S05.E03: Mou Mou

[paramitch]

I really loved this episode. I thought it was a really creative, interesting, and bittersweet way to introduce us to the Fayeds, and to Dodi as well as Mou Mou. 

Mou Mou is an interesting character because here, we see him present himself as a cultured, elegant gentleman who deserved respect -- and who was met with racism. And then he turned around and reacted with cruel racism toward Sydney himself. His habit of switching languages to Arabic when he wants to speak about people in their presence is SO RUDE! Aghgh.

BUT -- I came to care about him reluctantly anyway, and adored Sydney so much that when Mou Mou genuinely became friends with Sydney (even caring for him on his deathbed), yeah, that moved me.

On 11/10/2022 at 5:50 AM, Ellaria Sand said:

I was surprised to see that a full episode was devoted to Mohamed Al-Fayed. It was an excellent episode and highlighted all that has been written about his desire to be recognized as part of British high society.

Great to see Alex Jennings again. He really is brilliant as the Duke of Windsor.

I enjoyed the break from the Charles/Diana drama. 

I felt all of this as well. I was really moved in the end -- and that shot of the castle, now restored, as Sydney and Mou Mou stood before it --was also such a knockout. Just beautiful. And I loved that restoring the castle became a labor of love, in a way -- almost a gift from Mou Mou to Sydney as well as his bid for getting the notice of royalty.

On 11/10/2022 at 7:58 PM, Lady Whistleup said:

I also liked the scene between Mohamed and Diana. It captured something people always said about Diana -- whatever her private demons, she was always able to disarm strangers with her charm and charisma almost immediately.

I agree -- her instant rapport with Mou Mou was really charming.

On 11/10/2022 at 8:58 PM, BloomsburyRez said:

Three episodes in and the Queen is a background bit player in these past two. When she is shown she does not resemble either public knowledge of the Queen, or the character that’s been established over the past four seasons. We are supposed to believe that a woman who has spent decades traveling to places she probably wouldn’t have chosen and talking to thousands of people because it’s her job suddenly decides to flake out at an event showcasing something she really really loves to hang with her sister and BFF, knowing that a giant part of what makes horse events happen are donors with deep pockets. The woman was a literal workhorse herself! Another giant eye roll of her not knowing/caring about possessions at the mansion until he mentioned grandma’s pearls.

I think this is the main weakness of the show -- I do not think Peter Morgan likes Elizabeth or is actually interested in her at all. He's consistently been far more interested in the characters around her (especially the men). I enjoy the show, but I definitely don't see it as anything but reality fanfiction.

On 11/11/2022 at 5:57 AM, BloomsburyRez said:

If they are trying “the Queen is racist” narrative that also conflicts with what has been shown in the past four seasons especially remarks made to Phillip or Thatcher when they made racist comments. 

While I'm irritated at times with Peter Morgan's depiction of Elizabeth, I absolutely do not think the intended meaning here was ever "Elizabeth was a racist," but rather, "Elizabeth is tired and would rather sit with friends/family." To be fair to the show, it has always gone out of its way to remind us that Elizabeth is anything but a racist.

On 11/11/2022 at 4:28 PM, Straycat80 said:

All I knew about Mohamed Al Fayed was that he owned Harrods and was father to Dodi, so this was interesting and I liked the story about him and Sydney.  

Yeah, I found this interesting because it provided me with some more accessible faces and perceptions of people I had only heard vaguely about. 

On 11/11/2022 at 6:35 PM, Lady Whistleup said:

It appears the Queen and Mohamed did meet. I don;t know how warm the interaction was but I doubt it was as chilly as the Crown depicted.

I sometimes think Peter Morgan simply never liked QE2 or was inspired by her character, because he often writes these little moments of shittiness from her .

First off, these are so fascinating! Thank you for sharing them. And YES, I have always felt this way about Peter Morgan when it comes to Elizabeth. It's interesting that he decided to create a show around Elizabeth when I do not think he likes, understands, or has interest in Elizabeth as a person at all. He's only interested in what she represents -- and those around her.

11 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I couldn't tell if race had anything to do with the Queen's snubbing of Mou-Mou. Far and away the most racist thing we saw was Mou-Mou firing a waiter for the crime of being Black. (And he did this after whining about discrimination when he put in his bid for the Ritz, when it sounded like the concerns about him were pretty valid.)

