Warning: Reviews of The Crown season 6 will contain spoilers.

Sounds plays an unexpected, minor role in Willsmania in getting into Prince William’s (Ed McVey) head space. In the opening moments, it comes as William drowns out the morning noise with music, followed by the ambient clicks and clacks as his father makes and eats his breakfast. But it’s all quickly eclipsed by the maniacal screams of William’s female fans, which dominates the episode.

There’s an understated moment as William and Harry (Luther Ford) exit their car and descend upon a screaming horde of adoring teenage girls. Charles flashes a quick smile, almost proud of his son, seemingly unaware of history repeating itself right before his eyes. Or at least unaware of how uncomfortable his son felt with so much attention focused on him. Of course, the public’s adoration never becomes as gross or dangerous as it was with Diana, but it’s a purposeful connection.

It makes sense for The Crown to pick up the first episode of the second part of its final season in the immediate aftermath of Diana’s death, and it makes sense for the episode to be focused on William and his grief. This final section of the show will likely be focused more on William and Harry, and how they move on from their mother’s death, and less on the dramatics with Elizabeth. Willsmania is an episode centered around conversations, and while it’s not the show at its peak, it’s a smart way for the show to engage with William as it moves forward.

The first conversation William has is with his house master, who foolishly tries to relate to him as someone who almost lost someone that was very close to him. It’s a recurring theme throughout Willsmania of people throughout the world thinking they’re connected to William, but no matter how similar the circumstances may be, there’s no situation that directly correlates to what the royal family have experienced. Grief is an island. The second conversation is much more contentious, as William confronts his father, who he sees as a major contributing factor to Diana’s death.

Finally, there’s a nice scene as William and Philip play chess (there’s that Peter Morgan subtlety), as he tries to get William to understand how his father operates. He partly sees himself to blame for being a distant, unloving father, a product of his own upbringing, and the societal standards of the time. Jonathan Pryce hasn’t been given much material since he stepped into the show, but he’s delightfully solid here, walking the tightrope of Philip’s humility and defensiveness.

Again, this episode likely won’t win The Crown any awards, but it serves as a nice start point to the show’s endgame. Ed McVey makes for a great introduction, exploring the quieter moments of William’s grief, so I think the show will be in good hands going forward. Another unexpected delight – the return of Princess Ann! It had been so long since she played even a minor role in the show, I had almost forgotten of how delightful she was at her peak. Here’s hoping these final episodes don’t forget that either.