User reviews

One of the greatest episodes in this magnificent series. It fully lives up to expectations in its treatment of the ceremony itself. The solemnity of the occasion is particularly well realized. The writing is brilliant in the way it incorporates the queen's conflict with her husband, leading into the preparations, and especially moving in the way that conflict is seen to resolve (at least for that occasion). Claire Foy is deserving of any award she can be given, but Matt Smith also deserves recognition for his nuanced playing of Philip.

And not to be forgotten is Alex Jennings's performance as the Duke of Windsor, whose abdication years earlier and "scandalous" marriage had led to his virtual banishment from the royal family. He adds unexpected depth to our perception of the ceremony.

"Smoke and Mirrors" might be seen as the first climactic episode of the series. While many great moments have preceded it, this one can stand alone as a fine achievement of writing, production and acting.

This episode contains the long-awaited coronation scene, and it is clear that a huge portion of the budget was spent on this. The result is gorgeous. I want to watch it side by side with footage of the real thing, to see just how accurate it is. The coronation isn't the only scene this episode that takes place in Westminster Abbey, either. The location is taken full advantage of in this episode.

Most of the episode focuses on the preparation for and planning of the coronation. Elizabeth places Philip in charge of planning the coronation. He generates a lot of conflict when he proposes a number of unconventional ideas, prompting a number of scenes which examine the purpose of a monarchy in a very interesting way.

Philip also receives quite a bit of character development in this episode, as his motivations are made clear and his increasing sense of emasculation is shown. Matt Smith is quite good in the role. I was skeptical when I heard he had been cast; I enjoyed him in Doctor Who, but he did not do a whole lot to make me confident in his acting abilities. But in this episode, he does very well.

Overall, this is a marvellous episode of the crown. It contains many great scenes, but will be remembered mostly for its pitch perfect recreation of the coronation.

A wonderful episode, and having spent many hours researching Edward, Duke of Windsor years ago, I feel The Crown was pretty generous in its depiction of him. The British certainly dodged a bullet when this despicable person removed himself from the throne. I hope this series will encourage people to seek out facts about his life, his behavior, his treatment of others, and quotes of some of the horrendous things he said.

'The Crown' started off great and managed to get better and better throughout the whole of Season 1. From the very beginning, 'The Crown' managed to be an exceptionally well made, written and acted series, always compelling even when deliberately paced and became one of 2016's major hits when it first began. Period dramas are my kind of thing, so there were no doubts in seeing it. Anybody interested in the Royals should consider seeing at least one episode.

With its fifth episode "Smoke and Mirrors", we have one of the best of the first season and possibly of the whole series. It continues to progress what went on in previous episodes while introducing new material as we delve further into Elizabeth's life. It was great to see more of the Duke of Windsor and also more development to Phillip. All the great things of before are here and even if it did take liberties with the truth it and the whole series are incredible on their own merits.

"Smoke and Mirrors" once again has superb production values. The production and costume design are both classy and sumptuous, but it's the photography that stands out in this regard. Much of it is quite stunning and some of the best of the whole of Season 1, the ever beautiful Westminster Abbey looks great. The music is neither too intrusive or too low key.

It's on point in the writing as well, it always intrigues and provokes a lot of thought. The story is deliberately paced but not dull, the Duke of Windsor is not too one-dimensional but it is not hard to see why he was hated. Any politics is not over-emphasised or laid on too thick. There is a big emphasis on the preparation for the coronation and Phillip's character development, why he acts the way he does and his conflict was very believably done and appreciated.

All the performances are top drawer again, with Alex Jennings taking top honours this time. His performance being smarmy but subtle. Love the nuance Matt Smith brought to Phillip and Claire Foy's very telling expressions and eyes are very moving to watch.

Concluding, brilliant and one of the season's and show's best. 10/10

I'm often critical of historical dramas, and of "The Crown," because of how they sometimes heavyhandedly modify facts to create a good story. However, this episode was crafted perfectly. The music, the cinematography, the narrative was one of the more perfect episodes of any show I have seen.

The episode was perfect and one of the best episodes in the series Can't wait to see the new season