I'm glad that he came around and developed a close bond with Sydney, but a Black person shouldn't need to be extraordinary to be valued as a human being.

I absolutely don't think the Queen's snubbing of Mou Mou was meant to imply racism (the show has gone out of its way to show us that Elizabeth was NOT racist, repeatedly), so much as her not being in the mood to make small talk that day with a wannabe royal-watcher. 

I was so angry with Mou Mou's casual racism and dismissal of Sydney, only to fawn all over him later because he had served royalty. While it was frustrating, I do think it is an evolution many racists would/could undergo -- that if they only spent time with the people they are racist against/afraid of, they would realize how empty and stupid their feelings were, etc. 

I was however moved in spite of myself at Sydney's last moments, and I admit it, I started sobbing when Mou Mou cared for him so gently and personally -- and in the end, so carefully squared the slippers by Sydney's bed, just like Sydney had taught him from the Duke. 

Edited November 13, 2022 by paramitch
Removed some inadvertent historical spoilers, apologies

[truthful]

To me Peter Morgan putting this episode, about a man from the outside trying desperately to somehow get into the system, next to the episode before with Diana trying to once again get out of the system, was an interesting contrast. And of course that point was driven home by having Diana and Mou Mou meet at the end. Though I didn't like the way Peter did it by making the viewer question if the Queen chose not to sit next to him because of racism or some other reason. 

Also I really enjoyed Elizabeth as Diana in that episode. She really captured the charm that made Diana such a beloved figure.

[pasdetrois]

On 11/9/2022 at 5:00 PM, Roseanna said:

It was interesting to lean that they financed Chariots of fire. It tells about British runners in the Olympics in 1920. One of them was a  Jew, an outsider.

According to the movie, Abraham's trainer was an Arab who was not allowed to attend the Olympics - he sat in a hotel room and listened to his champion win the gold on the radio.

I do love how the series is giving us little glimpses of old world craftsmanship, such as the restoration of the carriage and the castle renovation.

Edited November 13, 2022 by pasdetrois

[Magnumfangirl]

An entire episode for the Fayeds and nothing for Anne's wedding, kidnapping, or Olympics.  We've never even seen her first husband!  Plus, we've barely even seen Fergie and she hasn't even had a line.  So far season 5 is a bust.

[xhoipolloix]

Why why why are the episodes so dark. I could barely see peoples' faces in the indoor scenes. From what I could see this was my favorite episode so far, and necessary to set up what is to come. 

[ProudMary]

12 hours ago, paramitch said:

While I'm irritated at times with Peter Morgan's depiction of Elizabeth, I absolutely do not think the intended meaning here was ever "Elizabeth was a racist," but rather, "Elizabeth is tired and would rather sit with friends/family." To be fair to the show, it has always gone out of its way to remind us that Elizabeth is anything but a racist.

Agreed.

Also, a specific friend. When Elizabeth heard that Porchey (Sp?) was there, her face lit up. There was no way she wasn't going to sit with his group! A nice call-back to an earlier season.

[Lady Whistleup]

I think the Queen also considered a day at the races more of a friends/family time. She doesn’t feel like she’s on the clock at those events. She resented having to sit with some rich dude who wanted to get close to royalty. 
 

[CrowTRobot]

On 11/9/2022 at 7:03 PM, Zaffy said:

I just finished episode 5, and so far Mou Mou has been  the only remotely interesting episode this season. 
 

I also just finished ep 5 and this episode about the Fayeds is the only one I haven't fallen asleep in!  LOL!  I keep having to go back and watch the ends of all the episodes to make sure I caught everything but this one kept me awake through the whole thing.  Like someone else mentioned, all I really knew of the family was that they owned Harrod's so it was nice getting the back story.

[kassa]

I think it's interesting that they're showing parallels between Dodi and Charles in terms of being surrounded with all the trappings of wealth and power, but personally extremely limited in following their own paths because of parental/systemic control. The only leeway they have for acting out is in their personal lives.

[cardigirl]

What an utterly charming episode. I loved every minute of it. I don't really care how accurate it is, this was a beautifully crafted episode of television and I was mightily entertained. 

When characters can be drawn as richly as these were in just one hour, it says good things about the writing, direction, and acting. Kudos!!!

Alas, this is where I must stop viewing for a bit, as travel and Thanksgiving will consume my attention, but I will be back at it next Friday for sure!

