Round Two: The Crown

The Crown: Season 1, Episode 2 “Hyde Park Corner” (B)

This episode was an improvement over the pilot, though it still proceeded along pretty slowly in my opinion, picking up steam towards the end with the obvious major plot development that’s setting the show on its course and putting the title item on its protagonist’s head. Elizabeth isn’t going to be able to use her mechanic skills or encourage her husband to go back to the navy anymore, though she does seem intent on keeping her independence to a degree, not following in the footsteps of previous rulers and adopting a new name. Both she and Philip aren’t used to the formal nature of things, with her required to be a step ahead and separate from all others, and I can imagine that it’s going to be quite an adjustment. George’s demise came sooner than I expected, and the king’s death was made infinitely more poignant by the fact that Elizabeth wrote him a letter just moments before she found out that he was no longer among the living. Hearing Churchill speak about the deceased king was powerful, and it will be interesting to see how the very unconventional statesman, whose overflowing bath was an amusing moment, will interact with the new queen. Philip holding off the elephant was the dramatic highlight of the hour, deaths and coronations aside. This episode was somewhat deservedly nominated for an Emmy for its direction – a defendable pick, even if it won’t make my list of the top five directed episodes of the season.