The Crown Season Three (Spoiler-Free) Review

Fans of seasons one and two of Netflix’s The Crown, fear not! I come bringing good news! Despite changing over nearly every single cast member from the shows first two installments (the lone holdover is a pleasant, if brief, surprise early in the third season), I’m happy to report that season three of The Crown retains all of the magic of seasons past. And, to be frank, it is my favorite season of the series. Much of that has to do with the brand new cast being able to settle into roles that have already been carved out in our minds. There’s not much need for exposition at this stage of the game – we know the players, we understand their pasts, and we understand the unique stressors within their lives – so the story is able to pick up and move things along with minimal need for stage setting. Now, that’s not to say this top-notch cast (filled with various familiar faces and a handful is splendid newcomers) can simply skate through the work. No, everyone here is at the top of their game, and the results are nothing short of extraordinary.

It’s hard to imagine another actress playing Queen Elizabeth II following Claire Foy’s masterful portrayal, but it should come as no surprise that Oscar winner Olivia Colman is more than up for the task. I had been worried that casting a “known” actress in the part might make it harder to suspend belief and see Colman as Elizabeth, but my worries were quickly put to rest. Colman builds on Foy’s work, crafting an older and wiser Elizabeth who is still plagued by some of the same uncertainties as her younger self – but who has managed to find her place within the political structure of Great Britain and balance within her marriage (although she still struggles with her role as mother, to devastating consequences for her eldest son). That isn’t to say Elizabeth doesn’t make mistakes – she absolutely does, and we see what is noted to be her largest regret as monarch within the third episode of the season – but it’s nice avoid rehashing some of the same arcs for the character at this stage in her reign. Colman’s assured portrayal bookends nicely with Elizabeth’s own maturity, creating a wonderful marriage of actor and character.

Philip (now played by Tobias Menzies, best known from Game of Thrones and Outlander, who manages to turn Philip into a character you genuinely care about and root for – no small feat) is no longer a stumbling block to the Queen but a partner, and you finally understand why these two have been together for so long. We get to see more of Philip the father – where he was (and largely continues to be) rather dismissive to Charles, he’s vastly different when dealing with his only daughter, Princess Anne (played as a young adult by Erin Doherty, who absolutely steals the show from the seasoned pros around her). With Anne, his obviously favorite child, Philip has found an equal. She’s able to parry back his biting commentary (she also does the same with everyone around her – including her mother), she can scheme behind his back to great success (when his estranged mother, Princess Alice resurfaces, Anne manages to navigate the press issues surrounding her appearance, protecting Alice, Philip, and the crown). Philip even gets his own episode – wherein he struggles with his own perceived lack of accomplishments in the face of witnessing the Moon Landing – that provides depth to the character that was missing in his younger incarnation. I often found Philip to be one of the less interesting characters in the first two seasons, but this time around he fits into his place within the series and the family seamlessly (and provides one of the best burns of the season in the finale – showing off his much more grounded and relaxed place within the royal family at this stage in the game).

But, despite spending a good chunk of this piece on Elizabeth and Philip, season three isn’t nearly as tightly focused on the Big Three (Elizabeth, Philip, and Margaret – now played with a deep range by Helena Bonham Carter, who I had a hard time seeing as Margaret and not Famous Actress Helena Bonham Carter until the final episode of the season where she really digs down deep into the despair of Margaret at that stage in her life). Instead, the focus widens to encompass the old royal guard (Charles Dance – Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones– is a scheming and unsympathetic Lord Mountbatten while Marion Bailey tackles the particularly nasty Queen Mother – who has a hand in ruining both her grandson and daughter’s happiness this season), the next generation of royals (joining Doherty is Josh O’Connor giving a strong as a very sympathetic, if not particularly smart, version of Prince Charles), as well as general individuals in the royal orbit (Jason Watkins is a standout as PM Harold Wilson, who’s evolving relationship with Elizabeth becomes one of the surprise emotional centers of the season, and Emerald Fennell is a bit of a cypher as Camilla Shand – who is best known know as Camilla Parker Bowles, and yes, that whole situation plays out over the course of the latter parts of the season). It’s a testament to the strong foundation the series has in place that widening the focus only serves to enhance the show. Nothing is lost from either a dramatic or entertainment standpoint when Elizabeth isn’t the focal point of an episode. Doherty and O’Connor, in particular, are able to easily command the screen, leaving me looking forward to seeing their work in season four (which will include Charles’ wedding to the yet-to-be-introduced Diana and the births of their children).

It’s rare that I find myself taking the time to savor a show, but I savored The Crown. I’m not even embarrassed to admit that I teared up a bit during the final meeting between Elizabeth and Prime Minister Wilson (seriously, it’s a shockingly emotional moment that is entirely earned by all that came before it – a rarity in television writing, but so satisfying when it occurs). This season continues the fine tradition of the series and makes one eager for season four. Season three ends with Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee of 1977, meaning the assassination of Lord Mountbatten, the rise of Margaret Thatcher, and the introduction of Lady Diana Spencer are still to come, but I cannot wait to take that particular journey with this wonderful cast, solid writing team, and stellar set of directors.

Final Thoughts:

— Just for your reference, the season covers from 1964 to 1977, although some moments don’t quite mesh with their actual historical dates.

— While past seasons hinted at serious inter-familial conflicts between the royals, this season full-on dives in. The rapidly deteriorating relationship between Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones gets particularly vitriolic in the season’s final episode (Ben Daniels turns Tony into a positively monstrous character), and the situation between Charles and Camilla is played out with distinct allusions to the family history of forbidding royals to marry those they wish to marry. All-in-all, the romantic entanglements are steeped in tragedy and you can’t help but feel awful for the humans behind the royal titles.

— While the first two seasons dealt a great deal with how the royal family was viewed both in Britain and abroad, season three spends less time on that and more on exploring the characters themselves. Yes, there’s a brief trip to visit President Johnson (which allows Carter and Daniels a chance to show us Margaret and Tony’s relationship beginning to fray before they are all but sidelined until late in the season), and some domestic issues to deal with, but the lasting feeling of the season is that the people mattered more than the politics.

— There’s a scene late in the season where Doherty’s Anne delivers one of the greatest lines of the series, leaving the assembled cast of elder royals shocked (well, save for Philip, who simply chuckles at his favorite child’s insolence). Where seasons one and two made a star of Vanessa Kirby (Margaret), Doherty is going to be the find of season three.

The third season of The Crown premieres on Sunday, November 17 on Netflix.