The Child
In keeping with the idea of this show being about The Crown, we continue to get a fair amount of flashbacks to Elizabeth and her father -- here, he's practicing for his coronation, and she is playing the archbishop -- and they've very affecting. Jared Harris's face automatically makes me feel sympathetic, and the child they've cast to play Young Elizabeth looks VERY much like her. I DO find it kind of odd that this show is taking the stance that King George never really talked to Elizabeth about the fact that all of this awaits her, too, one day. He seems to MOSTLY be preparing her for her future as ruler via kindly, sympathetic Knowing Looks.
The Crown
Cue all your Heavy Is The Head That Lies The jokes.
The Crown Part II
I do love this bit, when Liz asks if she can borrow the crown to wear it around to practice -- she does do this in real life, like before the opening of Parliament, and I love the idea of old QE2 walking around her bedroom eating TimTams or whatever and reading an old copy of Heat in her giant crown -- and Ye Olde Crown Master is like, "Damn, girl, who do you think you'd be borrowing it from? IT'S YOURS." Not in so many words.
The Logistics
I couldn't resist this shot of this woman vacuuming. You KNOW I love royal logistics. When Heather and I were touring Buckingham Palace on our research tour for The Royal We, we asked the dude giving the tour how often they clean the chandeliers. (Twice a year. Don't ask me what the other people on the tour thought of us. We were also the only people taking copious notes. That said: You should totally take that tour. It's wonderful and everyone is SO nice and knowledgeable AND they give you Buckingham Palace champagne at the end. We were the last people to leave and the guide walked me and Heather out the front gate, which was amazing.)
The Hallway
I just wanted you to see these moldings. (Elizabeth and Chaz and Princess Anne are popping into Liz and Phil's quarters to show Daddy how cute Mummy looks in her crown, but Philip is off doing something Super Masculine.)
The Strapless Gown
This is a gorgeous gown and also Elizabeth has decided that Philip needs something to do (this is accurate) and puts him 100% in charge of her coronation, and he's a WHINY BABY about it before he agrees to do it. (He did do it in real life and as far as I know, was good at it. The Wiki about the coronation is super interesting, if you're in the mood for a deep dive today.)
There is kind of a great moment here where -- in the middle of an argument about how Phil has nothing to do while Elizabeth is "queening" -- he tells her not to "matronize" him, which is very clever. She seems to find his petulance rather amusing which is, I suppose, good news for their relationship.
The Tiara
Ah! Behold the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara! I love this one. You can swap out the jewels, if you like. Her Maj sometimes sticks emeralds in there where the pearls are. (Its history is VERY interesting.) I suspect it's rather LOUD. (Philip is whining about how everyone hates him here throughout. I don't know about EVERYONE but I kinda hate him now, so?)
The Crowd
In case you thought Wills and Kate get a big crowd.
The Parisian Exhile
I just thought you might want to see the lovely home that David/Edward (PICK ONE NAME, BRITISH ROYALS) and Wallis Simpson are slumming in, all the way over in Paris. They're -- as far as I can tell -- making some cash by giving interviews and posing for photos and selling soap in the press. (Please, someone let me know if I've gotten this wrong.)
The Windsors
They ARE both extremely stylish. Here, they're complaining that Wallis didn't get her HRH -- OH MY GOD DID YOU REALLY THINK THEY WOULD DO THAT? -- and sort of negotiating what the reporter sent to interview them will call her. Wallis suggests "your grace." In Wallis's defense, this IS the correct salutation for a duchess, but only the first time -- the rest of the time, said reporter should just call her "ma'am," In NON-defense of Wallis: You're an American, and you got the man (albeit at a price), so, honestly. Stop putting on airs.
The Windsors Part II
Having said that, the Windsors DO look mostly fantastic all the time. That's why they're getting paid extra for sharing their "entertaining tips" with American magazines.
The Shilling of the Soap
"I don't always use soap. But when I do..."
The Photoshoot
I do LOVE the stuffed pug beside them on this sofa. I want one. Say what you will about the Windsors -- AND I HAVE -- but they DO have style.
The Models
This coat!
The Toile Wallpaper
Blah blah blah David/Edward comes up to this FABULOUS room when he's sad and homesick to play his bagpipes. He's also been allowed to keep the red box in which he got all his papers, which is surprising to me and I wonder if it's true. You'd think they'd have just started using it for his brother -- it's not like it has his name on it. (It's also kind of annoying that the reporter in this scene is REAL DUMB, asking David/Edward why he's not wearing a crown in any of his photos. "I NEVER GOT CORONATED, YOU DUMB DUMB," he basically says.)
The Bedroom
First of all, I need to say that I LOVE this bedroom. Those shelves on the wall taking the place of bedside tables? CHIC. Second, David/Edward needs to go home to deal with his dying mother, but Wallis is not invited (this is HER first comment about the fact that Mary of Teck is about to kick it). Third, he ends this scene by turning to Wallis and saying, "shall we fuck?" and I can NEVER UNHEAR THAT and desperately wish I could.
The Meetings
"Hi, everyone, Phil's gonna run the coronation, I don't care if the Duke of Norfolk is pissed, BYE!" You can imagine how much Tommy Lascelles's Mustache is vibrating over this.
