The final season of Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ has officially arrived. This episode picks up right where the previous season left off, with Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) facing the consequences of her controversial decision to strip her son Prince Charles (Dominic West) of his royal titles. As a recap, Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) is divorced and no longer living in the palace. 

The opening scene is a man who is walking his dog at night. While doing so, he notices a black car driving by, fast. Behind the car, there are some motorcycles trailing behind, and the car crashes. He then calls the ambulance and reports the incident. Although he did not see the crash, he heard it, with the horn blaring. 

After the credits, it transitions to Princess Diana and Prince William (Rufus Kampa) in the car, which is eight weeks before the accident that happened in the opening scene. William looks a little bit older than when the viewers last saw him in season 5. Cherie Blair (Lydia Leonard) and Tony Blair (Bertie Carvel) are discussing Diana’s arrival. 

As they’re saying their hello’s as Diana and her eldest arrive, the scene merges to Queen Elizabeth II  questioning Tony on Diana’s visit to his home. He tells her that they had a nice time together, having a smile on his face as he recalls the visit. He tells the Queen about his and Diana’s walk around the grounds and as he does so, it transitions to that moment. Although Diana has left the royal home, she still has unfinished business to attend to, wanting to be hands-on in the work she’s been building on, globally.

Going back to the visit, they leave that morning. They have a helicopter as a source of transportation for their transition to a private plane. As they’re on the plane, Diana’s youngest, Harry (Fflyn Edwards) is with them. There’s still some tension between Diana and William, because of the divorce and the case of a strained relationship between the two of them.

The next scene is Prince Charles directing the set up for a party, a birthday party for Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams). While on the plane, Diana told her sons, more so William, that she didn’t want to be near anyone while the birthday party was going on, deciding that she and her sons would go on a short vacation, just the three of them. Focusing back on Charles, while he’s planning the celebration, he is discussing matters like security and his worry about making sure that Camilla is welcomed properly into the royal family.

Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla) gets a call from his father Mohamed (Salim Daw), saying that an important guest is coming and he needs to be there. When Diana and the boys make it to their vacation spot, Mohamed welcomes them. When he called his son, that’s who he was talking about.

In the next scene, Prince Charles comes to visit the Queen. Charles asked her to see if she had received the birthday invitation for Camilla’s party. She says she did receive it, but she’d be busy that day. She thinks it’s not that important for her to attend, but since Charles is now with her, she needs to make an appearance for his sake and the public. If she were to not show up, it would make them look bad on the public side of things.

After Charles visits his mother, the next morning, he discusses things with Camilla, who is willing to wait for her to be accepted into the royal family. On the other side of the family, Diana and the boys are on a yacht and the paparazzi are screaming her name to grab her attention, but she just ignores them, keeping her attention on William and Harry. Mohamed leaves Dodi with them, leaving him confused. Nonetheless, he has fun with Diana and the kids as they swim, playing in the water.

William stays cooped up in the house as they make it back from being on the water, stating that he won’t come out until the photographers are gone, so Diana being the loving mother she is, tells them to leave, letting them get some good photos of her before doing so.

In Wales, Charles and Camilla make their present at Camilla’s party. Charles makes a big speech during dinner about Camilla’s strength and courage. Princess Margaret (Lesley Manville) is struggling with accepting the two’s relationship. After dinner, as everyone is dancing, Maraget is on the phone with Elizabeth. She tells Elizabeth that he looks happier than he’s ever been and that she sees something special between the couple.

Kelly Fisher (Erin Richards) comes to visit Dodi while he’s working but finds out that his father left him alone with Diana, whom Kelly calls “the most beautiful woman in the world.” She knew that she was there, only because of the papers, which was also something else that she was upset with. After arguing about it, they quickly make up. After making up, in the next scene, Dodi goes to the bar on the yacht and Diana is sitting at the piano. She startles him when he asks if he’s okay.

Once Dodi tells her that he’s okay, Diana starts playing the piano. He tells her that he has a fiancèe. He becomes honest with her, telling her that his father doesn’t want him to be with Kelly. He tells her that Diana is who his father wants him to be with instead. They have a conversation about their fathers. Diana states that Mohamed and her father would have been great friends, both of them disappointing Diana and Dodi as fathers. Diana changes the subject, talking about his engagement. Dodi tells Diana that he and Kelly will be getting married in three weeks.

In the next scene, Dodi, Diana, William, and Harry watch the film Jumanji in the pool on the yacht, which is being projected on a huge screen. The scene ends and transitions back to Prince Charles. He’s in his home and receives a phone call from his mother. The boys are coming to stay with him tomorrow after they leave their vacation with their mother. He tells her that he has a busy week ahead of him, having to meet with the Prince’s Council and he is hosting a garden party for the emir of Qatar. Elizabeth asks him about the birthday party, which catches him by surprise. She tells him that she’s happy for him.

After the phone call, it goes to the next day. Dodi and Diana are taking a walk and she tells him that she enjoyed herself on their vacation. Once the boys go back to their father, she’ll be alone for the rest of the summer. Dodi assures her that she’s welcome to stay there again if she wants to. She tells him that his “fiancèe is a lucky girl.” She and the boys leave, saying their farewells to Dodi as he watches them leave. Mohamed watches from above, a smirk coming across his face.

When they make it back home, as soon as they get in, there are flowers everywhere, putting a smile on Diana’s face. She notices a jewelry case with a letter next to it. The case held a gold watch inside, with a note that read: “Paris next week?”

This episode was overall a good way to start the season off. Giving the viewers a closer look at Camilla and Charles’ relationship. A new relationship and friendship forming between Dodi and Diana. The actors and actresses portray their roles very well, and it’s always amazing to see how much Elizabeth Debicki resembles Diana. Dominic West excels in his portrayal of Prince Charles, showcasing his remarkable talent. Despite the fact that both actors have not previously taken on roles in a Netflix series, their performance remains exceptional, as expected from their astounding careers. Anticipation builds as viewers are about to go into the next episode.

Rating: 8/10