Recap / The Crown S 3 E 3 Aberfan

• Artistic License – History:
  • Prince Philip visits the scene of the disaster, followed by the Queen several days later. In reality, the two visited Aberfan together.
  • Harold Wilson uses the term "hypermarket", which was first coined by French trade expert Jacques Pictet two years later.
• Blame Game: The Labour-controlled National Coal Board get roasted by the outraged residents of Aberfan for ignoring the problem of the coal tip for years. The Labour government points out that the tip was originally built during a Tory administration, and when it appears that won't wash Wilson is put under pressure by his colleagues to use the Queen as The Scapegoat to deflect the public's rage.
• Both Sides Have a Point: Prime Minister Wilson repeatedly urges the Queen to visit Aberfan because the survivors are in desperate need of comfort and reassurance that those at the top of the establishment care about them. However the Queen points out everyone having to stop and prepare for a Royal visit will only interfere with rescue operations.
• Buried Alive: 144 people (including 116 children) die after excessive rain (and an underground spring ignored by the Coal Board) starts the landslide of a coal tip into the town of Aberfan, burying a school directly in its path.
• Color Contrast: The Queen's red dress stands out among the black uniforms and mourning clothes when she visits Aberfan.
• Crocodile Tears: The Queen is advised that a display of emotion will not go amiss in Wales, so she feigns shedding a tear as she leaves a meeting with the survivors. Later she admits that her eye was dry and wonders if there's something wrong with her, because she's never wept even when it would be viewed appropriate. She finally sheds a Single Tear while listening to a recording of the hymn sung at the mass funeral attended by her husband.
• Deer in the Headlights: The teacher at Pantglas Junior School orders the children to get under the tables, but only stands there staring helplessly at the wall of slurry pouring towards them, likely well aware that it won't make any difference.
• Earthquakes Cause Fissures: Justified as it's a landslide. Foreshadowing of the disaster occurs when a fissure severs the railway line for the trolleys used to dump spoil on the tip. When workmen investigate, they find a rapidly widening sinkhole and race to inform the mine manager, only to watch in horror as large part of the tip breaks away and slides towards the village.
• Fiery Redhead: Marcia Williams, Wilson's political secretary, has strawberry blonde hair and a hot temper to match. She openly bollocks the PM when she feels he's acting weakly, barking at him to 'grow some balls' over his reluctance to deflect public outrage for the Aberfan disaster onto the Queen and away from the Party.
• History Repeats: While Wilson is timelier in his response and more conscious of the political ramifications than Churchill, there are similarities to the Great Smog in "Act of God" with the tragedy being blamed on the weather and government incompetence and indifference causing public criticism.
• Lack of Empathy: A very subdued, tragic version. In the wake of the terrible Aberfan tragedy, Elizabeth reflects that she might be 'broken' due to the fact she cannot connect to most people or cry. Though it is played with, it is clear that she genuinely does feel empathy for the victims of the tragedy, but due to her innately stoic nature, she finds it difficult to express her grief. Wilson even suggests to her that a lack of emotion is an asset for a head of state, enabling them to respond calmly and rationally to a crisis.
• Mass "Oh, Crap!": When the tip starts moving.
• My Greatest Failure: Her failure to respond promptly to the tragedy is regarded by Elizabeth as this.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Witnessing the tragedy at Aberfan, the sight of all the dead children really gets to Anton and he telephones Margaret, asking her to kiss their kids for him. Margaret says later that she's never seen that side of him before.
• Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony: Wilson is informed of the disaster while opening a newfangled "hypermarket".
• Rogue Agent: The Queen is furious that Wilson would seemingly brief journalists that she was failing in her duty, but Wilson tells her that he never did that, with the more radical members of the Party having apparently gone behind his back.
• Slave to PR: Wilson admits in confidence to the Queen that he actually enjoys many upper-class trappings like smoking a cigar instead of a pipe, and he's never done a day of manual work in his life, yet his image as a champion of the working class means he has to act otherwise.
• Stiff Upper Lip: Deconstructed—sometimes showing your emotions is the right response, lest you be mistaken for being indifferent.
• A Storm Is Coming: After a prologue in a rain drenched Aberfan the day before the disaster, we cut to the Queen in her study listening to the faint rumble of thunder.
• Tranquil Fury: Noted by Prince Philip during a mass burial of the children, when the mourners sang a hymn instead of expressing their outrage.