Something missing from The Crown 

POSSIBLE SPOILERS 

I have just binge watched the first season of the new netflix show The Crown . It’s a beautiful recounting of Queen Elizabeth’s first years as queen . Wonderfully portrayed by Claire Foy, a relatively unknown actress , I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of . The casting was excellent , most everyone resembled their part,in both looks and attitude . My mother who remembers that time well was impressed with how well each plot point resembled the original .  Personally , I have but one complaint with the series thus far . It involves the character of Winston Churchill , brilliantly portrayed by John Lithgow .

 It’s no longer a secret that Churchill had a minor stroke in 1949 and a second major  stroke at the age of 78  in 1953 which was  kept secret until his death in 1965 . It’s known that he had paralysis down his left side  as well as  facial droop.  The Crown made a plot point of both strokes  but there was no physical change with the exception of a minor change to his left hand . No facial drooping , no change in mobility . He used a cane both pre and post stroke.  It’s not easy to keep a stroke hidden especially when you’re a public figure who appears on admittedly low definition black and white camera  . Then the series made it seem like only a few weeks until he was fully recovered . While his recovery was indeed rare especially during the 1950s , I can’t imagine it took mere weeks . And while every stroke is unique as is each person’s ability to recover , the stroke that almost took his life as it’s now referred to ,  couldn’t have been entirely overcome  in less than a month .