What I’m Watching: The Crown

The Crown: Season 2, Episode 2 “A Company of Men” (B+)

I remember reading that the second season of this show was going to focus more on Philip and the crown atop his head than on Elizabeth, and this episode was definitely formatted that way. Philip is a character who has been hard to find sympathetic since the start of this show, so concerned with how this regal position will affect him when he still enjoys many of the liberties of normal life that Elizabeth can’t because she is the queen. You’d expect a certain level of discretion from him while he was out gallivanting around the world on a trip he never wanted to take, and that’s one of the reasons that, fortunately, he hasn’t yet sunk into infidelity. Mike, on the other hand, has, and his wife is well aware of that fact and wants him to pay for it right away. It’s hard to think of a divorce going through in those days, and she certainly got a response that indicated a lack of faith in her own mental state. The health of the British prime minister doesn’t seem to be excellent no matter who’s in office, and I liked Elizabeth’s reaction to the news that he had to go to Jamaica. Back on the boat, I like that the discord Philip and his friends are experiencing includes a beard-growing competition that specified that those with preexisting beards had to shave so that the playing field would be evened. Philip fighting to pick up the stranded man showed that he does have principles and isn’t ready for anyone to tell him what to do, especially if he knows that he holds the real power in the situation.