Matrimonium
- Episode aired Dec 8, 2017
- TV-MA
- 1h
A letter from Peter Townsend spurs Margaret to make a bold proposal. Elizabeth has good news that causes complications for Margaret.A letter from Peter Townsend spurs Margaret to make a bold proposal. Elizabeth has good news that causes complications for Margaret.A letter from Peter Townsend spurs Margaret to make a bold proposal. Elizabeth has good news that causes complications for Margaret.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen Margaret comes to visit the new baby, Elizabeth shares that they considered naming him George or Louis but decided on Andrew. George and Louis are the real life names of Prince William's sons, although Prince Louis was not yet born when this episode aired.
- GoofsOn the ceiling of the art gallery, when Tony Armstrong-Jones hangs his photographs while talking to Princess Margaret in 1959, there are modern PAR 16 lighting fixtures mounted to a busbar. While the PAR reflector fixture was invented at the end of the 1950's in the USA, the PAR 16 variant came along only much later, and early PAR fixtures had a different look anyway. Moreover, there where no such streamlined busbars at the time.
- Quotes
Tommy Lascelles: I hope Your Majesty understands the context in which this discreet reconnaissance work was done and that it in no way represents a prurient, moralistic or censorious position. Mr. Armstrong-Jones is perfectly entitled in his private life to make those choices he wishes, indeed, to live as he wishes.
[Michael clears throat]
Tommy Lascelles: However, as with a great many artists, the, uh, conventional approach to life doesn't appear to fit. It seems that what makes his work notable is his willingness, his appetite, to break barriers and conventions, as he pushes his medium, photography, I believe, to its boundaries, and, um,
[clears throat]
Tommy Lascelles: as in art, so, it would appear, in life.
Queen Elizabeth II: I see.
Tommy Lascelles: [sighs] The narrow path, the straight, Christian path, is not to his taste. To the best of our knowledge...
[unlocks briefcase]
Tommy Lascelles: ... he is currently conducting no fewer than three other intimate relationships.
Queen Elizabeth II: What? With whom?
Tommy Lascelles: With a Miss Jacqui Chan, an Oriental dancer and singer. With Gina Ward, an actress. And with a Miss Robin Banks, his former assistant.
Michael Adeane: These, we should add...
Tommy Lascelles: Are just the natural ones.
Queen Elizabeth II: What?
Tommy Lascelles: There is good reason to suspect that Mr. Armstrong-Jones has a taste for members of his own sex and that his close friendship with his proposed best man, Mr. Jeremy Fry, is...
Queen Elizabeth II: Yes.
Tommy Lascelles: ...in fact...
Queen Elizabeth II: All right, Tommy.
Michael Adeane: Not to mention his wife.
Queen Elizabeth II: Please.
Tommy Lascelles: Camilla. Formerly Grinling. An erstwhile girlfriend of Armstrong-Jones.
Michael Adeane: Who is now expecting, herself.
Queen Elizabeth II: Do you have a photograph of her?
Tommy Lascelles: We do. Thank you, Michael.
[exhales]
Tommy Lascelles: [Elizabeth gasps]
- SoundtracksSpring 1
Written by Max Richter and Antonio Vivaldi
"Matrimonium" however could have been better than it was. It is certainly worth watching and has a lot of very recommendable things. To me, it is one of the weaker episodes of an on the whole very impressive indeed Season 2 and is more on "Lisbon's" level rather than "Vergangenheit" as far as previous episodes of Season 2 goes. As a Margaret-centric episode, "Matrimonium's" character writing for Margaret is closer to that of "Beryl", but her story is more akin to "Gelignite".
What brings "Matrimonium" down is the Margaret and Townsend subplot, which doesn't go very far, doesn't engross that much, is quite derivative and it slows the episode down.
Some of the pacing is a bit over-deliberate as a result and some of the writing could have been tighter.
All of that is a shame, because the rest of the storytelling is great. Elizabeth's story is very compelling and has tension and poignancy. Much of me did still relate to Margaret's dilemma and her chemistry with Antony still scintillates. Claire Foy and Vanessa Kirby play Elizabeth and Margaret absolutely beautifully and Matthew Goode is strong casting as Tony.
Furthermore, the production values are superb. The production and costume design are both classy and sumptuous, but it's the photography that stands out in this regard. The music is not overbearing or low key. It's on point in the writing as well, it always intrigues and provokes a lot of thought. Most of the story and character writing are fine.
Concluding, good but not great. 7/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jul 20, 2021
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- Belvoir Castle, Belvoir, Leicestershire, England, UK(Windsor Castle)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.00 : 1