Ranking of “HIS DARK MATERIALS” Season One (2019) Episodes

Below is my ranking of the Season One episodes of “HIS DARK MATERIALS”, HBO’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s 1995 novel, “The Golden Compass” aka “Northern Lights” and the first part of his 1997 novel, “The Subtle Knife”. Written by Jack Thorne, the series stars Dafne Keen:

RANKING OF “HIS DARK MATERIALS” SEASON ONE (2019) Episodes

1. (1.02) “The Idea of North” – Orphan Lyra Belacqua starts a new life in London with the charming socialite, Mrs. Marisa Coulter; determined to find her missing friend, Roger Parslow. The Gyptians continue searching for their missing children and the elusive Gobblers, a group of government sanctioned child snatchers.

2. (1.06) “The Daemon-Cages” – Lyra discovers the horrific truth behind the Gobblers’ activities at a science station in the North called Bolvangar.

3. (1.08) “Betrayal” – As the Magesterium, a religious-political body, closes in; Lyra learns more about Lord Asriel’s rebellion. But her assistance to him comes at a great personal cost.

4. (1.01) “Lyra’s Jordan” – Lyra’s world at Jordan College in Oxford, is turned upside-down by the arrival of her long-absent uncle Lord Asriel from the North. Meanwhile, she meets the glamorous Mrs. Coulter for the first time.

5. (1.04) “Armour” – As Lyra and the Gyptians head up North, she searches for allies in her search for Lord Asriel. With the help of a balloonist named Lee Scoresby, she comes across an armored bear named Iorek Byrnison at a port town in Svalbard.

6. (1.03) “Spies” – Lyra is rescued from the clutches of the Gobblers by the Gyptians, who helps her piece together more about her past and keep her safe from the Magisterium.

7. (1.07) “Fight to the Death” – Separated from her friends and captured by the armoured bears ruled the usurper king Iofur Raknison, Lyra must use all of her methods of deception to thwart him in order to be rescued by Iorek Byrnison, the true king. Meanwhile, Mrs. Coulter plots her next move.

8. (1.05) “The Lost Boy” – On their journey to the Bolvangar Station, Lyra and the Gyptians finally discover what the Gobblers have been doing to the missing children. In the alternate World, an adolescent named Will Parry and his mentally ill mother Elaine are being stalked by Magisterium official Lord Carlo Boreal, who seeks Will’s father, a missing explorer named John Parry.

Top Five Favorite Episodes of “THE CROWN” Season Two (2017)

Below is a list of my favorite episodes from Season Two of the Netflix series, “THE CROWN”. Created by Peter Morgan, the series starred Claire Foy and Matt Smith as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh:

 

 

TOP FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF “THE CROWN” SEASON TWO (2017)

1. (2.05) “Marionettes” – After Queen Elizabeth II makes a tone-deaf speech at a Jaguar factory, she and the British monarchy come under public attack by an outspoken liberal peer named Lord Altrincham.

 

 

2. (2.03) “Lisbon” – Palace insiders try to prevent the scandalous divorce of the Duke of Edinburgh’s aide, Lieutenant-Commander Mike Parker, that could reflect poorly on the former and the monarchy. Prime Minister Anthony Eden faces censure from his cabinet and the press over the Suez Crisis.

 

 

3. (2.09) “Paterfamilias” – Prince Philip insists that Prince Charles attend Gordonstoun, his alma mater in Scotland. Also, he reminisces about the life-changing difficulties he experienced there as a student.

 

 

4. (2.07) “Matrimonium” – A heartbreaking letter from former lover Peter Townsend spurs Princess Margaret to make a bold proposal to her current lover, photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones. The Queen has good news that causes complications for Margaret.

 

 

5. (2.02) “A Company of Men” – Elizabeth feels disconnected from Philip during his five-month royal tour in the South Pacific. Meanwhile, Eden copes with ill health and international pressure to withdraw British troops from Egypt during the Suez Crisis.

 

 

 

“THE CROWN” and Prince Philip

“THE CROWN” AND PRINCE PHILIP

Do not get me wrong. I really enjoyed “THE CROWN”. And I also enjoyed Matt Smith’s performance as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. I thought he did a great job in capturing both the positive and negative aspects of the prince’s character. But I do have a few complaints about the series’ portrayal of the prince consort. 