[PRgal]

23 hours ago, kassa said:

I think it's interesting that they're showing parallels between Dodi and Charles in terms of being surrounded with all the trappings of wealth and power, but personally extremely limited in following their own paths because of parental/systemic control. The only leeway they have for acting out is in their personal lives.

I'm not surprised at their respective behaviours.  It's not unusual for those with inherited wealth to feel this way when the older generation is still living and involved.  They feel they have as much of a say as the younger generation. It sucks, but c'est la vie.  Often, the older generation is tough to convince or they understand things differently.  And if there are cultural differences (like Dodi might have had with his father), it could be even tougher.  

[Cornhusker12]

I can see that people here have WAY more knowledge about these real-life people/events than I do, so I have to ask - is it true that Diana just openly complained about her life and the royal family all the time to anyone who would listen, including total strangers? That is how she's portrayed so far this season, and it's really surprising to me. Also kind of surprising that such a fanboy like Mou-Mou (absolutely loved this actor btw) would be charmed by her sarcastic quips in that situation.

I was blown away by the actress playing Diana at first, but I'm worried that her portrayal is starting to seem like a one-note impression.

Edited November 15, 2022 by Cornhusker12

[Roseanna]

4 hours ago, PRgal said:

I'm not surprised at their respective behaviours.  It's not unusual for those with inherited wealth to feel this way when the older generation is still living and involved.  They feel they have as much of a say as the younger generation. It sucks, but c'est la vie.  Often, the older generation is tough to convince or they understand things differently.  And if there are cultural differences (like Dodi might have had with his father), it could be even tougher.  

Yes, inherited wealth is the crux of the matter. Mou Mou created his wealth himself whereas Dodi's great success, Chariots of Fire, was made with his father's money. Theoretically, he could try to earn money himself and I guess it would be the best way to earn his father's respect, but it's easier for him to remain "papa's son" as he was raised to be. 

[GaT]

Judging by the comments, I am definitely in the minority on this, but I was thoroughly bored by this episode. I have absolutely no interest in Dodi Fayed or his family, & don't have any idea why they needed an entire episode devoted to them. 

[Lady Whistleup]

5 hours ago, Cornhusker12 said:

I can see that people here have WAY more knowledge about these real-life people/events than I do, so I have to ask - is it true that Diana just openly complained about her life and the royal family all the time to anyone who would listen, including total strangers? That is how she's portrayed so far this season, and it's really surprising to me. Also kind of surprising that such a fanboy like Mou-Mou (absolutely loved this actor btw) would be charmed by her sarcastic quips in that situation.

I was blown away by the actress playing Diana at first, but I'm worried that her portrayal is starting to seem like a one-note impression.

By the end of her marriage Diana was complaining to anyone who would listen, including reporters and paparazzi. It was a vicious cycle as the more she complained, the more leaks happened and then that was another round of complaints. 

[blackwing]

On 11/10/2022 at 9:55 AM, Brn2bwild said:

I was bored as well.  I'm not interested in Dodi Fayed or his family.  I might have liked the episode better if it had aired later in the season, but right now, we barely know this version of Queen Elizabeth II, Charles, and Diana.  Let us get to know them first before giving us an episode from the perspective of someone outside of the family.  

On 11/13/2022 at 10:18 AM, Magnumfangirl said:

An entire episode for the Fayeds and nothing for Anne's wedding, kidnapping, or Olympics.  We've never even seen her first husband!  Plus, we've barely even seen Fergie and she hasn't even had a line.  So far season 5 is a bust.

19 hours ago, GaT said:

Judging by the comments, I am definitely in the minority on this, but I was thoroughly bored by this episode. I have absolutely no interest in Dodi Fayed or his family, & don't have any idea why they needed an entire episode devoted to them. 

Count me in amongst those who were bored.  I couldn't care less about Dodi or Mohammed Fayed.  I'm here for The Crown and the royal family.  The Queen has barely been in episodes 2 and 3, and I'm not sure why we had to spend an entire episode on the Fayeds.

I get it, Diana feels like an outsider, Fayed feels like an outsider, so when they meet, they hit it off.  However, I found myself struggling to feel sorry for Fayed.  He's narcissistic and thinks his money can solve everything and buy him respect.  He had a stick up his ass about how he perceived he was being treated by Madame Ritz and suggested that she was racist.  Yet he turns around and is racist himself to Sidney, to the point where he humiliates the man and dismisses him from the hotel purely because he is black.  Then he learns that Sidney was valet to Edward VIII and all of a sudden now Sidney is his best friend and is going to be his ticket into proper British society.  He's a user and I don't blame the Queen at all for not wanting to talk to him.  Dodi just seems like a doormat.  He seems embarrassed by his father's ways, but doesn't do anything about it.

