Wolferton Splash

The Crown's first episode, is probably my favorite first episode. I loved everything about it. We get to learn main characters not right at the beginning but as the story progresses. We understand who these people are. We understand what is royalty like in Uk in those times. We see the family relations. The casting is magnificent, the talent behind the camera is really good. The production design is way better than its counterparts in movies and it just smells quality. But still what I loved the most was how subtle the script was. There is nothing in it to surprise you, not even close. You might even think what's special. Maybe that's why I loved it so much. It just feels like it happened in real life, without any decoration or stuff. It might feel like it is easy to write something like that but that's the hard part. It is really well-written that it seems easy. Some might find this slow-paced but quite the opposite for me. I was hooked to the screen, which rarely happens when I watch something from my laptop. I regret not starting the show sooner but also glad that there are 29 more episodes to go.

Great casting Evil dick makes a great Winston Churchill

The first episode begins with an obviously ill George VI preparing to give daughter Elizabeth away to Philip Mountbatten. He has the same hesitancy as any father. We are led to believe he sees Philip as a bit of a cold fish. Meanwhile, Winston Churchill (played by John Lithgow) has been re-elected Prime Minister. He and the King are a bit at odds, but there is restrained respect for one another. Shortly after the wedding, George has a lung removed. He has a horrible cough and smokes incessantly. We know history and we know this is not good. Elizabeth begins to suspect that something is more serious. She is going to have begin to learn the ropes in order to take over if something final happens. The marriage appears to be one of tension and some fear. The exchanges of vows are quite pregnant. As the episode ends, Elizabeth and her new husband are about to embark on visits to British colonies because George can't manage the travel. Excellent beginning.

The plot involves British royal family in 40's and 50's, including characters based on real-life people. I think episode focuses on creating the atmosphere and (mainly) characters rather than plot, which makes it a bit boring, especially for the kind of audience who are not extremely interested in monarchy or important persons within the monarchy. But, it still manages you to start caring about them, King George IV, for example, which I think the most part of episode is about. I can say that the episode really succeeded in creating atmosphere and there were several things that helped in it, such as costumes and decorations, design. So it's able to transport you to its world, which is very good and does the job to make you feel like you're in Buckingham Palace.

I think all of these are enough for the first episode, but it still lacks ambitious plot(reason of why I think so can be that I'm not really into the topic it's about), which is the most important for me and I got bored in the very first minutes of episode. And it was 56 minutes long.

My vote is 6/10.

A heavy burden falls on the first episode of a series, particularly a complex slow-burn character drama like this one. My main worry with this series was that it would be difficult to get into; that learning about all the people would be a chore and that it wouldn't do enough to hook me. This episode allayed my fears. On a surface level, there isn't a whole lot that happens in it. But the acting and writing ooze subtext and convey a full and compelling arc about denial and mortality. It may not have many huge "events", yet it is great television. I hope the rest of the season continues the marvellous subtlety and casually gripping quality of the first episode.

The show opens with King George in a bathroom coughing up blood. He is told that it's "just the cold weather". These opening moments convey the story of the entire episode; the King's health is declining yet he and others are in denial about it. The importance of an opening scene is often underestimated, yet here it is used perfectly, conveying the overall message of the entire episode.

A few other things I appreciated were the performances (particularly John Lithgow as Churchill), the attention to detail in costume and set, the cinematography, and the score. All the elements came together really well in the episode.