Sunday, December 31, 2017

The Crown



The Crown, Season 2, Episode 6: Vergangenheit

Written by Peter Morgan
Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe

This post contains numerous spoilers and explanations of a current episode of The Crown. You may want to watch the episode before reading this article.

The German word, vergangenheit, has many uses [1] in the German language. Its simplest meaning is “the past.” In some contexts, this can be a “time that has elapsed,” a “forgotten past,” a “past with which some have not yet come to terms,” or a “past that needs to be forgiven.” This is the word the producers and writers chose for Season 2, Episode 6 of the Netflix series, The Crown.

The episode opens with the uncovering of secret Nazi documents which reveal the plans and thought processes of the senior Nazi leadership and their collusion with European leaders prior to and during World War II. Most of the documents are translated and published, while the Marburg papers are labelled confidential and stored away in secret so that the embarrassing contents might never be revealed.

The scene quickly shifts to King George, who, on discovering the contents of the Marburg papers, says that the people of the world must never discover the contents. He says, “Our people would rightfully never forgive us.”

Although most will see the story as a depiction of what to do with a former King (Edward VIII) who wants to rehabilitate his image, the interesting part of this British drama is the question of “forgiveness.” If one notices how many times the word is used in this script, they will get the sense that the discussions between the Head of the Church of England (Queen Elizabeth II) and the unofficial Head of Evangelical Christianity in America (Reverend Billy Graham) are much more than peripheral to the overall development of the episode.

Certainly, we cannot get away from the fact that Her Majesty is wrestling with how to, and whether or not to, forgive her uncle, the former King Edward VIII (and subsequently the Duke of Windsor), for associating and conspiring with Nazi Germany in a failed attempt to recover the throne for himself and his wife who wished to be Queen. In this version of historical-fiction, the Duke of Windsor is seen as one who wanted the throne but could not have it because of the divorced woman he chose to marry. Yet, the question of forgiveness is bigger than one act of pardon or denunciation. Forgiveness here, in the context of this well-written and well-directed program, is about forgiveness in all its forms.

It is about God forgiving individuals.
Billy Graham: “The Bible teaches that all have sinned. … God offers hope for the individual, hope for society, hope for the world.”

It is about forgiving Kings.
Duke of Windsor: “Can a former King be forgiven?”

It is about forgiving a German political movement which brought about the Nazi Party and the horrors of World War II. At one point, we hear the Duke of Windsor suggest that, “It could be argued that we were the ones that made him [Hitler] a monster.”

It is about forgiving oneself.
Billy Graham: “The solution for being unable to forgive: one asks for forgiveness for oneself … and prays for those whom one cannot forgive.”

The drama is played out with commentary provided by the private words spoken between The Reverend Billy Graham and Her Majesty, The Queen. Graham preaches a question and then answers it for the small audience in Windsor Chapel.
Billy Graham: “What is a Christian? … A person in whom Christ dwells. … it means, that you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” (Here he references Colossians 1:27.)

The Queen praises Billy Graham, the evangelist, and says, “You speak with such clarity and certainty.… It is lovely to disappear and become just a simple Christian.” By that, she means that it felt good to be in chapel and not feel that she had to be the Head of the Church.

The scenes shift back and forth but we are soon taken to a scene featuring the Duke of Windsor as he writes to his wife in America. He complains that the evangelist, Billy Graham, has disturbed him and says that “all taste for prayer has evaded me.” We begin to see the Duke transformed from a bored socialite to a demon in disguise. One scene ends with a fade to black in which a menacing glint in his eyes is the last thing to fade. When the publication of the Marburg papers becomes inevitable, the Queen Mother remarks that “this was always going to come back to haunt us.”

Yet, The Queen and The Evangelist are eager to want to forgive The Duke and the sins of others, even as they admit to the difficulty of forgiving those who betray and murder their countrymen. At one point the Queen says, “It is time to discuss forgiveness for Uncle David. … Forgiveness is very important to me.” However, when she is confronted with the magnitude of David’s sins, perhaps there is even an allusion here to King David of the Bible, she speaks these harsher words to her uncle,
“We all closed our eyes and ears to what was being said about you. … But when the truth finally came out, it makes a mockery of even the central tenants of Christianity. There is no possibility of my forgiving you; the question is, how on earth can you forgive yourself?”

It is at this point that the key conversation between Billy Graham and The Queen occurs.
The Queen: “I would like to hear your views on forgiveness. Are there circumstances in which one can be a good Christian and not forgive?”
Billy Graham: “The solution for being unable to forgive [is that] one asks for forgiveness for oneself … and prays for those whom one cannot forgive.”

