Beryl

As said by some of the other reviews the first season didn't really develop her much besides the whole Peter Townsend debacle, This episode focuses mainly on the two choices she could make. Either marry a close friend that is well he seems a bit of an idiot and she would only marry him because she felt she needed to get married, or Antony who was a photographer, the way they played Antony in made him seem like the obvious choice and I can agree with that, his opening is amazing well done from the actor. Then we come to the scene where he takes her birthday portrait, he uses some clever tricks and manages to get an amazing picture(and yes the scene was a bit long but I felt that didn't ruin it just added to the scene how he would keep quiet but everything he said was to get that one perfect shot).

For me, the weakest link in The Crown's first season was without a doubt Margaret. The actress was really good, but the writing made her come across as naive and superficial, with little understanding or care for the impossible situations she was putting her sister in. And while I found her far more enjoyable in the premiere of this season, I was still a little nervous about getting into an episode focused on her. It turns out I need not have feared, as this was actually my favourite episode of the season so far.

The Margaret depicted in the start of this episode is deeply cynical and depressed about her whole situation. She has an extremely relatable sense of purposelessness and loneliness, which comes to a climax when she drunkenly rampages and smashes her stuff. This sort of scene is overused in movies and TV shows, but I found it very effective here because it felt real and emotionally honest.

The episode explores two potential romantic endeavours for Margaret. The first is a hollow and short-lived engagement with a platonic family friend, made more out of obligation than interest. The second is an exciting and dangerous flirtation with a photographer at a party for "interesting people". The latter leads Margaret to do something that will have negative consequences for the family. Unlike her actions in the first season, this felt like an informed, concerted decision to break free from her sister's control. As a result, I find it far easier to get behind.

In short, this episode shows Margaret's less naive, more cynical side, and made her more sympathetic as a result.

Outstanding performance from Vanessa Kirby... WOW. New favourite actress.

She has made this episode my favourite from Season 2 so far and I can't wait to see more of her!

Masterfully directed too, as the Crown never disappoints.

I wish there were more tv programmes like this...

The first two episodes of 'The Crown's' Season 2 lived up to the exceptionally high standards that the first season had (a season that had two disappointments that still managed to be good). "Lisbon" was a step down and while still a good and intriguing episode it suffered from the problematic character writing for Phillip. While loving 'The Crown', expectations were mixed for "Beryl" when seeing that it was a Margaret-centric episode. Speaking as someone who didn't generally care for how she was written in Season 1.

Season 2 actually though saw an improvement in Margaret's character writing, where she seemed more sympathetic, more mature and not as gullible and her character development was richer. A big contrast to Season 1, where she felt underdeveloped and where the writers went too far on making her unlikeable. The richer character writing and the more grown up portrayal of her is especially evident in "Beryl", one of the best Season 2 episodes and one of the best Margaret-centric episodes.

My only issue with "Beryl" was the emotionally cold and too flimsy to the point of irrelevance platonic family friend subplot.

Once again however 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. Nothing soapy about it.

Furthermore, the story is deliberately paced but not dull. While the platonic family friend subplot was uninteresting, the Margaret and Tony one is very exciting and charming. Which made it easy to invest in it. Really loved Margaret's character writing, here she shows a more sympathetic edge and a maturity while also with moments of vulnerability. The climactic scene is powerful and her loneliness is moving and easy to relate to.

All the acting is very good, Vanessa Kirby plays Margaret absolutely beautifully and Matthew Goode is also ideal casting. Their chemistry scintillates and has a real charm to it.

In conclusion, a wonderful episode. 9/10.

I did not like this episode and I'm surprised so many fans of "The Crown" are praising it. I think it's supposed to be compelling, but it just moves very slowly.

Tony's character isn't interesting at all. That whole "tortured artist" thing is not a personality. The photoshoot that was supposed to be sexy I found very long and drawn out. And it's very obvious he's a player and manipulating her the whole time. I realize this is based on real events, but I hate how movies and tv shows always show women falling for the guy who's obviously a jerk. You just want to reach through the screen and slap her!