For me, one of the more frustrating aspects of “THE CROWN” was its portrayal of Prince Philip. I am beginning to that think show runner Peter Morgan never truly understood him. Everyone talked about how Philip should have stopped complaining about his boredom and support the Queen. He has always supported her, whether he was complaining or not. Even when he criticized her, he supported her. But Philip had a very good reason to complain. The Palace courtiers and the Queen Mother, who never wanted him to marry Elizabeth in the first place, did not want him to have any influence upon the Court. I think their idea of Philip as consort was for him to sit on his ass most of the day, doing nothing – aside from acting as royal stud or escort to major events and state visits. That’s it. From what I have read about Philip, those first four to five years of the Queen’s reign were very frustrating for him.

It was not until after his 1956-57 world tour and visit to the Melbourne Olympic Games that he started establishing his own style and role as consort. Morgan seemed to hint that the Queen creating Philip as a prince of Great Britain and Northern Ireland solved his problems with the royal courtiers and his role as consort. That is far from the truth. In the end, Philip established the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the Commonwealth Study Conferences during the period covered by Season Two. He also joined the Queen’s Privy Council for both Britain and Canada. He served as president of the National Playing Fields Association and The World Wildlife Fund. He also served as Chancellor of the Universities of Edinburgh and Wales, while at the same time began engaging in more State Visits by himself, on behalf of the Crown. But for some reason, the series never really established or hinted this. Season One had established his earlier frustration at being prince consort, but failed to follow through in the second season, especially when history offered Morgan the chance to do so.

Instead, “THE CROWN” mainly focus upon its speculation on whether Philip had cheated on the Queen or not. What made this even more annoying was that Morgan established the idea of Philip having an affair with a Soviet Union ballerina named Aliya Tanykpayeva (aka Galina Ulanova), who was eleven (11) years his senior. The idea is just ludicrous to me. I doubt very much that they hung around the same social circles. And chances are Tanykpayeva (Ulanova), as a Soviet citizen, would have been monitored by MI-5 during her tour of Britain. As for Philip’s connection to the Promfumo Affair … like Princess Margaret and several other members of the Royal Family, he was a patient of Dr. Stephen Ward. There has been no real evidence or anything of women being procured for him by Ward. And yet, Morgan seemed to be stuck in this obsession over whether Philip had committed adultery or not, his “toxic masculinity” … and nothing else.

I forgot the name of the blog, but its owner once hinted that Peter Morgan might have some hang-up or hostility toward Prince Philip. Personally, I rather doubt it. Either this was a case of Morgan using the rumors of infidelity as a source of more drama. Or perhaps my earlier speculation might be correct . . . that the show runner simply did not understand the prince or the consequences of his role as the sovereign’s consort.

Top Five Favorite Episodes of “THE CROWN” Season One (2016)

Below is a list of my favorite episodes from Season One of the Netflix series, “THE CROWN”. Created by Peter Morgan, the series starred Claire Foy and Matt Smith as Queen Elizabeth II and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh: 

TOP FIVE FAVORITE EPISODES OF “THE CROWN” SEASON ONE (2016)

1. (1.02) “Hyde Park Corner” – Due to King George VI’s poor health, Princess Elizabeth and her husband Philip, Duke of Edinburgh embark upon a tour of the Commonwealth on his behalf. However, a family tragedy forces the couple to end their tour in Kenya and return home to Britain.

2. (1.05) “Smoke and Mirrors” – This episode focuses on the death of Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth II’s grandmother and on her own coronation over two months later. Meanwhile, the Queen’s uncle, the Duke of Windsor, clashes with her private secretary, Tommy Lascelles, after being asked not to attend the coronation.

3. (1.08) “Pride & Joy” – While Elizabeth and Philip embark upon a stressful Commonwealth tour in 1954, the Queen’s younger sister Princess Margaret takes on more royal engagements, much to the consternation of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

4. (1.07) “Scientia Potentia Est” – While the Soviet Union tests their new H-bomb, both Prime Minister Churchill and Deputy Prime Minister experience major health crisis, unbeknownst to the Queen. Meanwhile, she becomes aware of her limited education and hires a tutor.

5. (1.06) “Gelignite” – When Princess Margaret and her divorced lover, Peter Townsend, ask Elizabeth’s permission to get married, the latter promises to give her support. Unfortunately, Private Secretary Lascelles and the Queen Mother advise against supporting the marriage.