Some of The Crown’s most standout, stand-alone episodes have been centered on Philip. (Season two’s “Paterfamilias†unpacked his childhood trauma — and earned an Emmy — while season three’s “Moondust†was an inspired exploration of a midlife crisis bolstered by an electric performance from Tobias Menzies.) Through no fault of the actors, “Ipatiev Houseâ€â€™ doesn’t quite meet that same level of excellence we’ve come to expect from a Philip-centric installment. But it does, perhaps inadvertently, raise questions surrounding a long-running institution that has wreaked so much havoc on the world.
On a superficial level, this chapter is about events surrounding the Queen’s 1994 state trip to Russia, which made her the first ruling British monarch to set foot on the country’s soil. (We also get an introduction to the bacchanalian Boris Yeltsin, Russia’s first democratically elected president.) On the home front, the episode’s populated by age-old narratives: that of stale marriages, issues of aging, and insecurities that arise in dealing with the “other woman.†Philip has found intellectual, spiritual, but entirely platonic companionship with the much-younger Penny, and he’s happier for it. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is in low spirits over the growing chasm between her and her husband. Once again, much like the premiere, Elizabeth is being told in so many words and actions that she’s no longer enough — only this time it’s as a partner, not as a queen.
But perhaps what’s most interesting about “Ipatiev House†is how it lives in the tension around issues of violent, exploitative legacies and the intergenerational trauma caused by them. “I’ve been busy exploring, among other things, the grotesque injustices visited upon my relatives by your relatives,†Philip says to Elizabeth when she brings up how distant he’s been lately. Philip’s referring to her grandparents’ decision to not save the Romanovs, a choice that led to the family being gunned down and disposed of in a mass grave. It’s an indirect kill but fueled by an informed decision. (That scene, which opens the episode in flashback, is harrowing and much more graphic than what we typically expect from The Crown.)
Later, Elizabeth tells Penny that the czarina, Alexandra Romanov (Philip’s great-aunt), was pro-German at a time when England was at war with them. Saving them would’ve been controversial and contradictory and might have led to local unrest. Elizabeth defends her ancestor’s actions, in a sense. She suggests that while Queen Mary may have called the shots (literally, almost), she was still devastated when news of the murder came back. As a royal, though, she just had to hide and bury those feelings. That’s the nature of the role.
Of course, shouldering those decisions would be traumatic. But it seems bizarre for The Crown to highlight the pain of a sovereign’s silence and personal sacrifice … when that very sacrifice is hurting other people in much harsher ways — ways that affect families for generations or, in this case, ended them. Queen Mary felt bad, yes, but the Romanovs were murdered. What’s noble about that?
As joyously soapy, escapist, and absorbing as The Crown is, there’s something lacking that can be hard to shake as a viewer. When we hear civilians on the show debate whether the monarchy should exist, they talk mostly about taxpayers’ money, as well as the royal family’s irrelevancy, outdatedness, and scandals. The legacy of colonialism and its associated violence is more or less swept under the rug. (And to be fair, maybe this is an accurate depiction of what it’s like on the inside — it’s not a priority or pressing problem for the royals!)
Still, the amount of blood on the hands of the British monarchy could fill an ocean. It’s why certain people — particularly those from colonized countries of the past and present — didn’t exactly mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II. More recently, a protestor threw eggs at King Charles and, while being restrained, yelled, “I’m with all the victims of slavery, colonialism, and imperialism … for all the people who died so that man could wear a crown.â€
The brutal atrocities intertwined with the monarchy’s legacy are not so much a blind spot in The Crown’s writing as something that — apart from a few passing references — seems wilfully ignored. So when Philip, who’s described as a “lost mongrel†by his in-laws, points out how the crown essentially erased his identity (granted, through a beneficial marriage that he chose) and murdered his ancestors, the plight of the Duke of Edinburgh (of all people!) suddenly becomes relatable to colonized communities across the globe. (Only to a certain extent, of course.) It feels like an oblique way to confront the show’s elephant in the room. While there’s little payoff — she doesn’t offer a meaningful solution — Elizabeth is finally being forced, on a small level, to face what her ancestors did.
Royal Diary
• It was an honor to be graced with an appearance from Charlotte, King George V’s beloved, bilingual parrot. She’d reportedly scare palace visitors by randomly screaming, “WELL, WHAT ABAHT IT?â€.
• Is it just me or has this season felt more didactic than previous ones? Did we need that crash course on DNA sequencing? I know some viewers mistakenly treat the show like a history lesson, but it really doesn’t need to feel like school.
• On a similar note, Philip’s bouts of condescension toward Elizabeth (e.g., “I readâ€) as she tried to connect with him were irritating to watch.
• This episode has Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce doing so much lovely work, particularly with their eyes. When Penny talks about the profundity of the DNA findings, Philip appears genuinely touched and understood, though he downplays the part he played. On the other side of the spectrum, after meeting with Penny, Elizabeth goes back to her quarters, her eyes brimming with tears. It’s heartbreaking (and feels vaguely reminiscent of Emma Thompson’s devastating bedroom scene in Love Actually).
• I couldn’t help but be fixated on Penny’s hair this episode. Her blowouts were serving ’90s supermodel realness.
• Having the Queen play excitedly with the dogs while Philip watched and smiled was such a sweet scene to end on. Author Tina Brown has touched on Elizabeth’s strong bond with her animals, writing how they were her “true emotional peers†— the only living creatures who weren’t aware of her rank and who loved her unconditionally.
• With that being said, please take a moment to read the Wikipedia entry on the royal corgis, particularly the subsection labeled “Attacks.â€