The Crown 5×06 “Ipatiev House” could have been the best episode of the season, and maybe the series. Unfortunately, it’s too bizarre and tonally uneven to deliver. There was an opportunity to provide commentary on a very current geopolitical situation. Additionally, there could have been a very interesting historical commentary. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t rise to the occasion.
There’s a very interesting history here, with the assassination of the Russian royal family, and their connections to their British cousins. It is true that at some point there was a discussion of the Romanovs seeking asylum in Britain. As this episode shows, however, that was not to be. The assassination of the Romanovs is incredibly brutal and difficult to watch. It doesn’t come across as egregious, however. It simply presents the ordinary evil that characterized their end.
Fast forwarding to the collapse of the Soviet Union is jarring, yet effective. Anatoliy Kotenyov is an incredible Boris Yeltsin. He really captures the essence of a man who became an incredibly chaotic public symbol. His pairing with John Major (Jonny Lee Miller) is a hilarious one. The character of Yelstin also captures the fascination so many have with royalty around the world, regardless of their political mandate. Russians being monarchists at heart is a frankly stunning commentary to come from The Crown, but perhaps a timely one. It’s too bad this isn’t further fleshed out, since there was maybe something there.
Where this story falters is when it brings in Penny’s (Natascha McElhone) absolutely bonkers theory that King George and Queen Mary refused the Romanovs shelter in England because of some Mean Girls-esque fight. This is both laughably historically inaccurate and jarringly insulting. It also smells of an incredibly audacious version of misogyny to blame women and petty squabbles for ending empires. While this isn’t exactly a new perspective on history, it reads as incredibly out of place here.
The other place The Crown 5×06 “Ipatiev House” falls flat is its inclusion of a…conflict between Philip (Jonathan Pryce) and Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton). This is, perhaps, the most random insertion in the series so far. Perhaps the discovery of the Romanovs’ bodies did promote some discussion between Elizabeth II and Philip. Some of it was maybe even contentious. Philip comes across as frankly insulting towards his wife. This goes beyond the run-of-the-mill loud-mouthedness the real man was known for.
Relatedly, this storyline could have been a very good opportunity to dig further into the relationship between Elizabeth II and her Prince Regent. It’s clear from The Crown 5×06, however, that the show really can’t muster a new or interesting take. These characters just don’t sell a conflict that actually could have been interesting. These actors are both incredibly charismatic, and yet everything about their fight here just falls flat.
The final way in which this episode squanders its potential is in its failure to meditate on the implications of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. If the goal was to make the character of Elizabeth II so removed from geopolitical affairs except as they pertain to her family, perhaps this episode ultimately succeeds. This is maybe where the focus of this story should have been. Showing how miscalculating the character of Elizabeth II is when it comes to international affairs as her ancestors were would have been a great way to bring the story full circle.
If The Crown Season 5 is supposed to show the British monarchy in a modern context, it’s doing a poor job. This episode was a perfect opportunity to draw parallels between monarchies of the past, to those of the present. The opportunity was squandered in favor of showcasing conflicts that never made any sense. The cultural commentary was right there. Unfortunately, this episode of The Crown wasn’t up to the task.
The Crown Season 5 is available to stream on Netflix.
