La terza stagione della serie ‘The Crown’ meritava la mia attenzione. Mi è piaciuta tutta; il settimo episodio ‘Moondust’ mi ha colpito in particolar modo. Ha toccato delle idee che già giravano nell’universo del mio cervello, e che però, ancora, non avevano trovato la loro strada per palesarsi. Riporto qui il dialogo chiave, senza commentarlo; per lasciare spazio al lettore.
Quindi, siamo al punto in cui la regina Elisabetta e il marito, il principe Filippo, conversano riguardo l’intervista che lui ha appena sottoposto ai tre uomini del momento, a coloro che da poco erano andati e tornati dalla luna nella missione Apollo 11 (16-24 Luglio 1969): Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin e Michael Collins. Voleva assolutamente avere l’occasione di condurre quest’intervista, ma si aspettava andasse diversamente.
[Philip] I don’t know what I was thinking. I expected them to be… giants, gods. In reality, they where just three little men. Pale-faced, with colds.
[Elizabeth] I have some sympathy. The very qualities that made them perfect for the job.
[Philip] But their lack of flair or imagination…
[Elizabeth] Their sense of duty, and modesty and reliability.
[Philip] Total absence of originality or spontaneity…
[Elizabeth] But that’s what makes them perfect in a crisis.
[Philip] And entirely anticlimactic when you meet them in person. I mean, imagine. They go all that way to the moon and stay healthy, but one trip to London nearly kills them.
[Elizabeth] It’s not their fault. They never wanted to be public figures, and now because of one event, they will be forever.
[Philip] They delivered as astronauts, but they disappointed as human beings.
[Elizabeth] They’ll spend the rest of their lives in goldfish bowls, scared to open their mouths, knowing it could reveal who they actually are and that they will inevitably disappoint. And for that, they deserve our pity.
[Philip] Good job there were no little green men. They could be forgiven for thinking, “If that’s all planet Earth has got to offer, let’s give the place a miss.”