The dangerous thing about getting sucked into a historical drama is that spoilers are everywhere: history books, Wikipedia, the fact that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are still mucking it up in Buckingham Palace. Ugh, guys, you've ruined it all. Thanks a lot.

Of course, some of the plot twists in The Crown — the most expensive show produced by Netflix — are so juicy and soapy that you'll struggle to believe they actually happened. Okay, creator and writer Peter Morgan (The Queen, The Audience) may have taken some artistic licence, but much of it can be verified by a quick Google search. May you should have paid more attention in history class, eh?

Consider this a sequel to The King's Speech, a prequel to The Queen, and a companion piece to The Audience. Here, George is King George VI, not an adorable toddler who wears knee socks. It's all about Lilibet and Philip, not Will and Kate. The biggest royal headache is the snotty Duke of Windsor, not the possibility of Prince Harry running around naked.

It's so opulent, so dramatic, and so fascinating. If you've ever wondered how Her Majesty went from a blushing bride to HBIC, stick around. We've got some binge-watching to do.

Episode 1

Remember when King George VI's (Jared Harris) biggest problem was stuttering? Now it's 1947 and he's hacking up blood and fretting about his health, though he still finds the time to squeeze in a dirty limerick or two.

Frankly, we're worried about the monarch's health, too (but not that worried, because a quick Wiki search tells us he's still got a good five years left to live). He's barely able to stammer through the service making Philip Mountbatten, who has just renounced his Greek nationality, the Duke of Edinburgh so that he can claim "the greatest prize on Earth" and marry Princess Elizabeth.

Philip smokes and his family isn't much to speak of, but he's played by Doctor Who's Matt Smith, and is therefore dishy in a sort of crinkly forehead way. Claire Foy's Elizabeth (better known as Lilibet) is so pleased she even insists upon keeping the "obey" bit in the marriage vows. Alas, unlike their future grandson, William and his bride, Kate Middleton, Philip and Lilibet keep their royal wedding pretty mellow and sans souvenirs or Philip Treacy hats. Before Pippa Middleton and her derriere, wedding guests had to settle for being distracted by the scene-stealing Winston Churchill (John Lithgow, chomping away at the scenery and a cigar) and his Nazi jokes.

Boom. Lilibet and Philip are married, have two cute kiddos who will grow up to be Charles and Anne, and settle into the Royal Navy life in Malta. Philip is shirtless, suntanned, and successful. What a perfect time for King George to fuck things up with his increasingly poor health.

Lilibet rushes back to London for her father's surgery. The king's lung has been removed, but he's made it through surgery. He's still weak, so when he invites reinstated Prime Minister Churchill to Buckingham Palace five weeks later, it's no surprise to see him suggest giving his eldest daughter more responsibility.

Churchill later confides in his wife that he suspects the king has cancer. And despite the placating tones from royal aide (and Princess Margaret crush) Peter Townsend, it is cancer. King George is finally told about his tumor and his failing health.

The health issues prompt the dying, increasingly sentimental monarch to get things in order. Lilibet is given a sort of tutorial on "How to Rule the United Kingdom and All the Places it Invaded." That includes replacing her father on his Commonwealth tour, which Philip is not happy about. He'd much rather pick out curtains for their new home, Clarence House, than see the world and shake hands with the locals.

He doesn't have much choice. The king, who coughed up blood upon awakening, drags his son-in-law (hello, naked bum shot) for some shooting and some straight talk about Lilibet.

"She is the job," he puts it plainly to Philip. "She is the essence of your duty. Loving her, protecting her. Of course you’ll miss your career, but doing this for me, doing this for her, I know no greater act of patriotism, or love."

Philip says he understands, which is what any young man would do when their father-in-law is holding a shotgun. Lilibet, meanwhile, tries slipping behind her father's desk, not yet realizing how soon it will be hers. She doesn't have Wikipedia, you see.