Last Friday’s movie, The King’s Speech, concerned the journey of a duke becoming a King, all while living with the challenges of having a stutter. The stutter impacted virtually all aspects of his life, from being able to read a bedtime story to his daughters to giving a public announcement. Although the story of how King George overcame his lifelong struggle with his stutter is remarkable, the highlight of the movie for me was the unique, and frankly unlikely, relationship he formed with Lionel, his speech therapist. At first meeting, King George’s distaste for Lionel was clear. Considering himself above Lionel in social class, he would often question Lionel’s actions, beliefs, and advice. The turning point in this relationship, in my opinion, came at the time of King George’s father’s death. At this time, George went to visit Lionel after-hours, where they shared drinks and we saw, for the first time, George open up about his personal life. The two shared conversations and a sense of trust that continuously built on throughout the rest of the movie. Another major progression of their friendship came after, despite hearing Lionel’s confession of not being medically trained as a speech therapist, King George decided to continue working with Lionel. It truly seems that the impactful friendship Lionel and King George shared played a significant role in the success King George had with his stutter. Without the friendship with Lionel, it’s unlikely King George ever would have been able to target the emotional roots of his stutter problem.