6 | Wednesday, April 7, 2021
LIFE AND ARTS NEWS
SYDNEY ROSE & EDITORS AMINAH TANNIR,
THEDAILYCOUGAR.COM/LIFE-ARTS
@THEDAILYCOUGAR
REVIEW
Netflix series ‘The Crown’ and its historical inaccuracies
Renee Josse De Lisle/The Cougar
ASHLEY GWANANJI
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Netflix’s hit show “The Crown” managed to capture the hearts of many viewers since it began airing in 2016. The docudrama focuses on Queen Elizabeth II’s life from the 1940s to modern times by covering a specific event in every episode. Episodes are often brimmed with scandal, touching on topics from love affairs to political turmoil. While they mostly stick to their historical facts, some scandals are inaccurate for creative purposes. An example is found in the
REVIEW
Continued from page 5 is in. Set up like an interview, the book reads as a character’s name and then their dialogue, no action description or quotes or parenthesis. This shows the storytelling aspect from each different character in the band or related to the band, giving the reader different angles of the story and not letting them know which character is telling the truth. This comes across differently in the physical copy of the book than the audio book, which if a reader prefers audio books this is certainly one to consider. The audio book
drama’s second season, where it conveys the basics of the Suez crisis but deviates from historical facts by showing the conversations between Prime Minister Anthony Eden and the Queen about the situation. Although the two did meet, there was no record of what they discussed, according to the Mosaic. Rather, the dramatized conversations provide the narrative of Eden’s plan to keep the collusion against Egypt a secret. Additionally, season two covers another scandal troubled with inaccuracies – the Marburg Files, a collection of top-secret German
records from the Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany. In the collection is the Windsor File, which contains details of a possible alliance between the Nazi High Command and the Duke of Windsor, Edward VIII, and his wife, Wallis Simpson, during World War II. Although the Nazis considered the Duke and Duchess of Windsor allies, there is no evidence of the Duke colluding with the Germans against Britain, as the show hints. Diving into season three, its third episode depicts the tragedy in Aberfan, Wales, where a mountain of mining debris descends into the town. Accurately telling how the
Queen took eight days to visit the people, “The Crown” also highlights her failure to respond to the tragedy as sovereign. However, the show did a poor job showing her remorse according to Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s former press secretary Joe Hanes. In the episode, the Queen shows a lack of emotion as she forces a tear for the press. Criticizing the show, Haynes explains the narrative the show reveals is “absolute nonsense.” While there are more historical inaccuracies to note, it is understandable as “The Crown” is a drama and not a documentary. Regardless of how it deviates
from history, the show does an excellent job portraying the modern royal family with its stories. From accurate set design to impeccable casting, it is easy to see why viewers can’t get enough. In “The Crown’s” highly anticipated fifth season in 2022, viewers should expect new cast members to reflect the age of the favorite characters and stories likely covering royal life in the late 1990s. After season five, the show announced it would have a final and sixth season, which has yet to have a release date.
version of “Daisy Jones and The Six” has different voices reading for each character and samples of the instrumentals for songs mentioned in the book. One thing to love about “Daisy Jones” is the music component. Even when the characters are frustrating or you don’t know where the plot may be going, the music is a strong part of the novel, all written by Reid herself who is not a songwriter by any means. And one thing to think about as you read “Daisy Jones” is the characters themselves and their dynamics. From talks about the book that can be seen on social media platforms, first time
readers would assume the main characters, Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, would be a couple. Then, you meet a character named Camila Dunne, described as Billy’s wife. Throughout the book you see Billy Dunne’s character development from washed up rock star going to rehab, to getting better for his wife and his kids, to meeting Daisy Jones who is not a good influence on his character whatsoever. The thing about a character like Daisy is that she has the aesthetic that could be likeable; woman who never wears shoes, doesn’t care what other people think if she herself knows
something is good… but then she has traits that are slightly less likeable. Daisy herself is a nepotism rock star who had everything come easy, most of her problems being results of her own misguided actions as she does not listen to or respect the people close to her. This leads to a dynamic of enemies to something more with Billy as the characters work on music together and have to be in close quarters with one another. Part of Daisy’s entitlement is believing she had the right to be in love with Billy and to have him love her back even with his wife, family and their careers at stake.
Billy, showed his development by realizing while he did feel an emotional connection to Daisy, they could not cloud what he had done with his life. Other characters and relationships shown in the book create a whirlwind of a storyline that makes the reader feel as though they are witnessing dynamics of a rock band like this of that time period. With a steady plot, interesting characters that you do not always love and do not always hate, “Daisy Jones and The Six” can be an interesting read or listen to whoever is willing
arts@thedailycougar.com
arts@thedailycougar.com