I would much rather have seen an episode on Fergie and her St. Tropez scandal which was mentioned briefly.  This episode could have drawn comparisons between Fergie and Diana and how they were both feeling like outsiders and how they weren't fitting in with the family.

[Inquisitionist]

On 11/9/2022 at 1:46 PM, estellasmum said:

ALEX JENNINGS IS BACK!!!!!! As much as I think the Duke of Windsor was a reprehensible person IRL, I absolutely adore Alex Jennings in this role, and it was an utter shock and delight to see him. IDK how other people will like it, but I really enjoyed this episode.

Alex Jennings rocks it again.  I like episodes that take us back in time.  Such a treat to see the Duke, as awful as he was, turn up again.

On 11/10/2022 at 7:50 AM, Ellaria Sand said:

Great to see Alex Jennings again. He really is brilliant as the Duke of Windsor.

I enjoyed the break from the Charles/Diana drama. 

Yes, and double-yes.

[Camera One]

I almost forgot I was watching "The Crown" with this one. 

I remember seeing Dodi on the tabloid covers while waiting in line at the supermarket, so it was interesting to see his family's backstory.  After the initial hokey birth scene, I became quite engaged in the story.  I almost welcomed it as a break from the main cast who mostly didn't resemble and/or act like the real people or their past season selves.  

I was aghast when Mohamed casually singled Sydney out to be fired.   Though I did end up liking their scenes together.  I was wondering why they had Edward in the flashback at the beginning, and it did come together and made sense by mid-episode.  Mohamed's determination to become part of British society was interesting.  He ended up being pretty likeable caring for Sydney, though why wasn't he at a hospital?  Dodi  was portrayed as a shy fellow who lacked confidence, which I did not expect.  I thought he was quite likeable too.

They really made the Queen look bad at the end.  I agree Diana being friendly to Mohamed was nice, and I think that was the first scene where she was likeable, though again, she was airing dirty laundry to a stranger.    

Overall, I think I enjoyed this episode a bit more than the last one, so at least the quality has improved with each episode (though ironically with progressively less and less focus on the one wearing The Crown and the one who will wear The Crown).  Regardless of the new cast, this show is still able to make me want to watch the next episode to see what they will show us next.

Edited November 18, 2022 by Camera One

[PRgal]

17 hours ago, Camera One said:

I almost forgot I was watching "The Crown" with this one. 

I remember seeing Dodi on the tabloid covers while waiting in line at the supermarket, so it was interesting to see his family's backstory.  After the initial hokey birth scene, I became quite engaged in the story.  I almost welcomed it as a break from the main cast who mostly didn't resemble and/or act like the real people or their past season selves.  

I was aghast when Mohamed casually singled Sydney out to be fired.   Though I did end up liking their scenes together.  I was wondering why they had Edward in the flashback at the beginning, and it did come together and made sense by mid-episode.  Mohamed's determination to become part of British society was interesting.  He ended up being pretty likeable caring for Sydney, though why wasn't he at a hospital?  Dodi  was portrayed as a shy fellow who lacked confidence, which I did not expect.  I thought he was quite likeable too.

They really made the Queen look bad at the end.  I agree Diana being friendly to Mohamed was nice, and I think that was the first scene where she was likeable, though again, she was airing dirty laundry to a stranger.    

Overall, I think I enjoyed this episode a bit more than the last one, so at least the quality has improved with each episode (though ironically with progressively less and less focus on the one wearing The Crown and the one who will wear The Crown).  Regardless of the new cast, this show is still able to make me want to watch the next episode to see what they will show us next.

Sydney knew he was dying and some people prefer to die outside of a clinical setting.  He probably got hospice care at Villa Windsor.

[Bunnyette]

On 11/13/2022 at 12:56 AM, paramitch said:

While I'm irritated at times with Peter Morgan's depiction of Elizabeth, I absolutely do not think the intended meaning here was ever "Elizabeth was a racist," but rather, "Elizabeth is tired and would rather sit with friends/family." To be fair to the show, it has always gone out of its way to remind us that Elizabeth is anything but a racist.

