<p>On television, so far, our appetites for watching a variety of vices have been appropriately whetted and sated. And let’s be honest, some were a result of the big box programming pandering to our brains, while some were a new concept altogether that we could not process at first, but grew accustomed to, and eventually became addicted to. <br /><br /></p>.<p>We have seen plenty of dystopia trickling in bit by bit through Black Mirror, imbibed a distinctive guide to survival of the fittest through Orange is the New Black, embraced the crazy and impossible in Transparent, resorted to empathy with the characters of Silicon Valley and secretly revelled in schadenfreude and mirth when laughing away at the antics of those involved with the presidential elections in Veep.<br /><br />Yes, television has managed to exploit many of our emotions and capitalise on them, for good or bad. We’ve seen melodrama, laughter, tears, death, horror, boredom and crime. But there always seemed to be something missing, even with all this around. Something that was out of the familiar territory of these mawkish screenplays, that lay elusive for many years. <br /><br />There were probably attempts to bring this out many times, but writers mostly failed. What are we talking about here? Succinctly put, class. If you have already begun watching The Crown on Netflix, you probably know what I am talking about. And if you haven’t, but have always felt the urge to lounge around in an elegant sort of a display of entertainment on the screen, here’s your chance to do it.<br /><br />A lesson in history that won’t bore you is the crudest possible way to summarise The Crown. A biographical account of Queen Elizabeth II of England (played by Claire Foy), it starts chronicling her life from the time she is married to the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark before). Well, it isn’t just the royal family that is in focus. Of course, there is the politics, with Winston Churchill, his power, his connection to the royalty, the mores and ways of the United Kingdom — all linked to portray the bigger realistic picture of another time.<br /><br />Having been spectators only in the most superficial of senses to what has transpired in the United Kingdom over the last several decades, this gives a deep and comprehensive insight into the order of events. So, then, why not make a documentary, one may wonder. Well, therein lies the brilliance of the series. Picking dramatised narration over an educative tone is what makes it a winner. Of course, this is not to sideline the fact that the lines have been so elegantly scripted, weaving in all elements of uppity, morality, reverence, power play and culture.<br /><br />Often times, what we see happening in such elaborate dramas is that the very grandeur and opulence of the setting and the pace of the writing starts to get jaded and ultimately turns into an onus on the viewers with too many details to register. But The Crown has been careful enough to get it just right, striking a perfect, if precarious, balance between detailing and sustaining the interest of the viewer, quite a hard task to achieve when you are trying to be historically accurate.<br /><br />So, if we were to look at the bottom line here, what would it be? Watch The Crown. It is well-conceptualised, meticulously planned, flawlessly executed and incredibly engaging. But most importantly, it has brought back classy television, something we should all be grateful for. <br /><br /></p>
<p>On television, so far, our appetites for watching a variety of vices have been appropriately whetted and sated. And let’s be honest, some were a result of the big box programming pandering to our brains, while some were a new concept altogether that we could not process at first, but grew accustomed to, and eventually became addicted to. <br /><br /></p>.<p>We have seen plenty of dystopia trickling in bit by bit through Black Mirror, imbibed a distinctive guide to survival of the fittest through Orange is the New Black, embraced the crazy and impossible in Transparent, resorted to empathy with the characters of Silicon Valley and secretly revelled in schadenfreude and mirth when laughing away at the antics of those involved with the presidential elections in Veep.<br /><br />Yes, television has managed to exploit many of our emotions and capitalise on them, for good or bad. We’ve seen melodrama, laughter, tears, death, horror, boredom and crime. But there always seemed to be something missing, even with all this around. Something that was out of the familiar territory of these mawkish screenplays, that lay elusive for many years. <br /><br />There were probably attempts to bring this out many times, but writers mostly failed. What are we talking about here? Succinctly put, class. If you have already begun watching The Crown on Netflix, you probably know what I am talking about. And if you haven’t, but have always felt the urge to lounge around in an elegant sort of a display of entertainment on the screen, here’s your chance to do it.<br /><br />A lesson in history that won’t bore you is the crudest possible way to summarise The Crown. A biographical account of Queen Elizabeth II of England (played by Claire Foy), it starts chronicling her life from the time she is married to the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark before). Well, it isn’t just the royal family that is in focus. Of course, there is the politics, with Winston Churchill, his power, his connection to the royalty, the mores and ways of the United Kingdom — all linked to portray the bigger realistic picture of another time.<br /><br />Having been spectators only in the most superficial of senses to what has transpired in the United Kingdom over the last several decades, this gives a deep and comprehensive insight into the order of events. So, then, why not make a documentary, one may wonder. Well, therein lies the brilliance of the series. Picking dramatised narration over an educative tone is what makes it a winner. Of course, this is not to sideline the fact that the lines have been so elegantly scripted, weaving in all elements of uppity, morality, reverence, power play and culture.<br /><br />Often times, what we see happening in such elaborate dramas is that the very grandeur and opulence of the setting and the pace of the writing starts to get jaded and ultimately turns into an onus on the viewers with too many details to register. But The Crown has been careful enough to get it just right, striking a perfect, if precarious, balance between detailing and sustaining the interest of the viewer, quite a hard task to achieve when you are trying to be historically accurate.<br /><br />So, if we were to look at the bottom line here, what would it be? Watch The Crown. It is well-conceptualised, meticulously planned, flawlessly executed and incredibly engaging. But most importantly, it has brought back classy television, something we should all be grateful for. <br /><br /></p>
