Find Yourself a Faith

Last night, I finally got around to watching “Bubbikins,” Season 3’s Episode 4 of The Crown, Netflix’s popular show about the British Monarchy.

I say “finally” in regard to this episode because I haven’t liked the character transitions from Season 2 to Season 3, especially the transition from Claire Foy’s version of Queen Elizabeth to Olivia Colman’s version.

This specific episode seemed to capture that undesirable change perfectly — the transition from a smart, feisty young queen who is determined to do things her way and uphold the monarchy over everything, including her own family, to the middle-aged Colman who is dim, quiet, milquetoast.

I was especially glad to see this episode take on more of the background of Prince Philip (played quite well by both Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies) and the life of his mother, Princess Alice (played by Jane Lapotaire), who was congenitally deaf and diagnosed with schizophrenia. She spent two years in a sanatorium, undergoing all manner of suspect and deplorable treatments, including electroshock to “treat” her hysteria and the X-raying of her ovaries to kill off her libido (thanks to Sigmund Freud, of all people).

Toward the end of the episode, Prince Philip and Princess Alice are finally reunited and have a conversation. They each apologize to the other for their shortcomings and the misunderstandings between them.

Prince Philip notes her courage and resilience, and Princess Alice responds: “I didn’t do it alone. I couldn’t have. I had help every step of the way. Now, Bubbikins, you mentioned faithlessness. How is your faith?”

Prince Philip answers, “Dormant.”

His mother replies, “That’s not good.” (And I like how Lapotaire says that sentence without judgment.)

She continues: “Let this be a mother’s gift to her child. The one piece of advice… Find yourself a faith. It helps. No… Not just helps. It’s everything.”

As my own faith has been tested and challenged the past few years, I appreciated that advice. “Find yourself a faith. It’s everything.”

Posted on 2022-12-13   #faith     #Netflix