Current Watching

[San Bernardhinault]

Watching The Crown has sent me down several wikiholes in the last few hours.

I learned more than I could possibly remember about the Australian constitutional crisis.

The wikiholes are one of the best reasons for watching The Crown. Watching it triggers memories of things that people talked about as if everyone just knew them when I was a kid, that never really needed explaining when my mum and my gran talked to each other, or when they were mentioned on Radio 4 at a friend's house while we were playing with his Scalextric. But which I didn't actually know - so I go diving down into the wikiholes on my phone, ignoring large chunks of the actual show.

[Hot Pepsi]

The wikiholes are one of the best reasons for watching The Crown. Watching it triggers memories of things that people talked about as if everyone just knew them when I was a kid, that never really needed explaining when my mum and my gran talked to each other, or when they were mentioned on Radio 4 at a friend's house while we were playing with his Scalextric. But which I didn't actually know - so I go diving down into the wikiholes on my phone, ignoring large chunks of the actual show.

The wikiholes are one of the best reasons for watching The Crown. Watching it triggers memories of things that people talked about as if everyone just knew them when I was a kid, that never really needed explaining when my mum and my gran talked to each other, or when they were mentioned on Radio 4 at a friend's house while we were playing with his Scalextric. But which I didn't actually know - so I go diving down into the wikiholes on my phone, ignoring large chunks of the actual show.

It takes me a long time to get through historical dramas because I pause for wikiholes or, as you have, just try to sorta pay attention to the show while I'm in it. It's bad form to do this in a movie theater, I discovered. A lady loudly whispered at me to put away my phone. I can't recall what the film was, but I desperately wanted to know something about it. I often also use it to look up IMDB or other sites to figure out who is who.*


My mom has told me that watching the coronation on TV is one of her earliest memories of life - or certainly the earliest memory she had of watching something memorable on TV - (she was born in 1945) and she was very impressed.

It never occurred to me that putting that on TV would be controversial, but I guess I can see why it was. Given how stuffy and out-of-touch posh British people are now, it's easy to forget that they were much further out of touch in the not too distant past. Give credit to Philip for realizing the benefit of that. It really helped promote the Royal's "brand," for better or worse, and contributes to the perception that Britain is a magical place with knights and princesses and magical stones. I don't know how actually Britons feel about that, but it helps tourism a bit, I suppose. Not enough to justify monarchy, but still.

The Crown is pretty good at being whatever the audience wants it to be. If you want to think the monarchy is vital and lovely, it offers various characters explaining that point of view, and shows Elizabeth herself, at least, as a pretty sympathetic and likable character. But if you, like me, think it's actually completely ridiculous (though not much moreso than most of what people think is Really Important), there's plenty of evidence of that too for anyone paying attention - the racism, the love of slaughtering animals with minimal effort, and, of course, the massive expense and opulence.

I suppose that's how it is in reality too. Most of these people aren't what Fitzgerald called "the cruel rich," but none of them are willing to chuck it in the name of republicanism, humility, egalitarianism or even just to simplify their own life. Edward VII abdicated, but as the show portrays, he was a bit of a cake-eater (Minnesota expression, I believe). He still wanted a title. He wanted an allowance to continue living comfortably, and he was really put out that they wouldn't call his wife her royal highness. FFS.

I suspect that it isn't just the love of wealth and deference that these people love, because a lot of peripheral royalty/nobility don't actually get much wealth or deference out of it and yet I don't think many (any?) ever renounce their titles or claim to be the 41st in line for the throne or whatever. I can't think of any. For them to publicly, or even privately, rebel against the system would alienate them from their family and an identity that have been raised since birth to value. Like there's that scene where Elizabeth is sent to Eton - I can't believe the boys still wore those silly hats - to study with one tutor, alone, and the tutor only taught her stuff that he and/or her parents thought was relevant to being queen including the theoretical justification for having one. She couldn't get a real job even if she wanted one.

One of my wikiholes led me to explore all of the Scandinavian and low-country royal families. They are much more relaxed and fine with their kids marrying commoners. That cheesy movie with Julia Stiles where she falls in love with the Prince of Denmark at college without knowing who he was actually happened. The current princess in line to become the Queen of Denmark - not in her own right, of course - is just a fairly regular middle-class person from Tasmania. She met the prince in a bar in Melbourne. One of the guys married into the Swedish royal family declined to become a Swedish citizen (for business reasons? Taxes? Pride?) and so he doesn't have a title and that's fine, apparently. One of the princesses married her personal trainer. NBD.


* I couldn't figure out who that Duke of Hanover guy with the German accent was, other than being the Duke - or a Duke - of Hanover. What's his relationship to the queen and why was he hanging around?

[Lang Spoon]

Good Christ, ep 2 of “How the ‘Celts’ ‘saved’ Britain” is even worse than the first. I could of course have our quote marks around “Britain” as well. Fucking Dan Snow. Now he’s hit Dal Riada/Scotland it’s even more fucked than the Irish episode. What a Britnat prick. Why does TV history have to be the school/first year uni Orthodoxy of 30 years back?

And again, church sources and church folk accepted as honest witnesses.

[ursus arctos]

Yeah, the whole Scott Brown worship has gotten completely out of hand . . .

[Lang Spoon]

It actually gets worse. The Synod of Whitby splitting the Iona and “Pictish” church, nada. The fucking Vikings doing more than most to meld two different (if similar, and in Pictland’s case, probably Gaelizing at an elite level pre any unification of Alba/Scotland) cultures, not a peep. Nah, it was Colombia and Pals that United Scots and Picts.

