and Olivia Coleman were included, but perhaps they’re saving that for a longer documentary in the future.
Another downside to this set is that all four discs are crammed onto one spindle, risking scratching every time you pull them out to watch. There’s also an upcoming Blu-ray set collecting the entire series, and hopefully it will presented in sturdier keepsake packaging for fans who will rewatch it multiple times.
