Summary
A gigantic step down from the previous episode, “Hope Street” flits awkwardly between three ill-fitting subplots, putting its focus in all the wrong places.
After Episode 8 of The Crown Season 6 turned out to be not just the best episode of this season but one of the best in the series in general, it is especially disappointing for me to reveal that Episode 9, “Hope Street”, is rubbish. And it feels like a double whammy since it not only returns to the profoundly boring exploits of Prince William but also reintroduces Mohamed Al-Fayed, as though it’s threatening to re-do Part 1 all over again.
We do get some of the Queen, to be fair, and her stuff is the most rousing, but the fact that there are three plots all sharing space and that it’s William’s efforts to romance Kate Middleton that get the most focus is a depressing indictment of this season overall.
The Crown Season 6 Episode 9 Recap
So, here’s the gist of things. On the one hand, Mohamed Al-Fayed has made very public accusations that Princess Diana and his son Dodi were assassinated by the British royal family, prompting the Metropolitan Police to conduct a very invasive inquiry which will hopefully put the matter to bed once and for all. Hilariously, Mohamed repeatedly refers to the Queen as Dracula.
On the other hand, Will, having decided against leaving university, is looking to make a move on Kate Middleton at a “racy” – by sheltered posh boy standards – fashion show where she’s modeling a faintly see-through dress. And, on a surprising third hand (don’t ask), the Queen has a major existential crisis brought about by her upcoming Golden Jubilee and polls suggesting that she had Diana bumped off for being pregnant with a Muslim child.
Did the royal family have Princess Diana killed?
It should come as no surprise that none of this works with the rest of it – I’m not even sure any of it would work in isolation either, but we’ll never know. Of the three strands, I’m most partial to the Queen’s stuff, which at least builds to quite a nice payoff, but the constant flitting from forensically detailed police inquiry to awkward university romance to philosophical pondering is a bit jarring.
For what it’s worth, the police inquiry determines that the royals did not kill Diana, that she wasn’t pregnant at the time of her death, and that the accident was caused by a drunk driver on Al-Fayed’s payroll, a last-minute itinerary change that was Dodi’s idea, and an invasive paparazzi. Case closed.
Who dies in “Hope Street”?
The Queen Mother also dies in this episode, which is treated rather perfunctorily. But it’s the event that brings the three stories together, in a way. The news is broken to William as he and Kate are sharing their first kiss, and it’s partially what inspires him to be there for his grandmother during her later moment of need. And, from the Queen’s perspective, she’s now down a sister and a mother just when she needs some counsel from one or both of them.
Carole Middleton, established as something of a villain earlier in the season, pales in comparison to the demented ranting of Mohamed Al-Fayed, so her continuing efforts to orchestrate Kate and William’s romance just feel bland. There’s some okay stuff involving the police inquiry, during which Charles is questioned outright about an accusation Diana made in a letter that he had engaged the British security services to sabotage the breaks in her car, but it’s somewhat undermined by the lingering presence of William and Harry, especially the latter, who has aged a few years in-universe and has begun to adopt the endless self-pitying spiel that has come to define his recent years.
I will concede there is a funny bit where the Queen makes fun of the Middletons for being poor and eating in the kitchen “like staff”, and her assessment of Kate being from Berkshire – “Nothing wrong with that. It’s where we keep most of our horses.” – is great. Beyond this, though, there’s little to write home about in the entire episode, which is especially galling given how great the last one was with one less subplot and a lot less cheaply manufactured drama.
How does The Crown Season 6 Episode 9 end?
What this is all building to, more or less, is William having a crisis of conscience. Earlier, the Queen had insisted that he stay away from the Jubilee for his own sake, so he goes to watch it at the Middleton household to give insider commentary for Carole’s benefit. But he leaves midway through to join his grandmother on the balcony, where she steps out with the entire clan to wave at a capacity crowd, which at least brings a smile to her face. As it turns out, people still like Queen – or at least a bit of pageantry – after all.
At the very end of the episode, Will asks Kate to move in with him and another young couple. She accepts, and the rest, one supposes, is history. Hopefully, we don’t have to suffer much more of it.
What did you think of The Crown Season 6 Episode 9? Let us know in the comments.
