
EPISODE 4.1
Gold Stick
As Elizabeth welcomes Britain's first woman prime minister and Charles
... More meets a young Diana Spencer, an IRA attack brings tragedy to the royal family.LessAs the 1970s are drawing to a close, Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) and her family find themselves preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession in the fourth season of Netflix's royal drama. Winner of 11 Emmys in 2021, including Outstanding Drama Series.
Still unmarried at 30, the family must secure an appropriate bride for Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor). 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.
LessSince the season is largely divided between Thatcher and Diana, you have some terrific Thatcher episodes and some really shaky Diana episodes, and unlike Season 2, which has been the show’s strongest thus far, there’s no major arc that ties everything together.
Full reviewThe encounters between the two women [The Queen and Margaret Thatcher] are a running theme, and make for delicious viewing. But the real star of this fourth season is, inevitably, Diana. ... It all makes for a riveting soap opera. And, against all this, Mrs Thatcher is almost light relief.
Full reviewComplemented with razor-sharp performances and furnished with the most luxurious set design that Netflix money can buy, “The Crown” has successfully sold itself as one of TV’s most serious dramas. The fourth season, in all its shameless glory, may be its most successful yet even as it puts that prestigious perception to bed.
Full reviewTogether, Thatcher and Diana give The Crown an energy and a sense of direction it lacked in the third season, and a feeling of verve the show has arguably never approached before. In the writing and in the performances, there is this sense that everyone involved has finally gotten to the good stuff, and they’re all pleased as punch about it.
Full reviewThe fourth season is the first in which the domestic tensions among the royals is anywhere near as interesting as the British history that unfolds outside the palace gates. Creator Peter Morgan and his writers remain impressive in their ability to condense national events into dramatically compelling crises-of-the-week and flesh out real-life personages through just a few scenes.
Full reviewSeason 4 largely succeeds because of the way Diana (Emma Corrin) and Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) are integrated into the cast and stories, and how creator Peter Morgan is able to use both characters as broader symbols for the monarchy's continual crash into modernity. It also doesn't hurt that Corrin and Anderson are both excellently suited for their roles.
Full reviewIt’s a season of next-level performances, really. Anderson’s turn as Thatcher is so viscerally physical. ... She is transformed.
Full reviewBeyond reveling in the tawdry candy-colored tale of Charles and Di, Morgan’s writing on the show routinely explores notions of classicism, privilege, sexism, and racism. But this time around, the undercurrents surface in a way that is timely, incisive, and, ultimately, more pointed and hopeful.
Full reviewYes, there is the odd historical inaccuracy, but it is in my view Peter Morgan's best series yet and, overall, five-star television.
Full reviewAnchored by Margaret Thatcher and Charles and Di’s doomed marriage, the fourth season of Netflix’s royals drama may be its best yet.
Full reviewThe Crown: Season 4 is available to stream in Australia now on Netflix.
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