The Crown Legacy: conclusion of an absolutely royal series

The saga of Elizabeth II has come to an end. The latest episode is now on Netflix. So what will remain of The Crown?

For six seasons, she was the standard of prestige at Netflix. The Crown and its multiple statuettes (at the Emmys and the Golden Globes among others) bowed out this Thursday, with the broadcast of the last episodes and the grand finale, which offered an emotional farewell to the Queen.

After the first part (broadcast in November) which brilliantly told (and extrapolated) Diana’s story with Dodi until her fatal accident, the second part of this season 6 is more heterogeneous. She juggles different events ranging from the death of Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville) at the wedding of Prince Charles (Dominic West) with Camilla Parker-Bowles (Olivia Williams) including meeting Prince William (Ed McVey) and Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy) at university in Scotland or the misbehavior of Prince Harry.

Not everything is successful, but this final chapter at least has the merit of putting emotion back into The Crown, which was sorely lacking during season 5. She once again invades the corridors of Buckingham, Kensington Palace or a shocked Balmoral, thrown off balance by the death of Lady Di. Once again, we vibrate with them. We suffer with the Windsors and we feel like we’re part of the family. If the young crown princes are treated without much conviction (William’s romance with Kate has the false air of a Christmas rom’com TV movie), we can only rejoice to see Elizabeth regain her place on the Throne of The Crown.

Once again, it is she who is at the center of the Windsor saga. First to restore the monarchy after the loss of Diana. Then, alone, faced with the tragic death of Margaret in what will remain as the best episode of this season 6, retracing the years of suffering of the youngest party girl and unfortunate not to have been the eldest, and the impact that her sudden disappearance had on his sister Queen. There, we find the quintessence of the jewel that was The Crown. Certainly, Imelda Staunton has given Netflix’s romantic heroine a real look of age. The former villain of Harry Potter would have even made him unsympathetic at times. And yet she is still the beating heart of the series. It is through her that The Crown truly shines.

This radiant Elizabeth, imbued with a warm humanity, so valued by Peter Morgan, has been too often erased by Staunton’s coldness. We finally find her in this last straight line, compassionate, resilient. Between strength and procrastination, between certainties and embarrassment, a touching sincerity exudes from the final episode. Failing to be flamboyant or spectacular, this last episode of The Crown is true to what the series was, offering an informed reflection on mortality and legacy. Why did she never move on? Why Elizabeth II remained on the throne, when everything was pushing her to abdicate in favor of Charles. “He’s dying for it”, assert his sons. He will have to wait 20 more years.

The Crown does not show the death of Elizabeth, but focuses on this decision to keep the crown, while the Prince of Wales has just married Camilla and the Palace is already organizing her funeral! Because the institution is bigger than it. Because that was it, The Crown : the story of this shy little girl who never asked to be queen and who found herself on the front line, when her uncle crashed everything out of love. A turning point in his life which shaped his entire way of considering the Monarchy, tells us Peter Morgan. Elizabeth has faded behind the sovereign.

And when Claire Foy And Olivia Colman appear in this finale, it is to explain to the old Queen that Lisbeth no longer exists. She sacrificed herself for the Crown. An edifying message that the drama hammers home until the last scene. Great publicity for the Windsors. Beyond popular fantasies, narrative controversies and questions of propriety, The Crown knew how to vividly tell the destiny of the royal family, humanizing them, sometimes excessively. The Monarchy emerges undeniably strengthened.