[Hot Pepsi]

It actually gets worse. The Synod of Whitby splitting the Iona and “Pictish” church, nada. The fucking Vikings doing more than most to meld two different (if similar, and in Pictland’s case, probably Gaelizing at an elite level pre any unification of Alba/Scotland) cultures, not a peep. Nah, it was Colombia and Pals that United Scots and Picts.

I know that’s not true ‘cos I listen to the History of Scotland podcast.

[Hot Pepsi]

Today’s wikihole revealed that the royal family aren’t generally very well-educated or, perhaps, bright. Though Andrew’s girls did pretty well on their A levels.

I’d always assumed that they all went to Eton and Oxbridge and, if not smart, could at least pretend to be because they’d had the old-fashioned English education drilled into them. Apparently not. Privilege, eh?

[Lang Spoon]

Yeah, the whole Scott Brown worship has gotten completely out of hand . . .

Jimmy Johnstone written out of History again

[Amor de Cosmos]

Today’s wikihole revealed that the royal family aren’t generally very well-educated or, perhaps, bright.

Centuries of inbreeding will do that.

[Lang Spoon]

Go on HP and your history buffery. You can be US Consul General to the First Scottish Republic when the Brexit Wars start.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Andrew’s girls did pretty well on their A levels.

If you know how to search Daily Mail stories you'll find a pal of a pal of mine getting in deep shit for revealing that Eugenie did NOT do well enough to normally get a place at Newcastle...

[Lang Spoon]

William “was forced” to go to St Andrews, as his first choice Edinburgh would have been too hard to police. Probably didn’t get the grades. Edinburgh and St. Andrews especially of course being the cold cuts on Monday Too Stupid For Oxbridge step down for them richers and chin lackers.

[Hot Pepsi]

William “was forced” to go to St Andrews, as his first choice Edinburgh would have been too hard to police. Probably didn’t get the grades. Edinburgh and St. Andrews especially of course being the cold cuts on Monday Too Stupid For Oxbridge step down for them richers and chin lackers.

I thought St Andrews was really good. It sounds nice, anyway.
Did Harry actually get a degree from Sandhurst or is that not how it works? I assumed it was like West Point.

It's hard to know if they're actually that stupid or just not very motivated in school since they know they'll get into a better university than their grades merit regardless, they'll have a shit time at college anyway because all their friends will be phony asslicking douchebags, and that their whole life is pretty much already mapped out as an endless series of photo ops and really shit parties, regardless of the degree they get.

It reminds me of that Twilight Zone where the gangster ends up in a place where everything always goes his way - cards, billiards, the ladies, etc, and after a while it's not fun, but boring and he discovers [spoiler]that he's not in heaven, but the other place.[/spoiler]

And why do they need so many palaces? There are so many, who can keep track? What a waste. They should convert them to ice rinks.

[Hot Pepsi]

Go on HP and your history buffery. You can be US Consul General to the First Scottish Republic when the Brexit Wars start.

I accept.

[Amor de Cosmos]

And why do they need so many palaces? There are so many, who can keep track? What a waste. They should convert them to ice rinks.

"Only" five I think (?): Buck House, Balmoral, Sandringham, Windsor, Kensington, and only two are actually palaces if we're being picky.

[Amor de Cosmos]

It's hard to know if they're actually that stupid or just not very motivated in school since they know they'll get into a better university than their grades merit regardless,

It's only recently they began attending university at all, I think Charles and Anne were the first. Mostly the men went into the military, and the women waited to get married off.

[Hot Pepsi]

"Only" five I think (?): Buck House, Balmoral, Sandringham, Windsor, Kensington, and only two are actually palaces if we're being picky.

I suspect they all could fit ice rinks.

[Hot Pepsi]

It's hard to know if they're actually that stupid or just not very motivated in school since they know they'll get into a better university than their grades merit regardless,

It's only recently they began attending university at all, I think Charles and Anne were the first. Mostly the men went into the military, and the women waited to get married off.

Yes, that’s right. I wonder if that was just something Liz pushed for based on her own experience of it was something they focus-grouped.

[Lang Spoon]

"Only" five I think (?): Buck House, Balmoral, Sandringham, Windsor, Kensington, and only two are actually palaces if we're being picky.

Holyrood is the only Scottish palace. Balmoral is a private gaff.

[Benjm]

And why do they need so many palaces? There are so many, who can keep track? What a waste. They should convert them to ice rinks.

I'd go further and formally merge the Royal Family and the Winter Olympic team. In our straitened national circumstances it's hard to justify paying two separate lots of gurning dipshits to take winter holidays at the public's expense.

[Benjm]

I thought St Andrews was really good. It sounds nice, anyway.

I've got quite a lot of family in St Andrews. It is a strange place. Fifer self-mythologizing and limited economic opportunities for locals combine with financial dependence upon posh students and rich golfers to peculiar effect.

[Levin]

HP, is this your german guy? Ernest of Hanover, brother in law to Philip. British Prince and duke and whatnot until deprived of his titles in 1917.

[slackster]

Watching Collateral on the BBC. A police procedural overlaid with a thoughtful refugee/trafficking storyline written by David Hare. And the excellent Carey Mulligan is the lead detective. Worth a watch.

[Ginger Yellow]

A film called Mute is on Netflix from tomorrow.

It is the "spiritual sequel" to 2009's Moon with Sam Rockwell, if director Duncan Jones is to be believed. Moon was very good, so I will be streaming this tomorrow...

Alas, it's a bit crap. Also not remotely a spiritual sequel to Moon, other than a throwaway Easter egg with no bearing on the story.

[WOM]

Should we persist with Peaky Blinders? The first episode felt a bit meh.