I’ve chosen to deconstruct a scene from the 7th episode of the Netflix series The Crown, in which Queen Elizabeth II lecturers her ministers after they neglect to tell her that Prime Minster Churchill as well as Foreign Secretary Eden were both incapacitated due to their health.

Before she speaks to either man, we see a birds-eye perspective of Elizabeth pacing the room. In this and previous episodes, Elizabeth has been learning more about her role as Queen, and how she is no longer herself while she is carrying out “God’s work.” This shot reinforces this theme in audience, as it suggests the presence of something or someone watching over the conversations.

Keeping consistent with most of the series, the scene consists of a dull colour palette. Most of the furniture is either cream or gold. There a multiple light sources, including the large window and many lamps scattered throughout the room, however the scene is still still in a way that dim and very dark in some places, give it a soft, dusty feel.

When Churchill is announced, a focus pull is used to move from Elizabeth’s powerful, confident stance, to Winston’s wobbling hand, shaking as he balances himself on his walking stick. This emphasises the shift in power from the start of the episode, when Elizabeth felt her lack of education and experience put her at a disadvantage and stop her from performing at her best, to this moment at the end of the episode, where is she is confident that she is doing the right thing. It also highlights the fragility of Churchill at this point, both physically as a result of his stroke, and politically, as many in his own party want him to step down.

It’s often difficult to portray these power balances in these scenes where the Prime Minister has a private audience with the Queen in a conventional way, as it is the custom for the Prime Minister to stand while the Monarch sits. In order to be shooting Elizabeth from Winston’s point of view, the camera needs to be looking down at her. Often, this would suggest that a character was being looked down upon, as though they are weak. However, in the context of the scene, this shot doesn’t feel like that. Claire Foy’s performance in this scene feels firm but fair. Cut alongside the close up of Winston’s teary and pained expression, the scene suggests that the pair are now seeing each other as individuals who are both very capable and but also flawed, and are on equal footing.

The scene concludes with another close up of Winston’s shaking hands holding onto his walking stick before he exits the room, with a wide shot showing how he uses the couch to support himself as he leaves. We can also clearly see our Elizabeth looks at him with pity. She is the one in the background, the smaller figure, onlooking the weak, fragile man who is leaving the room, again leaving the audience with feeling of shift in power.

In the context of not only the episode, but also the series, this scene is a turning point for this two characters. Winston realises he must stand down as Prime Minister in the near future, while Elizabeth becomes more confident in her role and her convictions. The construction of the scene itself, emphasises the new order which wasn’t really present before. Elizabeth had held her ground previously when trying to convince Winston that Parliament should let Phillip learn how to fly a plane, but she had never be so sure that she was the one with the moral high ground. The Crown chooses to represent this in a subtle way which still draws attention to themes that have been building over the series and reach their peak in this crucial sequence.