For me, the best episodes of The Crown have always been the ones in which the monarchy has to handle damage control on a scandal. On top of the fact that such situations are fantastic at generating tension and drama, they also expose the inner workings of the institution in a way that is endlessly fascinating to watch.
Another reason that I loved the first season's scandal episodes was the way they allowed the character of Tommy Lascelles to shine. Tommy was one of my favourite characters on the show, so I was very sad when he retired near the end of last season, and pleasantly surprised when he made a surprise return in this episode. I hope he pops up a few more times this season; Pip Torrens is fantastic in this role, and it would have been a shame to let that go to waste.
The scandal in this episode is the climax of the boys' club story-line from the first two episodes of the season. Everything dovetails neatly and comes back around to the opening flash-forward, which finally gets resolved. So much is concluded in this episode that I genuinely have no idea what the plot of the rest of the season will be.
