It's been a while since we all are stuck at home. Even though it's not a complete lockdown in California, there's not much motivation to go out all the time either.
Besides work and daily walks, one thing that kept me busy was watching web series on OTT platform. It's a continuous hunt as what else is there to watch. And when I finished almost all sources, one evening I happened to click The Crown series and I got hooked on to it.
The reason I got hooked on to it was the English language which I missed after moving to America and then I felt lot of historical events that I read in my history classes had some background story which I could relate through these series.
"Who wants transparency when you can have magic? Who wants prose when you can have poetry?"
As one watches these series episode by episode, there is lot of insight behind the royal monarchy and some of their traditions and some of their beliefs which they probably wanted the world to know and some not too. It's a series one can take it with a pinch of salt, if I may say!
I am going to share my feel about the series and these are only my thoughts and nothing else.
While starting the first season, I felt sorry for the Queen Elizabeth II for getting into this high demanding job profile at that tender age. Because I related at that age what a kid would like to do, their aspirations and dreams and when Parents even directed them to follow certain aspect of their wishes, many have rebelled and many who have followed have later got out of that cage. She had no escape and specially when she gets bullied by her own family members for not knowing much of the world affairs and general knowledge. It made me feel awkward that she was only 4th grade and then she learned through a tutor but imagine she never studied Math or Science whereas I grew up where nothing is possible without Math and Science.
"To do nothing is often the best course of action, but I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be. History was not made by those who did nothing."
I also felt for her when Winston Churchill the then Prime Minister, how he looked at her for her age and her inexperiences but she didn't get discouraged instead learned from the wise.
The Queen was not expressive of her emotions when it was towards her children, something I didn't understand and if you look at it the problem that Prince Charles was having for not getting that motherly care and love like any other normal kid could have. If Queen was like Diana not hesitating to show her affection to her kids things would have been different.
At times, I felt the Queen was deliberately not showing any affection as if her emotions will show her as a weak person. I am sure that's the old school thinking because vulnerability is a leadership skill, not a weakness but now its too late.
Her Sister Princess Margaret seemed like a spoilt brat and I felt the Mother Queen was also sad that she didn't get to rule too long as all rights and privileges went to the Queen Elizabeth II her older daughter but I guess power and position can make any relation fragile and weak if the seekers are out only for that.
"In a rush to heal wounds you end up committing yourself to something, someone that isn't quite right."
The husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh born in royal family but sad story at the family front and yet got everything by being the husband of the Queen. At times you will feel sorry for him and at times you will feel things happen for a reason.
I mean the time when the astronauts were visiting the Palace, he specially asking for 15 minutes with them in person and not meeting them in a group tells a lot where he wanted to prove that he is someone above all these Royal family and he is superior as he is a pilot and has interest in space related activities. But as soon Neil Armstrong says, ask the questions that he wanted to ask, Prince Philip was not able to do so. There was a dilemma in accepting that common people are the ones who landed on the Moon and they are no royal or have any such show-off as supposed to what was in Prince Philip's mind and then we see he going to his faith and feels happy with the priest who later became his friend. That made me think of himself like a lost guy.
Any how I didn't think very high of him the way he treated his son Prince Charles and also by sending him to the school where he went and the bullies that a child had to go through, which Prince Charles later said was like a hell on earth.
"We're all dying. That's what defines the condition of living."
Till now, I am sympathizing with Prince Charles but not after he is grown up because I felt he is always doing his victim cry and demands attention and the one gave he fall for them.
It was good to hear another familiar character Louis Mountbatten - the once Governor General of India and it was funny he giving Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru's reference on and off.
I felt he was a father figure to Prince Philip and to Prince Charles but sad ending.
Sometimes these series actually take the curtain off of people's face as what they are and what they claim to be. I just googled about him and read a whole lot about him and little boys.
Coming to Prince Charles, I felt he always have his victim cry and probably that's the reason he always demanded to be cared and loved like a baby!
The whole rule book seemed like is for the Queen because besides her everyone was into infidelity, extra-marital affairs, divorce etc.
"Where there is heroism there will always be hope."
But the whole drama of Prince Charles and Princess Diana... I don't know what to say because I think I was there when it started and when it ended too. I mean I was in school that time and saw their fairytale wedding on tv and now when everything unfolded in these series it all looks like a mockery.
The family know their son is in love with another woman still they don't let them to marry and then that woman marries another lover of hers and still continues the affair. And while the affair is on the Prince decides to marry so that he can give a Princess to the royal family. It was like an open book for everyone inside the family except the world felt that it's a fairytale.
"In the first flush of romantic love, we're all blind. We see only what we want to see."
As a young teenage girl Diana, getting all excited to be part of the royal family may be she didn't know what she is getting into and probably by the time she realized what was going on and even after her trying to keep the family and marriage intact, when things really didn't work out she probably went like any other person looking for her escape from all these issues.
"That's the thing about unhappiness. All it takes is for something worse to come along and you realize it was actually happiness after all."
But it was funny to see how every time Prince Charles wanted to marry his love Camila who was already married and when he asks her to leave her husband and marry him, she gives the reason that it is not good for anyone to break the marriage but she has feelings for him. That moment I wondered didn't Charles even had a slightest thought that she is a player too?
At this point I was lost as what is she interested in? I always got the feel from the series that she only petted Charles and probably he also wanted that.
One more thing was clear from what the Queen said, you have to make your adjustments, meaning she was fine with Prince Philip going to other women as long as that's done in hidden way and not impacting their marriage - seemed very mechanical and superficial relationship. She had to have a deal each time to keep him in the marriage.
There was no rights for women even though the Queen herself is a woman. Men can go to other women but women cannot.
It only makes one think of, what if everyone had given their way of choosing life - how would things look today?
Probably the Queen Elizabeth wouldn't be the queen today.
"Some things can only be perceived one way because they only have one meaning."
I have to admit and appreciate the craft, crew, casting, script and performance by each one in this series is amazing. I very much loved everyone for being in their character fully.
I had only one thing to say that I didn't like that the Queen Claire Foy was replaced by Olivia Colman and Prince Philip Matt Smith was replaced by Tobias Menzies, and so on so forth. It was hard to reconnect with the characters and get to the flow that one starts in the beginning of this series. I wish it was one artist playing their role through out...it connects one with the artists as well and the characters.
"Who we are is not what we wear or what glitters. It's the spirit that defines us."
~ Dawn
