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).

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.

(Hand fanning face.) That was quite an episode. Anyone who could capture and bottle that steamy sexual tension would make a fortune. Now Im off to Google to do my usual research and verification. This series is really hitting it out of the park for us fans of the house of Windsor

I find Princess Margaret to be a very sad character. She has to constantly play second fiddle to the Queen and to the Queen Mum. She loved someone but her station prevented her from doing anything about it. So she has become the free spirited (naughty) child. In this one we meet the notorious photographer that captured world news, Anthony Armstrong Jones (Great Name) who because of his caustic nature, attracts Margaret. There are two contrasting scenes. In one she is photographed by the stodgy guy who has done royal photos forever. Every one of them has a sameness to it. The other is her meeting with Jones who uses creative tricks to get the shot he wants.