15 Best Moments from ‘The Crown’ Seasons 1 and 2
15 Best Moments from ‘The Crown’ Seasons 1 and 2 (continued):
11. Thank You, Next
On The Crown Season 2 Episode 5, “Marionettes,” Queen Elizabeth faces a harsh critic. This enthralling storyline encompasses the whole episode, but it is the face-to-face meeting with said critic that is the most entertaining.
Lord Altrincham (John Heffernan) thinks he will be meeting with Assistant Private Secretary, Martin Charteris (Harry Hadden-Paton), but he is ambushed by the Queen instead. This cheeky cloak and dagger maneuver by Elizabeth is brilliant. I think audiences are just as surprised as Lord Altrincham!
She is terse with him, and as he ticks off items on his list of improvements for the monarchy, Elizabeth barely contains her chagrin—which is utterly delightful to watch.
Altrincham: For the purposes of this meeting, I chose to limit those recommendations to six.
Elizabeth: Six?
Altrincham: Three things to start and three things to stop.
Elizabeth: Well, let’s start with the “stops.”
Altrincham: Very well. Ah, yes. Putting an end to the debutantes’ ball. The idea that young women of a certain class are presented to the sovereign, and women who are not of that class are not presented to the sovereign and somehow not acceptable. This is the sort of inequity that should’ve dies out with our grandparents’ generation, certainly after the war.
Elizabeth: [long pause] Next.
Afterward, she asks him to step out into the hall and when he comes back in, she is gone. “Vanished into thin air.”
Sneaky little sovereign, that Queen Elizabeth.
12. Sibling Rivalry
The sister dynamic is one of the best aspects of the entire series, and all scenes between the two of them are captivating. Foy and Kirby have great chemistry where moments of camaraderie as well as strife are portrayed flawlessly.
Princess Margaret’s engagement to Peter Townsend spans from the beginning of Season 1 and well into Season 2. Delay upon delay, against the wishes of the Queen, keeps the two lovebirds apart. Elizabeth wants her sister to be happy but an endless list of weird monarchical rules does not allow her to grant her sister this request.
It all comes to a head on The Crown Season 1 Episode 6, “Gelignite,” and their relationship is never quite able to fully recover from the damage.
Margaret: Well, you fail to protect me. I will fail to protect you in return.
Elizabeth: Margaret.
Margaret: You reap what you sow, sister.
The fracture of their bond is tragic as their positions as royals can be isolating and rather lonely. This pain is felt acutely later on with a flashback scene on The Crown Season 1 Episode 10, “Gloriana.” King George VI tells his young daughters that they are “sisters above all else” and to “never let one another down.”
Oops.
13. Truth in Art
On The Crown Season 1 Episode 9, “Assassins,” the prime minister gets his portrait painted as a present for his 80th birthday. We learn that he also fancies himself as an artist. And during his time with the painter, Graham Sutherland (Stephen Dillane), he learns that his pain and emotion can be seen in his paintings.
This throws the unflappable dignitary, and the reveal of the portrait makes Churchill confront his age and his weaknesses.
Sutherland: I showed the sketches to your wife throughout the process. She remarked on how accurate they were.
Churchill: That is the whole point. It is not a reasonably truthful image of me!
Sutherland: It is, sir.
Churchill: It is not! It is cruel!
Sutherland: Age is cruel! If you see decay, it’s because there’s decay. If you see frailty, it’s because there’s frailty. I can’t be blamed for what is. And I refuse to hide and disguise what I see. If you’re engaged in a fight with something, then it’s not with me. It’s with your own blindness.
Churchill knows Sutherland is right, but the truth hurts. In the end, he remains stubborn, burning the painting—which historically, in real life, is considered a “lost masterpiece.”
14. London Fog
Reading the description of The Crown Season 1 Episode 4, “Act of God,” sounds like it might be made up and also kinda boring.
It is neither.
The killer fog that descended on London in 1952 is a real-life catastrophe that claimed the lives of thousands. The way The Crown tells this story is riveting and suspenseful with a subplot that softens surly Prime Minister Churchill who mourns the death of his aid, Venetia (Kate Phillips).
The cinematography which is always gracefully gorgeous is even more stunning on this episode. The Great Smog is deadly but beautiful.
15. Cue The Music
It’s not exactly a moment but the score adds to so many moments. It’s dramatic and regal but fluid and pleasant without any stuffy pomp and circumstance. It feels heavy—in a good way, though—like what the weight of the crown must feel like. Likewise, the music chosen for certain scenes imbues melodramatic vibes.
An excellent example of this is on The Crown Season 2 Episode 4, “Beryl.” After Margaret’s break with Billy, she has an emotional meltdown in her bedroom accompanied by Ella Fitzgerald’s “Angel Eyes.” The lyrics and the haunting melody and vocals complement Margaret’s lonely state and Kirby’s heartbreaking performance.
Later on that episode, Margaret is riding high after her flirtatious photo session with Tony. Now she puts The Flamingos’ “I Only Have Eyes For You” on the record player and swoons over this new love interest. The song is languid and romantic and perfect for this 180 of Margaret’s mood.
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What are your favorite moments from the first two seasons of The Crown? Share with us in the comments below!
The Crown Season 3 starts streaming November 17th on Netflix.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.