WiC Watches: The Crown season 3
Image: The Crown/Netflix
Episode 307: “Moondust”
I originally wasn’t the biggest fan of the decision to recast The Crown every two seasons with an older cast to reflect the passage of time. I felt that Claire Foy more than earned her acting Emmy and other accolades, and I had especially grown fond of her chemistry with Matt Smith and Vanessa Kirby as her onscreen husband and sister respectively. As I watched the season 2 finale fade to black, I couldn’t help but wonder why the production couldn’t just use CGI and makeup on the same actors so we could stay with them a little bit longer.
The benefit of a more age-appropriate cast has become clearer to me after watching “Moondust.” This episode takes a long breath to meditate on the midlife crisis of Prince Philip, as seen through the prism of the 1969 Moon Landing. The specter of disappointment and unfulfilled potential that has haunted several characters this season hovers over Philip here. It’s not a flattering look for the character. However, it does ring true to see a more mature actor deliver lines about having gotten to middle age and lacking a sense of meaningful accomplishment and purpose. Tobias Menzies gets an opportunity show us pathos in his portrayal of a man The Crown has depicted at times as petulant, probably adulterous and hopelessly out of touch with common people.
In this episode, the Duke of Edinburgh obsessively admires the achievements of the celestial trinity of astronauts Neil Armstrong, “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins on television as though he is having a religious experience. Peter Morgan’s script makes this comparison explicit by having Prince Philip meet with a group of mid-career priests whom he initially dismisses as whiny sadsacks who need to focus on doing something great. Philip can be a real jerk at times, but it’s still difficult not to feel empathy for him when his hopes for enlightenment are dashed in a private meeting with the three astronauts at Buckingham Palace. Prince Philip questions Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins as though they are prophets of a new age, but learns that they are really just dutiful soldiers and painfully ordinary men. There’s nothing else hiding behind the curtain. Even worse, they appear completely taken with the smoke and mirrors of palace life, which reduces these legendary men to tourists. Philip will need to seek answers to life’s great questions elsewhere.
“Moondust” is what I’ll refer to as the “bathroom song” episode of the season. You know that feeling when you’re at a concert and need to go to the bathroom, but don’t want to miss your favorite song? This is the one that you can skip. The episode’s pacing seemed a bit off and plodding relative to the others in this otherwise stellar season. Check out season 2’s “Paterfamilias” for a picture of Prince Philip with a sharper focus.
