More significantly, to the episode, the series and her entire future, Elizabeth receives a letter from her grandmother Queen Mary. Firstly, she loses her attendant Martin (Harry Hadden-Paton) as her new role befits only the top dog, Private Secretary to the Queen, the pompous Tommy Lascelles (Pip Torrens). Of course, Elizabeth’s (and Philip’s) life is about to change drastically. He puts great effort and consideration into his message and to the disappointment of his scheming party members, he does a fine job. Churchill also grieves the King but has a greater responsibility at this time- to deliver a fitting eulogy over the radio. Though his comment to a Kenyan noble sporting an extravagant crown “love the hat” doesn’t help his cause. Philip’s tender comforting of his wife when she finds out is another example of he being more than just a buffoon who slips up at every turn.
The King’s death obviously prompts a lot of emotion from his wife and two daughters, and it is played beautifully from all involved. Jared Harris, in what may have been the best work of his career, is sadly no longer part of the series, but there is no shortage of quality acting left in his stead.
It could’ve been quite a ham-fisted moment too obvious and too convenient, but as with the rest of the series, Peter Morgan and his team know exactly how to pull it off. Later that night, King George VI dies in his sleep. Afterwards, he watches a news report of Elizabeth doing well in Kenya and looks quite content with it all. It’s a nice, happy moment for the pair, though a touch of sadness hangs in the air, with the overbearing feeling that the end is nigh. Later on, the King shares a little duet with Margaret. The King refuses to do anything and even makes Eden walk back to the Palace from out on their hunting trip. He asks the King to encourage his friend to step done as Prime Minister to allow a younger man to take control. It’s the kind of bravery and confidence that obviously made Elizabeth go against everyone’s wishes and take him as her husband.īack in England, King George is visited by Anthony Eden, Churchill’s protegee and second in command. Philip waves his arms around to attract the elephant to himself to allow Elizabeth and their guide to get to safety. They go on safari and in a strong moment for Philip, are blocked from their luxury high-rise hut by a young bull elephant. Although technically visiting in an official capacity, the trip seems more like a honeymoon for the young couple.
I'm focusing on those pieces that are intended to be replicas of the real deal there are other items, brooches and so on, the show uses that seem to be pretty generic. On to the jewels! As we did with Season 1, these recaps are mainly focused on the jewelry seen in the show. She deserves to add a few more trophies to her awards cabinet for her work here. Claire Foy's portrayal of The Queen, however, remains impeccable. The show vastly overestimated how much I care about Philip's angst (zero, I care zero) and their run through of Margaret's romantic problems wasn't backed by a very strong character development (her primary character trait seems to be a love of smoking). To be honest, I didn't enjoy the second season as much as I did the first.
The show picks up in the late 1950s and ends the season shortly after Prince Edward's birth in 1964, hitting along the way the trials and tribulations of Prince Philip, the trials and tribulations of Princess Margaret, and the struggle to modernize the monarchy. The Crown on Netflix is back for Season 2, and our jewel-focused recaps are back as well!