HBO and Netflix have wrapped up two of their most lavish productions in recent times. On HBO, Crown finishes its sixth season with the second episode of the finale, while Golden Age also drew to a close on the other platform. In the biography of the Queen of England, an announced farewell left viewers hungry for more, aware that production would move quickly due to unfolding events. The blockbuster about early twentieth-century New York society also seemed rushed to lock up every thread, given the looming possibility of cancellation.
It is not clear if that threat was ever raised, because the day after the final episode aired, HBO announced a third installment. It felt like a preemptive move. Most of the loose ends were tied, even for a plot that, under normal circumstances, could have stretched into many more episodes. The creator, Julian Fellowes, who also built Downton Abbey, has a generous budget and a track record of expansive storytelling, so there was concern that the luxury might become a bit too extravagant. Some critics argued that the show did not reach the same level as Downton Abbey. The prestige British production had long been on a must-watch list, and the first season of Golden Age had left a noticeable gap. By the time the second season arrived, that gap had begun to close.
The main arc centers on the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, the architectural jewel around which these new episodes unfold. This grand musical palace defined social life for the nineteenth-century elite. The old guard resisted inviting the new money into their circle, denying the newly rich access to the lodge as a way to keep them in their place. The solution came as the newcomers built their own spaces, turning them into the place to be if one wanted influence. The effort to launch the project and the maneuvering to gain broader support propelled the season toward its dramatic finale on premiere night.
While the main plot progresses well, other events feel a touch hurried. It seems as if the third season was meant to arrive in several episodes at once. With cancellations, strikes, and unexpected series gaps, it would not be surprising if Golden Age became one of the casualties in a season that felt overpacked. What happened to Ada’s wedding, the Van Rhijns’ delicate finances, Marian’s failed engagement, and the racial storyline that sometimes seemed to collide with the rest of the narrative? The Russell family emerges as the winners of the new order, their plans perhaps overtaking other characters. Still, Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector shine through their respective sections. The old New York upper class begins to feel the ground shift, hinting at a new balance of power.
Netflix closes The Crown with a different rhythm. After the death of Princess Diana dominates the first half of the season, the finale offers an epilogue that deprives the tale of reconstructing the monarch’s death in fiction. In these final episodes, other high-impact deaths occur, but the central hero is not the focus. Just as with the Russells in Golden Age, the narrative turns toward William and his romance with Kate Middleton, letting them drive much of the plot. A few episodes give secondary characters a chance to shine one last time, particularly Princess Margaret, who starts strong but fades to near irrelevance. Leslie Manville delivers a moving moment in the closing arc as the ruler’s sister, though opportunities to truly stand out are limited. The series also delivers a shocking moment with the population’s princess, echoing a global reaction.
In the final stretch, The Crown continues to explore the monarch’s relationships with key prime ministers of the era. The arc around Tony Blair includes moments the series had previously missed, while the creator, Peter Morgan, reframes those days from another vantage point. The last episodes track Blair’s ascent and decline and reveal how public sentiment around Diana’s death surged even as support for the royal family waned during the funeral crisis. The mid-to-late seasons leave room for further exploration of how the monarchy navigated political and international challenges, including discussions about other leaders like David Cameron or Boris Johnson. Each season captures roughly a decade in the life of the ruler, summing up a broad sweep of the 21st century. The finale might have been written before the queen’s passing, yet it reads as a concise endgame, steering away from open-ended futures.
The last episode appears as a director’s farewell, with Stephen Daldry at the helm. He also guided the pilot and several other chapters, delivering a lavish send-off that lingers as the three actresses who depicted the ruler share the screen one final time. The deaths of those closest to the queen stand as a metaphor for the broader challenges facing the monarchy, which must adapt to modern realities to endure.