The Crown
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Ah,The Crown, the quintessential example of prestige drama.
The lavish production value!
And its certainly no stranger to awards.
Not exactly a great way to start ones reign.
Whats more, while the show is historicalfiction, its debatable how clearly this is understood by the public.
The fledgling queen is in Scotland for the launch ofBritannia, a ginormous royal yacht.
All aboard for our first metaphor of the season!
But then were brought to where this season officially picks up: July 1991.
And thats where things get interesting.
The queen, now played by Imelda Staunton, is 65 and getting a checkup.
Healthwise, shes in pretty good shape.
(Are we surprised?
The woman lived to 96!)
Thats just what happens as you get older, says her doctor.
He, meanwhile, gets a glowing review for his modernity.
Almost half of the respondents think hell make a great king and theyd support his mothers abdication.
So much for that clean bill of health.
Elizabeth claims that being likened to Queen Victoria (another staid, long-reigning sovereign) is a compliment.
But while she wont freely admit it, its clear that the threat of obsolescence makes her uneasy.
People want the package.
The news story is due to run while Charles and Diana are going to be in Italy.
The trip is being framed as a second honeymoon but with the boys.
Uh, is that romantic?
According to the Prince of Wales, sure!
Charles sure is full of … ideas.
Charles and Diana are well aware of their power-couple status.
Who doesnt love a fairy-tale romance, even if it is a charade?
On the yacht with the rest of the party, Charles goes over his proposed itinerary for the trip.
Later, Diana hands her young saviors a Game Boy as thanks before saying good night.
She walks off with a copy ofVoguemagazine, saying shes off to read the classics alone.
Headlines back home proclaim that Diana and Charles are enjoying not-so-newlywed bliss.
But we have to be realistic about the cost of repairs when shes so obviously past her best.
Back in Italy, the honeymoons over.
It seems Charles forgot about a previous commitment he made (low-hanging fruit!
), and he wants to cut the holiday short.
Still, Charles steamrolls on.
It was a shame his mind went unused for so long.Hint, hint.
(FYI: Major has called this particular treason-esque conversationa barrel-load of nonsense.)
Time for Balmorals annual Ghillies Ball!
Major spends the night dodging royals with verbal diarrhea.
She predicts theyll all end within six months.
And with their collapse, she predicts, so ends the institution.
After all, the monarchy is founded upon archaic ideals, particularly when it comes to marriage.
Meanwhile, Major is disturbed by the events of the night.
It feels like its all about to erupt, says the prime minister, adding, on my watch.
Like so many of the Windsors, Major has inherited something unwanted here, too.
Make it make sense!
Calling all armchair psychologists!
I appreciated Annes use of binos to scope out her new crush.
Prince Philip is coming across like a Wife Guy.
And Im not sure that bodes well.