I agree…the real Elizabeth never would have ditched a sponsor- she was so committed to duty.  No way would she have dumped Mou mou and recruited Diana.

[LadyIrony]

On 11/11/2022 at 7:16 PM, Roseanna said:

I don't know if the incident happend irl or not, but it showed as a means of drama showed that how rich Mou Mou became and how much he tried, he couldn't be accepted by the British aristoctracy - not only because of his race, but because he was a merchant. Sydney should have said him that - as well as expensive gifts to the Queen weren't a good idea.  

I think it was also because it was so obvious he was trying to ingratiate himself to the Royals. No one likes a brown noser. The media etc will play on his race but I don't think the local white merchant would have had any more success or would be seen any differently. 

As we see Diana's apparent interest for Eastern men seems to be what worked for him via his son Dodi. 

Edited November 20, 2022 by LadyIrony

[CeeBeeGee]

On 11/9/2022 at 3:58 PM, Helena Dax said:

Mou Mou was an interesting character. I think that his eagerness to impress the Queen played against him. I'm not British nor upper class, but I have the feeling that indifference works better in these situations. 

Yup. 

On 11/9/2022 at 9:47 PM, peridot said:

When the Al Fayids were trying to finance the Ritz, I wasn't sure if the hotelier's point was valid or not.  Were they just basically running on credit, or were the hotelier's being racist?

I just felt sorry for Sydney the entire episode.  It was bad enough that the Duke was talking about him like he couldn't hear, but he was dismissed from the party because he was black.  He then only had value to Al Fayid because he was the Duke's valet.  I wasn't sure what to feel about the fact that Al Fayid treated him as a friend and then cried over his deathbed.  I hated that Sydney was wistful about the Duke and then was ok with being the valet to a wannabe Duke.

Yeah, Madame Ritz was doing her due diligence, which is entirely appropriate with such a big and complicated purchase.

It was nice that eventually Fayed regarded Sydney as a friend but that look on Sydney's face when he was asked to leave--I felt such rage. 

On 11/9/2022 at 10:24 PM, Sailorgirl26 said:

And the Queen Mum was not taller than the Queen, nor thin. Those are the only two really taking me out of it. 

She doesn't look anything like her! It's really jarring.

On 11/11/2022 at 2:59 PM, SnazzyDaisy said:

From an earlier scene - Wallis is so relevant that they don’t even bother to translate that word… 😆

I chuckled at that as well. "What's that mean--never mind, I can figure it out."

On 11/15/2022 at 4:06 PM, GaT said:

Judging by the comments, I am definitely in the minority on this, but I was thoroughly bored by this episode. I have absolutely no interest in Dodi Fayed or his family, & don't have any idea why they needed an entire episode devoted to them. 

Have absolutely no interest in either of them and I'm surprised they wasted a whole episode on them. It was a well-done episode but I don't care about the Fayeds.

[Milburn Stone]

On 11/11/2022 at 12:59 AM, Cheezwiz said:

Elizabeth Debicki was also great in her scene with Fayed at the races - she totally nailed Diana's mannerisms and easy charm.

I wish we had seen a little of this Diana in the previous episode, instead of the weak, self-pitying, sniveling creature we got.

Possibly we're meant to believe that she actually took some of Philip's speech about The System to heart, and began to grow a pair.

But I think it's equally possible that the Diana in this episode is truer to who she really was.

[GiuliettaMasina]

On 11/19/2022 at 4:30 PM, LadyIrony said:

I think it was also because it was so obvious he was trying to ingratiate himself to the Royals. No one likes a brown noser. The media etc will play on his race but I don't think the local white merchant would have had any more success or would be seen any differently. 

As we see Diana's apparent interest for Eastern men seems to be what worked for him via his son Dodi. 

Sure, but it's pretty rich (quite literally) to look down on "brown nosers" when you require people to call you by titles and bow in your presence and represent a system which is the symbolic representation of a social hierarchy with leadership chosen not by skill but birth. It kind of invites ingratiating behavior. Expecting people to pretend you don't have power when you literally won't appear in public without its protection and pagantry is entitled snobbery. 

We'll have to agree to disagree on the idea that a white person wouldn't have been seen differently by either the press or the royal family. People can disdain racial slurs/outward displays of racism and still be racist. People can even love individuals of a certain race while maintaining an overall racist opinion of the group as a whole (see: this episode). QEII sat at the head of a colonial empire and was in partnership with a well-documented racist, I don't think it's a stretch to think she had some regressive ideas about race, so I'm not going to cape for her on this.

