What I’m Watching: The Crown

The Crown: Season 3, Episode 4 “Bubbikins” (B+)

I thought that this episode opening in Athens with a serious military conflict was going to showcase another international tragedy, but instead, this hour focused in on the life of luxury of the royal family. Philip going on American television to comment that the queen should be getting a pay raise didn’t lead anywhere good, and it was interesting to see him spring into action with the plan of making a documentary to salvage their image. I enjoyed the sarcastic comments delivered by Elizabeth and particularly by Margaret in reference to their being filmed watching television, and, expectedly, his scheme backfired when the journalist who wrote about them initially was unimpressed by the effort. I couldn’t figure out where I recognized John Armstrong from, and I now see that actor Colin Morgan played Leo on the underrated series “Humans.” We also got our first official introduction to the adult Princess Anne, who seems considerably more modern than her parents and engineered things so that John would have to interview her grandmother, who had plenty to say, instead of her. The scene between Philip and his mother at the end of the episode when he finally came to apologize to her for not realizing what she had given up and how she was actually the perfect answer to his public relations problem was touching, though, as usual, not quite as warm as might be expected given the nature of their relationship. As Elizabeth said, the mystery and protocol exists not to keep them apart but to keep them alive.