The Crownseason 5, episode 2, “The System”, doesn’t feature Queen Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton) in as important a role, but as the title of the episode implies, it’s her system in the royal household that everyone must constantly work within to whatever degree they are able.Queen Elizabeth ofThe Crownseason 5 has seen quite a bit in her decades as the monarch. She is sharper, more attuned to court politics and the media, but in other ways,she’s lost a bit of a sense of who she is, which is problematic considering her late-blooming nostalgia.
While Elizabeth frets and worries, internally that is, not an emotion ever crosses her face, the mice play. In the premiere of season 5, Charles (Dominic West) and Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) make a sad attempt to reinvigorate their marriage with a second honeymoon, but Charles decides to invite his friends the Knatchbulls and their daughter Leonora (Clara Graham).Philip (Jonathan Pryce), ever the snarky prince, is once again bristling at his duties. With Elizabeth concerned about the future, her family plays with fire in the present.
The Royals Face A Terrible Tragedy
Leonora Knatchbull Dies From Kidney Cancer
The beginning ofThe Crownseason 5, episode 2, “The System”, finds Philip joyously describing his carriage driving hobby to a bemused Italian reporter. The real Philip had a history of making strange remarks to the press, so this is a nice nod to that quirk not often seen inThe Crown. This lightly comic moment is interrupted by a monumentally tragic one. Leonora Knatchbull, Penny (Natascha McElhone) and Norton Knatchbull’s (Elliot Cowan) daughter, dies of kidney cancer, and Philip is rushed away to the hospital room.
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Norton is Philip’s godson, the couple are great friends of Prince Charles, andtheir 5-year-old daughter was beloved by the entire royal family. Every member of the royal family grieves for the loss, but none so more than Philip. Few times inThe Crownhave the members of the family felt so human, brought so low by forces completely outside their control that wealth, power, and “god-given” rights usually shield them from. It’s a sobering look at what the death of children can do to their loved ones.
Philip Finds Comfort And Understanding With Penny Knatchbull
Penny Lets Philip Fix Up One Of Her Old Racing Carriages
Philip travels to the Knatchbull home and finds Penny grieving underneath a tree where she buried her daughter. The much older Philip gives her some generic words of comfort, but Penny is past this. She admits that she feels trapped now. Trapped by her daughter’s grave, by her home, and by her marriage. Some of these feelings are ones Philip recognizes in himself and the two develop an easy, though notably aromantic, rapport. It’s more like two friends coming together, or a father and daughter being reunited after years apart.
The prince consort shares with Penny that he too lost someone tragically, his sister Cecilie, who died in a plane crash while going into labor, an event depicted in flashback in season 2. Philip makes a suggestion,Penny should take up a hobby, something that keeps his mind occupied when it begins to dwell on dark thoughts. He shares his interest in carriage driving, so Penny shows him a broken-down cart in her barn. Philip is happy to fix it up and one montage later, the pair are racing through the countryside.
The Crowndoes not mention that Cecilie and her husband, who also died in the crash, were both members of the Nazi party.
Throughout their rides, Philip and Penny continue to grow closer, alarming those who notice. From the outside, it is strange. Philip is spending his free time with the much younger Penny, who also happens to be the wife of his godson, and only a few days after the death of her daughter, no less. For the viewers ofThe Crown, however,it’s apparent that this is a relationship based on shared feelings of grief, and the opportunity to spend a moment outside the system they loyally pledged themselves to.
Diana Speaks With A Journalist About A Tell-All Book
Andrew Morton Works With Dr. James Colthurst To Get His Interview
While Philip races around with Penny, Diana is playing her own sort of game. Her good friend, Dr. James Colthurst (Oliver Chris) gives Diana a message from Andrew Morton (Andrew Steele), a journalist writing a book on Princess Diana and the royal family. Morton offers to let Diana tell her story in his book, offering her anonymity and an alibi, no easy feat considering Diana believes her phones are being tapped. James is nervous about Diana opening herself up to danger, but he eventually sides with Morton after learning Charles is prepping his own attack book.
This isDiana’s chance to set the record straight on her marriage to Charlesand issues with the royal family. More critically, it could give Diana the chance to retain possession of her children in the event of a divorce, asthe crown will always have a greater claim to any heirs. So, using James as an intermediary to ask questions, Morton gets the inside scoop about Diana, learning about her suicide attempts, knowledge of Charles' infidelity, the persecutions she’s felt from Elizabeth and the royals, her bulimia, and her traumatic upbringing.
It’s a sobering look at Diana’s life, one that does not necessarily excuse all her behavior, but it does paint a picture of how she was always at a disadvantage from the time she was young due to the people surrounding her.
Despite their efforts to remain covert, Morton, James, and Diana are all soon put under a microscope. James is nearly hit by an unmarked van while riding his bike, Morton’s home is ransacked, and Diana continues to hear someone listening in on her phone calls. It’s a sobering look at Diana’s life, one that does not necessarily excuse all her behavior, but it does paint a picture of how she was always at a disadvantage from the time she was young due to the people surrounding her.
Philip Speaks With Diana About The Way Forward
Diana Starts A War With The Royal Family
When news of Diana’s upcoming book becomes semi-public knowledge, it’s Philip who goes to talk to the princess. It’s not the first time Philip has confronted Diana, and despite the fact that this Philip seems a touch softer than the ones who have come before,his message to Diana is much more overtly threatening than it was the first time.Philip has always liked Dianaand says as much, but he also does not hold back. Diana, Philip says, has forgotten herself. She isn’t part of a family, and she never has been. She’s part of a system.
The system is Elizabeth and whether that is right or wrong is immaterial. The fact is, nothing Diana can do will change that. Any efforts she makes to buck the system will only cause undo pain. Philip points out that it would cause her undo pain as well. Diana asks if Philip is telling her to be quiet, and the prince consort gives his affirmation. He leaves Diana stunned and returns to Elizabeth.The Crownseason 5, episode 2, “The System”, ends with Morton’sDiana: Her True Storyreleased to massive fanfare, and everyone prepares for a pain-filled year.
The Crown
Cast
The Crown is a Netflix Historical Drama created by Peter Morgan and starring Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton. The series follows the life of ruler Queen Elizabeth II, outlining different points in her life.
