What I’m Watching: The Crown

The Crown: Season 1, Episode 6 “Gelignite” (B+)

This show really gets into the feeling of the times, with the news that the queen’s sister was marrying a commoner eclipsed completely by the fact that he was a divorcé. To think that a newspaper owner would have the time to give a heads-up to those connected to the crown that a damaging article was soon going to break is hard to believe, since such news would be all over the internet in seconds these days. Margaret made an interesting point that Elizabeth got exactly what she wanted in marrying Philip, who wasn’t the least bit supportive of his sister-in-law’s desire to be happy. Elizabeth tried to go about it in the best way possible, offering her sincere congratulations and then inviting Peter along for a world tour where she was greeted as an adored celebrity and he too achieved some popularity. Peter tried to stand his own ground and argue that it was good publicity for the crown to embrace true love like what he and Margaret had, but that fell on deaf ears as he was admonished for calling a member of the royal family by her first name. Being sent to Brussels without even a moment to say goodbye to her was harsh, and while his reaction was calm and collected, hers was full of fury and spite for the way that her sister treated her. Elizabeth watching Philip run out to enjoy his life while she’s left there with the weight of the crown was a powerful way to end the episode and show how powerless she can feel sometimes.