November 8, 2022

"'Monarchy is God’s sacred mission to grace and dignify the Earth,' Queen Mary says sternly. 'To give ordinary people an ideal to strive toward.'"

"Elizabeth, inscrutable even in her younger years, gives her a long look. If it was wishful thinking in Season 1, it is a joke by Season 5. The new season, which premieres Wednesday, finds the royal family in 1991, in the thick of one of the ugliest periods of its recent history.... Conveniently for the real-life king... the show’s depiction of the dissolution of his marriage to Diana presents a challenge to the version of events that has calcified into the American collective memory over the past three decades. Season 4 reinforced that version: Diana’s struggles with depression and self-harming behaviors were portrayed as outgrowths of the royal family’s chilly demeanor and tacit approval of her husband’s infidelity. But Season 5 presents a reversal. Charles? Less evil than you think, it seems to say. Diana? Kind of a little twerp, now and again.... [B]y the time she quips her famous 'I’d like to be queen of people’s hearts' line to Bashir, it feels almost duplicitous."

From "‘The Crown,’ good as ever, may change your opinion of Charles and Diana/Season 5 of the Netflix drama finds the royals spiraling into chaos but tells compelling stories about almost all of them" by Ashley Fetters Maloy (WaPo).

By the way, I love the name Ashley Fetters Maloy. I've been noticing names that form sentences since I encountered the surname Peed — 40 years ago.

21 comments:

rrsafety said...

Are the stories true? Or are they fake but made to feel true?

Wilbur said...

My takeaway? Anyone who forms or changes their opinion on any public topic or individual based on watching actors in a movie is beyond help.

4600 people die in London on an average day. The death of a "Royal" matters no more to me than the death of anyone else there.

Humperdink said...

"Monarchy is God's sacred mission to grace and dignify the earth"

She was clearly not steeped in Biblical history. A monarchy was demanded by the people. It was not God's plan.

Achilles said...

People liked Diana because she was pretty. I see little else there.

The king was less evil than presented? Cool.

When is the Epstein episode?

Lurker21 said...

"'Monarchy is God’s sacred mission to grace and dignify the Earth,' Queen Mary says sternly. 'To give ordinary people an ideal to strive toward.'"

And maybe to achieve in a few more lifetimes. That sounds strangely Hindu, but I suppose premodern Europe was like that.

But Season 5 presents a reversal. Charles? Less evil than you think, it seems to say. Diana? Kind of a little twerp, now and again.... [B]y the time she quips her famous 'I’d like to be queen of people’s hearts' line to Bashir, it feels almost duplicitous.

Coincidentally, Charles is now on the throne and Diana has been dead for a quarter century. Yes, it's clear that she was erratic and troubled, but what stays in my mind is how horribly Charles mismanaged the marriage. As the relationship spiraled down the drain, sure, she acted out. That's what happens in such situations.

tim maguire said...

Achilles said...When is the Epstein episode?

You'll find that on The Windsors. Worth noting that the line about Prince Andrew and the pedophile was before the Epstein arrest.

RideSpaceMountain said...

@Humperdink

"She was clearly not steeped in Biblical history. A monarchy was demanded by the people. It was not God's plan."

This.

Also Diana was/is descended from Charles II, son of Charles I...'divine right of kings' and such. Charles II wouldn't have had a pot to piss in if Cromwell's kid had been able to keep Monck at bay.

Quaestor said...

How? Alimony?

RNB said...

Getting your history from movies or TV shows is like getting your knowledge of physics from Roadrunner cartoons.

robother said...

"Man is born free and everywhere he is in fetters." Unfetter Man!

Bill R said...

"I've been noticing names that form sentencs since I encountered the surname Peed"

LOL. Great one!

Assistant Village Idiot said...

Diana had Borderline Personality Disorder. That is the single most important fact in understanding her, not money, fame, love, social pressure or any of the rest of it.

Joe Smith said...

We will watch it, but the monarchy in the UK (and any monarchy) can get bent...

Joe Smith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...

Mortal gods and goddesses ruling in a democratic/dictatorial duality. It could work with a suitable religion for women and men capable of self-moderation, but competing interests are imperative to mitigate the progress of others running amuck.

Johnny Burma said...

"I've been noticing names that form sentencs since I encountered the surname Peed"

Do fictional names count, Ann? I laugh out loud every time that I watch Spinal Tap, and hear "Sir Denis Eaton-Hogg."

Karen of Texas said...

What Assistant Village Idiot said.

If you know someone with BPD, you'll understand.

Ann Althouse said...

“ Do fictional names count, Ann? I laugh out loud every time that I watch Spinal Tap, and hear "Sir Denis Eaton-Hogg."”

First, that’s not a sentence.

Second, I’m not looking for deliberate jokes but I like funny names in fiction. My collection is of things that are funny because by accident.

Ann Althouse said...

“ First, that’s not a sentence. ”

Or… it is if you use the is in Dennis

Narr said...

Always thought the Lady Di thing was overwrought and she was overrated.

As for her emotional state, she knew she was hired as brood sow to a cad, or should have. Like I always say, if you want a friend in a royal marriage, get a dog.

Al said...

I've been noticing names that form sentences since Sports Illustrated wrote about the University of Texas running back Roosevelt Leaks about 50 years ago.