Mental Health and Changing Times in 'The Crown' Season Four.

Season four of The Crown was highly anticipated. It marks a change in the Royal family, a period of time when public opinion began to turn sharply against tradition, and the family entered into a new world – or, rather, the new world made its way into their home.

This season was visually stunning and thematically brilliant. I absolutely devoured it. The acting has only gotten better, and while it was a shame to see some of the best characters step back a little to allow for new storylines, it was great to see some fresh faces.

 

A theme that I hadn’t particularly expected this season, but which I found enthralling, was that of mental health. Particularly, we see mental health as a source of shame, or even worse being weaponized. This is reflected in Diana’s storyline; both through her struggles with bulimia and, later, Charles’ attempts to portray her as ‘mad’ when their divorce proceedings begin. We also see the topic touched on in Princess Margaret’s storyline where, feeling listless and depressed, she begins seeing a psychologist. This leads her to discover a dark secret hidden away in the history of the family, showing how any sign of mental instability was seen as a sort of stain on the family’s reputation.

Throughout my viewing of this series, I’d always begrudgingly liked the Queen as a character, particularly when Olivia Colman – who was exceptional this season – stepped into the role. However, I found that this season in particular, I began to dislike her and see her as more of a tyrant than a main character you could root for. Which, I suppose, worked as a sign of the times, as public opinion began to turn against the stuffy, conservative ways that the Queen represented. Colman particularly shined in scenes where she faced off against her own children, especially Charles, which made the episode ‘Favourites’ a very compelling watch. Another stand-out episode was the portrayal of the infamous break-in to the Queen’s bedroom by Michael Fagan.

 

One complaint I had about this season was that Thatcher, who was played by Gillian Anderson, was almost too likeable. The character came across as vulnerable a lot of the time, and I found myself feeling sorry for her. Although the series does tend to show us the sympathetic side of historical characters, I felt that a woman known as the ‘Iron Lady’ really shouldn’t have seemed so sympathetic and fragile. I would have liked to see more of her steel, grit, and controversial side.

 

Emma Corin is a superstar in her role. It’s a pity she’ll only be in the series for this one season, with Elizabeth Debicki taking over the part of Diana for season five and six. The tension that mounts between Diana and Charles in this season was extremely well-played, and I absolutely loved the ‘Uptown Girl’ scene.

 

Although there were some hiccups, this season was truly a wonderful watch, and I only wish I had paced myself more as the long wait for season five begins.