The Deadbed
DON'T LEAVE US, MARY OF TECK. (She leaves us. And we get another long and NASTY excerpt from David/Edward's letters to Wallis about how terrible his family is and how much he hates them all and how HARD it is to be NICE to his DYING MOTHER because she's so MEAN to Wallis. We get it. He's the WORST.)
The Palace
This is Lambeth Palace, where the Archbishop of Canterbury lives in London. (Not literally; I'm not sure what this location is. Please let us know!)
The Wood Paneling
Check out that paneling!
The Disapproval
I love Tommy Lascelles and his Mustache -- here, pictured as he wordlessly confirms that, yes, he DID compare Wallis Simpson to the Somme, and he stands by that -- and how much he HATES David/Edward and how much he will not give him money or let him sit in a good seat at the coronation or let Wallis come at all and how much maybe Edward should also stay home, you know CONSIDERING. David/Edward is SO BUTTHURT about this and NO ONE IN THE ROYAL FAMILY CARES and it's so petty and I am HERE FOR IT. He seriously has a total hissyfit, in which he insults he late King and recites a mean poem he wrote about the previous archbishop, and only doesn't storm out in a huff because his mother drops dead while he's there.
The Vigil
In case you were wondering if Margaret had fallen down a well.
The Letters
"Dearest Wallis, This is a super bitchy letter, as all of my letters are. If we'd lived in 2006, I would have been a hella-mean celebrity gossip blogger. Tell me more about your sexual sorcery."
The Funeral AGAIN
In which Philip spends the ENTIRE funeral telling Elizabeth how this funeral is wrong and her coronation will be WAY BETTER. Dude. SHUT UP. It's her grandmother's FUNERAL. At least wait until the homily is over!
The Schoolboy
"First....TV! Second: ?????? Third: ROYAL FAMILY PROFIT."
The Small Scale Model
A) I love that paper model of the Wabby.
B) For all my complaining, Philip did -- in real life, and in this show -- seemingly do a very good job on the coronation and maybe they should give him, you know, a real job to do in the Firm. He was right to put the coronation on TV, and he was correct that it was good for the Royal Family to connect in a more emotional way with British citizens.
The Bed Office
This is how I personally prefer to work as well.
The Abbey
The shots of Westminster Abbey were FABULOUSLY done here -- the episode was the most beautiful to date -- and, as I said in the intro, I think this conversation between Philip and Elizabeth about both the role of the monarchy AND their relationship is one of the best of the show. I saw some complaints that it was too soap operatic, but...well, I love a soap opera, for one thing. But also: Aren't we all really watching this for human drama? If you want a documentary, there are plenty. This fight felt like the first time Claire Foy's Elizabeth actually got to seem like a feeling human woman -- that's not a ding on her performance, which I think is good; it's a ding on the fact that I don't think she's getting any real inner life on this show. Their fight about his decision to kneel or not was REALLY good and very interesting and FINALLY felt like we were getting into the meat of this relationship.
The Viewing Party
Wallis and David/Edward have a party to hate-watch the coronation, as one does, throughout which he provides play-by-play for their guests.
The Logistics
LOGISTICS!!!!
The Pomp
I basically just grabbed a ton of pics of the coronation. It is fabulously well-done -- it SEEMS accurate enough to me, but I am not a coronation expert. (When they get to Wills and Kate's wedding, however, WATCH. OUT.)
The Fragility of Royal Masculinity
So much ermine. A WORLD OF ERMINE.
The Wave
I mostly grabbed this shot because it looked like everyone was doing The Wave, which, as far as I know, is NOT part of the holy coronation ceremony. (I beliee they're actually all putting their own crowns and tiaras back on their own heads, post-anointment.)
The Crowns
I wish we could have seen more of these outfits -- they are AMAZING -- and also seem more of how Margaret feels about her sister being queen. That's a topic Heather and I wrote about a lot in The Royal We, so it's close at mind, but I also feel like...this relationship is a rich mine of human drama. I wish we would get to explore it.
The QUEEN
Despite all my complaining, again: This segment of this episode was VERY good. Compelling, moving, well-edited, and quite beautiful. While I have issues with the way personal relationships are being examined on The Crown, these big set-pieces are EXTREMELY satisfying, from an emotional as well as a visual standpoint.
The Kneeling
So, Philip does kneel. We do not get to see any of his decision to do so, which I think is kind of a wasted opportunity to further develop this relationship. Did he apologize to her? Did they kiss and make up? Was she on edge about whether or not he'd do this the entire time? Did he do it but not speak to her for weeks afterward? Why aren't we seeing any of this?
The Bagpipes
Yes, yes, you're homesick in this fabulous estate in Paris, I understand (although I don't, really; not in the sense that I don't think you can be homesick somewhere beautiful. Just that I think....the David/Edward character is very complex, and I'm not sure if he really CAN be well explicated in what is essentially a mini-series. This actor is, I think, VERY good, but the show is giving us mixed messages.)
The Baby
And I noted in my intro, we've been discussing recently whether or not the show intends for us to have sympathy for old David/Edward here. I don't think so? If only because he is SO AWFUL AND HATEFUL (and also I know that he's kinda into the Nazis) and I don't particularly believe his Sad Man Tears about All He Gave Up when he's such a BRAT about his ENTIRE FAMILY all the time. Additionally: It has to be hard to cry and play the bagpipes at the same time. How is your airflow working, dude?