It is refreshing to see a historical-fiction from the UK tell a redeeming story of the power of forgiveness. The writers have truly challenged us to wrestle with the question of forgiveness for war-mongers, Nazis, attention-grasping former Kings, fair-minded Queens, and a good many other sinners. (Perhaps we might even wrestle with the contemporary issue of forgiveness for men who sexually assault or harass women.) In his time as an evangelist, Billy Graham made it clear that the Bible teaches that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Vergangenheit, the episode, asks us significant questions about how far the forgiveness of God could extend and leaves us wondering how we might “forgive others as God has forgiven us” (Matthew 6:14, 15 and Matthew 18:21-35). Oh Lord, “forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.” (Matthew 6:12, New Living Translation).



Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Tin Man


A well-written song will always work on my emotions. Miranda Lambert’s song “Tin Man” is one of those. It is a great concept and a simple structure with no real chorus except the ooohs. She speaks of being broken-hearted and wishing she didn’t even have a heart. Then, the final verse expresses her desire to put on armour and never have to deal with love again. A fitting song for a woman who has just experienced a very public divorce.

Tin Man
(Lyrics and music by Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram, and Jon Randall)
(Listen here while you read the lyrics.) 
Hey there Mr. Tin Man
You don't know how lucky you are
You shouldn't spend your whole life wishin'
For something bound to fall apart
Every time you're feeling empty
Better thank your lucky stars
If you ever felt one breaking
You'd never want a heart 
 ooooooo, ooooooo, ooooooo, ooooooo, ooo 
Hey there Mr. Tin Man
You don't know how lucky you are
I've been on the road that you're on
It didn't get me very far
You ain't missing nothing
Cause love is so damn hard
Take it from me darlin'
You don't want a heart 
ooooooo, ooooooo, ooooooo, ooooooo, ooo
ooooooo, ooooooo, ooooooo, ooooooo, ooo 
Hey there Mr. Tin Man
I'm glad we talked this out
You can take mine if you want it
It's in pieces now
By the way there Mr. Tin Man
If you don't mind the scars
You give me your armor
And you can have my heart 
ooooooo, ooooooo, ooooooo, ooooooo, ooo
ooooooo, ooooooo, ooooooo, ooooooo, ooo

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Two Weeks


The band known as The East Pointers just released an album called What We Leave Behind. On that album is a song to which many will be able to relate. It is called “Two Weeks” and deals with the emotions of leaving home to work at a job in a far-off province for “two weeks on” and “two weeks off.”

To most of us, the idea of working for a mere two weeks and having two weeks off from work sounds appealing. But, as the song-writers say, “Nobody warned me, nobody told me I’d leave there so broken, come back so lonely.” The reality of leaving a wife and family behind to find employment in another place is a necessity for many in Canada and particularly for those who live in economically depressed areas such as Newfoundland and the Maritimes (YYG is the Charlottetown airport code). The song goes on to speak of the losses felt from being away for two weeks. Marriages and relationships with children suffer in this situation, and depression and reliance on alcohol or drugs may also contribute to the loss of money, friends, and a future. The song is one person’s haunting account of a life lived in fragments - two weeks at a time.

The East Pointers is an up-and-coming band from whom we can expect to hear a lot more. The majority of their music is East-Coast Traditional Celtic fare that appeals to those with twitchy feet, who can’t wait to get up and dance. Their ballads are filled with a sense of mournfulness that will tug at the heart-strings of all. Watch for one of their shows at a venue near you

Two Weeks
(Words and music by T. Chaisson, K. Chaisson, J. Charron, G. Sampson)
(From the album, What We Leave Behind, http://eastpointers.ca

Monday morning minus 18
Another West Jet YYG to Calgary
I always knew she’d get used to me leaving someday

A lot less words now her tears have run dry
I can tell by the way she doesn’t hold me as tight
That she’s thinking maybe she’s better off alone

Nobody warned me
Nobody told me
I’d leave there so broken and come back so lonely
I’m killing my soul for the life that I’m leaving behind
Two weeks on
Two weeks off
My blood is wearing thin and my stomach’s in knots
Too much thinking about the time you’ve lost
When it’s two weeks on and two weeks off

I punch in hide the whiskey on my breathe
By the time the night comes I take whatever I can get
Blowing black gold money I shoulda sent home

Two more days and I’m east coast bound
I’ll be praying she’s there when the wheels touch down
Maybe there’s a job home that’ll keep me this time
Nobody warned me
Nobody told me
I’d leave there so broken and come back so lonely
I’m killing my soul for the life that I’m leaving behind
Two weeks on
Two weeks off
My blood is wearing thin and my stomach’s in knots
Too much thinking about the time you’ve lost
When it’s two weeks on and two weeks off 
Nobody warned me
Nobody told me
I’d leave there so broken and come back so lonely
I’m killing my soul for the life that I’m leaving behind
Two weeks on
Two weeks off
My blood is wearing thin and my stomach’s in knots
Too much thinking about the time you’ve lost
When it’s two weeks on and two weeks off 
Monday morning minus eighteen, another West Jet YYG to Calgary
(I am sending out a special thanks to CBC Music and to my daughter, Twila, for introducing me to this amazing band.)