In the previous episode of Netflix’s The Crown, “Persona Non Grata,” the viewers were introduced to Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla), who hosts Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) and her sons Harry (Fflyn Edwards) and William (Rufus Kampa) at his yacht and estate. Prince Charles (Dominic West) and his partner, Camilla Parker Bowles (Olivia Williams), are happily in love. However, Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) struggles to accept Charles’ new relationship, leading to tension between mother and son. This tension is not only evident between them but also between Diana and her eldest son, William
In the second episode of the new season, “Two Photographs,” the opening scene starts with a professional photographer, Mario Brenna (Enzo Cilenti). He has a sit-down interview regarding his profession, explaining what it’s like to be a photographer, specifically, regarding photographing celebrities and public figures. While he’s talking about his career, the scene shows photographs he’s captured of celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and David Bowie.
The scene then moves on to someone else for a sit-down interview, Duncan Muir (Forbes Masson). Muir is another professional photographer. He specializes in photographing the royal family, stating, “Where the queen goes, I go.” He mentions that he’s a big fan of Queen Elizabeth. It seems as though he doesn’t photograph anyone other than the Queen herself unless the other members of the royal family are with her or at the same location.
Clearly, Duncan is a devoted fan of Queen Elizabeth, and his dedication shines through in his work. It seems that he focuses solely on capturing the Queen herself unless other members of the royal family are present or in the same location. These two photographers offer the viewers a unique perspective into their respective fields.
The next scene is Charles and the Queen in a group meeting. Prince Charles is the newly titled patron of the Royal National College for the Blind, the Welsh National Opera, and the Stained Glass Museum in Ely. Princess Anne (Claudia Harrison) has also gained some titles as the Princess of Wales, becoming patron of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Robert Fellowes (Andrew Havill) announces that there’s also something confidential that they have to go over before the meeting is finished. He gives them an update on Diana’s whereabouts.
Fellowes expresses his concern that Diana and Dodi’s newfound friendship could cause some issues for the royal family and the government. He says that if the two of them were to become a romantic pair, it could be damaging to the royal family from a “public relations point of view,” and that Dodi’s father, Mohamed (Salim Daw), could use Diana and her access to the royal family as a source of leverage. Supposedly, Mohamed has been seeking access to get citizenship in Britain.
After the discussion, the next scene is Dodi and Diana on a boat, soaking up the sun together. They seem to be having fun, smiling and laughing. Mohamed calls the boat and talks to the maid, asking if his son and Diana have been intimate. She’s unsure and when the call ends, Mohamed asks his assistant to get a photographer.
The next scene goes back to the photographer Brenna, who’s on the phone, writing down a location. He gets on a plane and looks at a magazine, filled with information about Diana. He was the photographer that Mohamed had hired for the job. Once he lands, he gets on a boat and travels to the boat that she and Dodi are on.
Diana and Dodi share a calm and loving moment, discussing different things. What they don’t know is that Brenna is there, on his boat, getting ready to take pictures. Dodi comments on his appearance and Diana decides to kiss him. After taking the photographs, Brenna makes it back home and looks at them as they develop.
Fellowes gets a phone call and it gets confusing from there. Did Mohamed hire Brenna or did Fellowes? After the phone call, we see Diana and the boys come back, giving her a big welcome. She gets a phone call from Dodi, letting her know about the photographs of them, which are currently being offered to newspapers. Mohamed was the one who hired Brenna; Fellowes didn’t know about it. The phone call he got was somewhat the same information Dodi gave to Diana. Fellowes tells the Queen about them.
As said before, there’s still tension between him and his mother. Harry gives her a goodbye hug and William doesn’t until Diana makes him. When Diana walks them to the car, she and Charles have a good talk and he tells her that he’s proud of her. It’s nice to see them cordial with one another. Before departing, Charles requests that they are good to each other, as divorced co-parents.
Diana makes it to Bosnia, to meet with landmine victims. She meets them and gets a tour of the village, meeting children and others that are there, in support of the cause. While she’s in Bosnia learning and getting some small hands-on experience with the minefields, Fellowes gets a stack of the Sunday papers, which exposes the relationship between Dodi and Diana.
Fellowes pulls the Queen aside, showing her the newspapers. The new relationship is an 11-page spread in the newspaper. Somehow, William gets a hold of a copy, becoming furious at what he’s seen and read.
A press conference is being held for the Bosnian war. While she’s focused on that, the journalists and reporters get information on the news that has spread about her and Dodi. As they try to focus solely on the landmines, the reporters are too focused on her relationship.
After the photos of Diana and Dodi come out, Charles gets a suggestion that he and the boys should take photos, so Duncan gets hired for the job. There’s tension between Charles and William, who’s visibly uncomfortable with the camera, and the fake moment between Harry, his father, and himself, throwing stones in the river.
This episode was slow, but good, with the news about Dodi and Diana’s relationship coming out. It showed that Diana and Charles were on good terms and they both understood what they wanted from each other. There’s no doubt that tension will be rising more between William and his parents in upcoming episodes. Matter of fact, there will be tension rising between the royal family and Diana, Dodi, and everyone involved in the matter.
Rating: 8/10