[Linderhill]

On 11/13/2022 at 12:56 AM, paramitch said:

I think this is the main weakness of the show -- I do not think Peter Morgan likes Elizabeth or is actually interested in her at all. He's consistently been far more interested in the characters around her (especially the men). I enjoy the show, but I definitely don't see it as anything but reality fanfiction.

This, I think I decided that back in the early seasons.  It seems that Morgan goes out of his way to cast the most unflattering light on the queen.  Very frustrating when I started watching the series because my interest in the queen and her family.  Not to see the canonization of "Saint Diana" the way the media seems to show her. 

Count me amongst those that thought this was not a necessary episode.  It was interesting but not to my interest.  I have no interest in Dodi and Mou Mou.

[EtheltoTillie]

Count me as one who loved this episode.  It was interesting to me to learn about the Fayeds, and they were also used as a way to illustrate British society.  Brilliantly done. 

[CountryGirl]

On 12/10/2022 at 6:37 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

Count me as one who loved this episode.  It was interesting to me to learn about the Fayeds, and they were also used as a way to illustrate British society.  Brilliantly done. 

Me, too. As soon as I realized it would be about Dodi's father, I was ready to roll my eyes and yet, I was riveted the entire time, which has been a rarity for me these season. 

[ombelico]

The thing that I found the most surprising about this episode was that Sydney Johnson worked for both the Duke of Windsor and Mohamed Al-Fayed. I had no idea about that before watching, and had to go check online to see whether it was actually true since it just seemed like such an amazing coincidence. I also had no idea that the Fayeds were involved with Chariots of Fire so that was an interesting surprise too.

On its own I thought it was a good piece of television, but on the other I was a little peeved that it took up 10% of the season. IMO Al-Fayed is extremely peripheral to the overall story of the royal family, which should be the focus of The Crown. If this had been an extra 11th episode, then fine, but I came away feeling that time that could have been spent on more relevant familial/political issues of the early '90s was used on this very minor character.

Edited December 18, 2022 by ombelico

[Scarlett45]

On 11/9/2022 at 1:46 PM, estellasmum said:

ALEX JENNINGS IS BACK!!!!!! As much as I think the Duke of Windsor was a reprehensible person IRL, I absolutely adore Alex Jennings in this role, and it was an utter shock and delight to see him. IDK how other people will like it, but I really enjoyed this episode.

Alex Jennings plays the hell out of the part. It’s always good to see him. 
 

No one has mentioned this, but little baby Dodi was so precious! The bow shaped mouth was tv baby perfection. 

 

On 11/11/2022 at 11:23 PM, Peace 47 said:

My favorite portion of the episode was the montage showing the Duke of Windsor tutoring Sydney on English culture contrasted with older Sydney doing the same for Mohamed Al-Fayad.  It was really well-edited, directed and acted.  It was this montage where the episode really took off for me.  The actor who played older Mohamed Al-Fayed was really compelling.

 

I agree. I have some questions about Sydney Johnson but I will take them to the History Behind the episodes thread. 

[LeDucDiableBleu]

I thought it was nice to get a backstory on Al-Fayed, who I didn't know about. Maybe it was just because of the mood I was in and watching really late at night, that I got kind of a creepy vibe from Al-Fayed trying to ingratiate himself into the British royal family like it was his entire life's purpose. When he purchased Villa Windsor and Edward's personal effects I thought that was extremely disturbing. I'm sure if I watched in the light of day I would feel differently, and I have been reading a lot of murder mysteries lately which could play into how I felt. But I could easily see how the royal family would steer clear of him, not because of his race but because he was a stalker.

Another slight mischaracterization of Elizabeth I thought was when the family was told about the personal papers and jewelry, etc, Elizabeth asked "How do we fix this?" It seems like she would know how to fix it without having to ask. I believe she would have at least one idea she would pitch to the group. Or even that conversation wouldn't even need to take place. She/they probably already knew about it and were waiting for the right dominoes to fall before getting them back. Either way, that scene seemed disingenuous. But I understand they had to condense years-long events into one conversation so that was probably for the sake of brevity.

[Quickbeam]

I really enjoyed this episode because the Charles and Diana stuff was boring the first go around. I am peevish about how badly used Imelda Staunton is so far. She’s such a fine actor (Vera Drake!) that she’s really not been given anything of substance so far.