The Crown: Ipatiev House

November 11, 2022 12:50 AM - Season 5, Episode 6

Eager to lead a newly democratic Russia, President Yeltsin tries to win the Queen's support while she navigates new rifts in her marriage with Philip.

The Crown S5 E6 real history: the Romanovs’ murder, and Philip’s “spiritual companionship” [History Extra]
The Crown Recap: DNA Business [Vulture / Archive]

posted by ellieBOA (7 comments total)

PSA: This episode needs a serious Content Warning for those of us who have no stomach for gruesome violence, which includes me but alas, too late. If you haven't watched it yet and want to skip the horrifying part, it all takes place before the opening credits which begin at 8min50s, and you don't need to watch it to follow the rest of the episode. [Carefully worded SPOILER for the violent part:] It depicts the final hours of the Romanov royal family in 1917, intercut with the British royal family discussing whether to try to rescue them (which is left open). The rest of the episode skips to the 90s.
posted by Dotje at 9:00 AM on November 12, 2022 [2 favorites]

I did not enjoy watching the poor Romanov murders one bit here.

"But once you get USED to the table slamming and the profanity...." (while drunken partying on the table happens.)

Oh, sure, it's fine to be an Anglophile who wants to meet the queen if you're a WHITE guy...*cough*

Wowwwwww. "She must be careful if she doesn't want a bayonet up her arse too?!" and "We have shithouses in St. Petersburg that are bigger?" DUDE DID YOU HEAR THE QUEEN SPEAK SOME RUSSIAN EARLIER YOU MIGHT WANT TO WATCH YERSELF. Alas, there was no clapback.

I'm not sure what to make of this "intellectual friendship" and nobody else seems to know what to make of it, either.

Queen and Corgis, however, never stops being charming.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:09 PM on November 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

Thanks Dotje, I should have included a content warning, it was so much more violent than most of the other Crown episodes and definitely the rest of this season.
posted by ellieBOA at 10:34 AM on November 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

What on earth is up with Phillip going from besotted with Elizabeth in the first few episodes, to making all these snide, condescending, utterly contemptuous comments at her.

I mean I know these are real people and it's possible to feel multiple ways towards the same person, and I know that in this show real people are generally narrative devices to explore a certain issue so the "real people" are subject to the demands of the theme of the week. But I can't help but think this was done in a kind of clumsy way. The showrunners are taking enough creative liberties that I should be safe from whiplash.
posted by MiraK at 7:35 AM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

Wowwwwww. "She must be careful if she doesn't want a bayonet up her arse too?!" and "We have shithouses in St. Petersburg that are bigger?" DUDE DID YOU HEAR THE QUEEN SPEAK SOME RUSSIAN EARLIER YOU MIGHT WANT TO WATCH YERSELF. Alas, there was no clapback.

We were trying to figure out whether it made any sense AT ALL that Yeltsin would say those things right in front of Elizabeth. Even if she doesn't speak Russian, her interpreter is standing right behind her in that scene. Wouldn't her interpreter be a UK government employee (i.e., working for her, not Yeltsin)?
posted by The Tensor at 9:57 PM on November 18, 2022 [2 favorites]

I did really like Penny Knatchbull's jealousy explanation for why Queen Mary refused the Romanovs, followed by Elizabeth being like "Well actually geopolitics."
posted by basalganglia at 8:46 PM on November 21, 2022 [1 favorite]

I am all for the scene of the queen throwing toys for her dogs. And only a minor reference to the “attacks” section of the Wikipedia page on her dogs should ever be necessary.

I liked how the episode made us side with Penny Knatchbull’s take on the George/Mary decision not to rescue the Romanov’s before having the queen explain why the decision may have been made.
posted by rongorongo at 2:15 AM on November 28, 2022