All Eyes Are on Diana in Season Four of The Crown

Season Four of The Crown is filled with “soapy” drama and one climactic moment after another, receiving a score of 97% from Rotten Tomatoes. There are 10 episodes this season and each episode is about 52 minutes in length.

This season takes a deep dive into the early days of Diana and Prince Charles’ relationship, and because a bright light is shone on Lady Diana’s struggles with her eating disorder, the beginning of many episodes in season four display trigger warnings. The Crown is rated TV-MA, meaning it is for mature audiences. 

Cast members and fan favorites from season three, Olivia Colman, Helena Bonham Carter, Josh O’Connor, Erin Doherty, and Tobias Menzies, all return and appear in season four. This season, viewers are introduced to two prominent female figures in Britain’s history, Lady Diana Spencer and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The two women are played by Emma Corrin and Gillian Anderson.

Jackie K. Cooper, a top critic at Rotten Tomatoes, praised the seasons leading characters to the Huffington Post. “The saga continues with outstanding performances by the entire cast,” he said, “but especially from Emma Corrin, Josh O’Conner and Gillian Anderson.”

The portrayals of Diana, Charles, and Thatcher by Corrin, O’Connor, and Anderson helped the series immensely. The storylines surrounding the life and political shortcomings of  the “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher gave The Crown a new sense of direction. Corrin and O’Connor’s depictions of their complex characters were spot on. The actors allowed the audience to see how the royal couple may have acted towards one another in their private time. From Charles’s jealousy to Diana’s loneliness and crumbling self-esteem the audience can understand why, nearly 25 years after their divorce, the couple’s marriage came to an unsuspected and bitter halt. 

By adding the dynamic of Charles and Diana’s ultimately tragic and tangled relationship to this season, the creators of the show created a more thrilling plot. This season the series had binge-worthy energy that it lacked in the previous season. Throughout season four, viewers will notice that the cast’s performance overall was more unified and the storylines and plot were much more complex and thought out. 

Overall, this season of The Crown was full of drama and seemed incredibly realistic. Season four is unlike any other season to date, since it was not centered around Queen Elizabeth’s marriage. 

The series in its entirety is worth watching, but if learning more about the early days of Queen Elizabeth’s reign does not seem thrilling, then one could consider just watching seasons three and four since they are set in later periods (the ‘70s and ‘80s). Season Five is scheduled to air on Netflix between late 2021 and early 2022.