Blueprints: "The Crown"
Thursday, August 30, 2018 at 11:30PM Jorge continues to look into the pilot episodes of the Best Series contenders before the Emmys on Sept 17th
When we discuss pilot episodes, we often talk about the importance of introducing the world and the characters for the first time to an audience: the opening shot of an episode, their first line of dialogue, or how the characters are described when they appear on screen. First impressions are crucial.
However, the final image of a pilot is arguably just as important as the first one. It is the thing that will grasp the audience’s attention for the last time and make them want to tune in to the next episode (or not). It is also often the moment that sets up the story arc for the rest of the series and offers a glimpse of where the main storyline will lead...
The final scene of the pilot to The Crown, Netflix’s period epic about the early years in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II sets up the emotional stakes and the character transformation that will drive the whole series...
The Crown
“Hyde Park Corner”
Pilot
Written by: Peter Morgan
A common trope for many TV cliffhangers is a character death. And in a way, the end of the pilot for The Crown is just that. It’s the death of Elizabeth, the princess and daughter of the King of England, and her rebirth / ascent to become queen, and the longest reigning monarch in the history of the U.K. The episode details her father’s unexpected death, passing the position directly to her.
The final moments take place right after the announcement is made official. It has been an emotionally draining day. Not only does she have to become the new ruler of a country in crisis, but has to face that this now brings her husband Phillip beneath her in lineage, as well as the insecurities of the British government towards her, led by a skeptical Winston Churchill.
As soon as the gets back to Clarence House, she seeks refuge. She walks down a corridor, neglecting and ignoring her children, and leaving Phillip to tend for them. This will become a constant in her life from then on. She goes into an empty room and locks the door behind her.
***
As she tries to regain her bearings, the script reminds us that she will never be able to escape these responsibilities again. Scenes of the streets of London are juxtaposed with the desperation of Elizabeth, as the Procession of Officer and Arms marches through, and a herald announces her to the world: “The Crown is solely and rightfully come to Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, who is now become Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God…”
Elizabeth is quite literally about to become someone else. She tries to get in one last minute of freedom, of her former identity, before it consumes her.
The final sequence is the most striking one, and one that will reflect Elizabeth’s character growth for the rest of the show. She bursts into tears once she’s by herself. “Her shoulders shake and convulse with pent-up emotion. Tears stream down her face….” But then something changes.
It’s as if she’s shedding every emotion along with the tears, never to gain them back. She stops crying as quickly as she started. “Slowly, her emotions subside. The ripples fade away, leaving calm, unbroken glass.” Elizabeth knows she won’t be able to access these feelings again in the future. She needs to lock them away.
The prose of the final scene deviates a lot from the standard screenwriting style. Instead of using mostly objective visual cues, writer and series creator Peter Morgan dives into Elizabeth’s psychology and her internal machinations. That’s what most of The Crown is about, after all. He lets us know that this will be “the last time we will ever see her weep. Or express emotion so freely.” And then he presents the character death; the transformation from Elizabeth the human, to Elizabeth the icon:
“ELIZABETH WINDSOR stares into the camera. Aged 26, but already subjugated. Erased.
A prisoner within the gilded carapace that is... ...ELIZABETH REGINA.”
And we fade out to black. End of episode. End of an era.
This moment is relatively a quiet one, but full of emotional intensity. The Crown manages to take a pivotal character transformation and make a few seconds in her life the moment that the entire episode will lead towards, and the emotional anchor for the character in the rest of the series. A woman is disappearing in front of us, as a new one emerges. The human hides so that the ruler can live.
Elizabeth is dead. Long live the Queen.
EDIT: I should clarify that this analysis is based on the original pilot script for the show, which ended up being episode 2 on the series run. I approach this series solely around what's intended on the screenplay pages, and try to ignore the production side for the most part. I understand the final product deviates a lot from this, as it usually happens.
Blueprints, Claire Foy, Emmy, Netflix, Screenplays, The Crown
Reader Comments (4)
"The episode details her father’s decision to abdicate the throne, passing the position directly to her."
He didn't abdicate, he died. Her uncle abdicated.
Apart from the great interpetation this is not the pilot episode for ‘The Crown’ as described, it’s actually episode 2- and it does not end as described it ends with the Queen Mother kissing Elizabeth’s hands. The season finale ends as described after a much longer character journey. They are all completely different things and terms for purpose and structure.
Bede - you are absolutely right. Silly mistake on my end. It's corrected.
Raga - I should have clarified that this piece is based on the script for the original pilot, which through production ended up being episode 2. I added a note in the end. Thanks for pointing that out.
Thanks for the blog.Thanks Again. Awesome Towelroot