Releasing in November of 2016, The Crown was created and written by Peter Morgan. Showing the rise of Queen Elizabeth II, we see a behind-the-scenes glance of what life was (and is) like for the Monarchy over at Kensington Palace. While the public sees the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, as living this royal fairytale, we quickly see life is anything but the fairytales we're sold through Disney. In the first season, we see Elizabeth become queen after her father, King George VI, unexpectedly passed away, and from there on, she struggles with the responsibilities of becoming the Queen of the United Kingdom, a wife, a mother, and a "regular" English woman. Her issues within her marriage are also the topic of many episodes and the internal problems she has with her sister, Princess Margaret, are also shown.
The Crown has been shown to be pretty accurate, even having comments from the Queen herself that she has watched the iconic Netflix series. With the third season streaming this November, let's take a look at some of the episodes that didn't fare so well with viewers, according to IMDb.
PATERFAMILIAS (SEASON TWO, EPISODE NINE): 8.8
To be frank, not many episodes were rated poorly on IMDb. The show is that good. The season two episode "Paterfamilias" showed us a different side of Prince Philip. In this particular episode, we see Prince Philip going back in time to revisit his sad and torturous childhood as his own son, Prince Charles, is gearing up for school.
The episode is riddled with sad moments because we see Philip taking his troubled past out on Charles as he's nervous about the new school year at a strict boarding school.
GLORIANA (SEASON ONE, EPISODE 10): 8.7
As the last episode in the first season, it revolves around the relationship between Princess Margaret and her lover, Peter Townsend. The dynamic between these two grew as the first season carried on. We first realize there's something between these two when Princess Margaret makes eyes at Peter at her own sister's wedding. As it turns out, Peter worked closely with her father, King George VI, and was a married man with two sons. Princess Margaret was considered a young girl at the time.
What many thought were just causal flings turned into love. In this episode, Princess Margaret and Peter are finally reunited after a two-year ban from the Queen. But as we soon find out, these two still can't live happily ever after just because they're finally back in each other's arms again.
SMOKE AND MIRRORS (SEASON ONE, EPISODE FIVE): 8.6
As we see early on, Prince Philip has a very hard time finding himself and his role as the Queen's husband. He's not fond of being in the shadow with no real voice and he missed working with the Navy.
In "Smoke and Mirrors," we see Queen Elizabeth II give Prince Philip the role of planning her coronation. While he first thought she was simply entertaining him, he decided to take the bull by the horns and do what he thought was best. His modern approach to her coronation cause quite a stir within the palace, but it ended up being for the best.
LISBON (SEASON TWO, EPISODE THREE): 8.5
As the third episode in the second season, we see Queen Elizabeth's heart break in front of our eyes as more rumors of infidelity and her husband begin to circulate. After it's published that Philip's best friend is getting a divorce because his wife proved him to be unfaithful while on tour with the Prince, the palace goes into a panic. We can see the Queen long for her husband as he was away at sea for months at a time but once the news broke, we see her love for him turn to disdain.
The Queen eventually meets Philip in Lisbon to put on a good show of solidarity but instead of getting a warm greeting, the two look at each other as if they were strangers. This was a hard episode for many.
PRIDE & JOY (SEASON ONE, EPISODE EIGHT): 8.5
In "Pride & Joy," we see a more honest background of Queen Elizabeth's relationship with her sister Margaret. We learn that King Geroge VI used to call Elizabeth his pride and Margaret his joy. And we see him telling the girls to always support and protect one another. This promise can only go so far when you're Queen because Elizabeth now had an obligation to her country before her family.
With Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip doing a tour, she asks her sister Margaret to make some public appearances. Margaret, of course, does the speeches in her own way, causing quite a bit of trouble back in the palace.
MISADVENTURE (SEASON TWO, EPISODE ONE): 8.3
As the first episode of the second season, we see Prince Philip gearing up to leave for his five-month tour at sea. Queen Elizabeth II was hoping this experience would give her husband some time to reflect; to really shine on his own and not under her shadow. We see the two missing one another in spurts, but if anything, we see the Prince excited to be alone.
Before he sets off to sea, Queen Elizabeth II gives him a little going away president. As she's sneaking it in his bag, she finds a picture of a famous ballerina. Could he be having an affair? This left viewers uneasy about their time apart.
WOLFERTON SPLASH (SEASON ONE, EPISODE ONE): 8.3
Not surprisingly, the very first episode of the series only got a 8.3 rating out of 10 stars. As the first episode of the season, many viewers thought the episode fell flat.
We see Philip giving up his association with Greece and becoming a full-pledge citizen of the UK in order to marry Elizabeth. It's in this episode we see the two get married and we see Elizabeth trembling as she's saying her vows. Viewers seemed more confused and didn't know what to make of this marriage.
A COMPANY OF MEN (SEASON TWO, EPISODE TWO): 8.3
While Prince Philip is away on tour, we never see him actively persuing women but we catch his quick glances and body language that shows he's interested. One day, he's requested to do an interview with a reporter. While his friend tells him to steer clear of individual interviews, he decides to do it anyway because she seems to be interested in him...
What transpires is Philip's vanity getting the best of him. She did not come on to him at all and instead asked him deeply personal (and to him, offensive) questions about his childhood and personal life. This made him frustrated, homesick, and he stormed out of the interview in a hurry.
GELIGNITE (SEASON ONE, EPISODE SIX): 8.2
The Crown is such an amazing show that an 8.2 rating is the lowest it has. In the episode "Gelignite," Margaret and Peter decide that their relationship is strong enough to announce an engagement. But before anything can be done, she has to go to the Queen.
Considering Peter is a divorced man, Elizabeth promised her sister she'd do everything she could to make their marriage possible, but as it turns out, nothing can be done. Peter gets sent away early and Margaret is left heartbroken.
MATRIMONIUM (SEASON TWO, EPISODE SEVEN): 8.2
As the seventh episode in the second season, Princess Margarete learns that her former love, Peter Townsend, is getting married to a very young woman. Heartbroken and angry, Margaret decides to announce her engagement to Tony, a photographer, so they could get married before Peter did.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II is pregnant with her third child and decides to throw a party for Margaret and Tony and we learn of their unconventional relationship and how their entire plan of marriage is kind of petty.