This show is so SO expensive; the amount of money they're spending on it is boggling. Which means that even when the plot is kind of flabby, at least we always have something beautiful to see.
For example, this whole shot was just B-roll coverage for a brief mention of Brezhnev (who the show pretended Her Majesty had never heard of, because I suspect Peter Morgan thinks many woman are dumb).
This set, in particular, is beautiful, even if I did feel like this Volka Dam plotline was poorly explained.
CORGIS!
In which we learn the Queen RENTS her TV. (Also, I would not need a footman standing there watching me watch TV.)
It's always fun to spend time in Normal Hartnell's atelier. Here, we see the original version of a gown Elizabeth decided to add shoulder straps to.
You can see a LOT of Normal Hartnell's sketches of clothes for Elizabeth and Margaret at the clothing exhibit at Kensington Palace; they are REALLY neat. And rather better drawn than this actually.
I grabbed this for a good look at Elizabeth's jewels -- which are STUNNING in this episode -- but also because I want her and Porchey to run off together.
This house is ALWAYS used for Buckingham Palace in film -- they used it in Downton, too -- and this is where I sniff that the REAL double staircase is much, much more narrow than this.
Jackie's wrap looks mildly as if she improvised with a pillowcase.
Philip was SO annoying in this bit; maybe roll your tongue back in your mouth, Phil. (Here's a photo from the actual event where the Kennedy came to visit.)
Porchey would NEVER act like that.
Both Jackie and Elizabeth's gowns are lovely, but as you can see, the costume department very carefully recreated Elizabeth's and NOT Jackie's, which is interesting to me. For what it's worth, this gown that they DO have her in feels very quintessentially Jackie Kennedy to me. (So quintesential, actually, that a good friend of mine was married in a gown very similar to this.)
They ALSO didn't recreate her hair exactly as it was at the time. I suspect they just wanted her to look as Jackie Kennedy as possible.
MORE DOGGIES!
Margaret is, as I noted in the recap, a real pain in the butt in this episode -- but her eyeliner is impressive.
Nothing like wearing your ugliest suit to find out that your country is getting passed over for...something something dam something something.
Nothing like wearing your ugliest dress to find out that Jackie Kennedy thinks you're boring!
At least Elizabeth looked swell when she went to Ghana -- and had to do her own face!
I link in the Previously recap to a piece that Vulture did, which included actual footage of the time Elizabeth went to Ghana -- which she did for a totally different reason than stated here. Other than her dancing with President Nkrumah, basically the entire visit was totally, totally different than the way it was portrayed in The Crown.
I like their digs, though.
And I'm never going to complain about all these emeralds.
And I wanted to note that I thought the women in this scene were wearing some very glam outfits -- I love that white-background patterned one, in particular.
This scene was really fun, in fact -- it was very well-shot, and who doesn't enjoy some thrilling DANCE DRAMA.
Does Elizabeth's gown have an attached CAPE? Or is that just a really aggressive back ruffle?
It was very amusing to see Martin Charteris shoved into the floral arrangments by the photo pit.
Spoiler: The White House ALSO has great furniture, and this dress on Jackie is so modern and divine.
This, however, was a bit more miserable -- as it should be, given that she's gone to Windsor to make an awkward apology, and also admit that she's been all shot up with speed by a sort of questionable doctor.
Concerned that this episode didn't have a toast rack?
Also concerned I may end up buying this top.
This whole flashback of JFK smacking Jackie around, and them then making out, was so very very awkward. Michael C Hall was just AWFUL in this part and I felt like basically every choice he made as an actor felt unnatural. Having said that, the montage of everyone listening to radio reports about JFK's assassination was VERY affecting -- I think in part because they did use some actual radio clips.
And, as ever, Claire Foy does SO much with her face, and no lines, listening to the radio as they announce that the President has died.
Very snuggly. Given Tony Armstrong-Jones's snotty hatred of pajamas, I wonder if he knows that Philip is a jammies man.
It felt very realistic that the Queen Mum would be watching coverage of the Kennedy assassination in her own pajamas; I suspect basically everyone did.
It's a marker of how much money this show is shelling out that they recreated Jackie's infamous pink suit for just an incredibly brief shot of her accompanying JFK's coffin back to DC. This episode was uneven for me, but these parts were very effective.
And, of course, I'm never going to complain about great stationery.