"The Crown" Scientia Potentia Est (TV Episode 2016)

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Claire Foy

Queen Elizabeth II

Matt Smith

Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Victoria Hamilton

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

Jeremy Northam

Anthony Eden

John Lithgow

Winston Churchill

Harriet Walter

Clemmie Churchill

Nicholas Rowe

Jock Colville

Pip Torrens

Tommy Lascelles

Harry Hadden-Paton

Martin Charteris

Clive Francis

Lord Salisbury

Billy Jenkins

Prince Charles

Verity Russell

Young Princess Elizabeth

Beau Gadsdon

Young Princess Margaret

James Hillier

Equerry (Buckingham Palace)

Will Keen

Michael Adeane

Jonathan Newth

Page (Buckingham Palace)

Jo Herbert

Mary Charteris

Thomas Padden

Page (Clarence House)

Did you know

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Trivia
The phrase "scientia potentia est" is a Latin aphorism meaning "knowledge is power". It is commonly attributed to Sir Francis Bacon.

Goofs
The opening scene states it is 1940 with a large number of bombers flying over Windsor Castle. They are, unmistakably, Lancasters but in actual fact the Lancaster was not introduced until 1942.

Quotes
Queen Elizabeth II: Shall we make a start?
Winston Churchill: One item overshadows every other on the agenda this week, Ma'am. The Soviets and their H-bomb. We now have confirmation that they have been testing in the Kazakh Desert. It is vital that we act swiftly to secure peace and vital that we British spearhead the effort. I have always been the person everyone wants in a room with the Russians because Stalin would only talk to me. With him gone, there is a great danger that Eisenhower will take it upon himself to run the show.
Queen Elizabeth II: And that would be bad?
Winston Churchill: Oh, a disaster, Ma'am. For all the obvious reasons.
[coughs]
Queen Elizabeth II: Of course. Remind me. Of the obvious reasons.
Winston Churchill: Russia... is a great old empire which demands and deserves respect. Americans like to wave the big stick and speak with a loud voice. In the matter of world governance, they are not yet ready. They need an experienced and elder power to guide them, school them.
Queen Elizabeth II: Yes, we could all do with some school.

A strong arc for Elizabeth is accentuated by powerful performances from Foy and Lithgow.

This episode finally brought something I have been anticipating eagerly... corgis! That's right, the famous royal corgis make their first significant appearance in this episode. They have been visible in the background a couple times before, but they were not actively featured. Now, they get a scene with Churchill and are even referred to by name.

However, corgis notwithstanding, the performances are the real standout aspect of the episode. Claire Foy does a great job with her character arc in this episode, and it's a great arc she was given to work with. Elizabeth finds herself uncertain when she realizes that her education was extremely lacking and she is horribly ill-equipped to deal with the people she meets regularly. The episode is all about Elizabeth finding herself, learning how to be confident and in control. Near the end, she has a scene where she finally comes into her own and it is in equal parts exhilarating and terrifying.

John Lithgow also does marvellous work in this episode, showing a side of Churchill we have not seen thus far. He does a great job bouncing off Foy. It's a shame that neither of them will be on the show past season 2; Churchill will most likely be dead, and Foy will have been replaced with an older actor (the show-runners said that they will replace the main cast every second season, to keep up with the aging of the characters).

Overall, this episode is very strong. Elizabeth has a very well-defined arc and Churchill has much more screen time than he did in the last couple episodes. Philip is used sparingly but to great effect.