Starring: Claire Foy, Matt Smith, Jared Harris, Alex Jennings, Vanessa Kirby, John Lithgow, Jeremy Northam, Ben Miles
Peter Morgan wrote 2006's excellent The Queen, which won Helen Mirren a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II. The Crown, created by Morgan, chronicles Her Majesty's early years and her eventual reign beginning with the passing of her father King George VI (Harris). Morgan's The Crown works best when it is beset with palace intrigue, which isn't handled in soap opera fashion, but as a method of shaping Elizabeth from naive princess to a sturdier, but colder regent.
As The Crown opens in post-WWII Britain, Elizabeth's fiance Prince Philip (Smith), a former Greek royal, is dubbed Duke of Edinburgh and they marry. This is not an arranged marriage lacking passion, but it appears to be genuine love. Philip is essentially stripped of his former identity to marry Elizabeth, which at first suits him, but as the marriage rolls on he seethes more and more about what he perceives as a lack of respect from the palace staff. He is "just the husband", in his eyes, and perhaps even in Elizabeth's. This silent tug of war between Elizabeth and Philip treks onto dangerous ground as season one ends.
As King George VI is succumbing to lung cancer, Winston Churchill (Lithgow) is elected once again as prime minister. He loses a loyal supporter when the king dies, and his weekly conferences with the new queen are handled with much more trepidation. Lithgow, while considerably taller than the real Churchill, is a life force who barks, scowls, and stubbornly tries to hold on to his post even as his health is failing him. At first, he thinks he can pull the wool over Elizabeth's eyes after suffering a stroke and pretending he isn't bedridden, but how Elizabeth dresses down the iconic Churchill after discovering the ruse is masterfully handled. Check out the look on his face. He looks like a scolded child who is sad to have disappointed his mother. This is among the best performances of Lithgow's carrer and The Crown wanes a bit without his presence.
The Crown also gives the supporting players room to breathe while not removing the spotlight from its main subject. Princess Margaret (Kirby) is a dichotomy. She enjoys the lifestyle not being the queen affords her (which includes a lot of smoking and partying) while envying her sister's station. She is also in love with a married member of the palace staff, WWII hero Peter Townsend (Miles), who later divorces his wife, but that does not change their inability to marry in the Anglican Church's (and Elizabeth's) eyes. These episodes provide the greatest internal conflict for Elizabeth between her personal feelings and her duty to her position.
Also present is the former king Edward VIII (Jennings), who historically abdicated the throne because he could not marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson. He is exiled in the south of France on a pension (poor guy), but he longs to be accepted again by his family and visits London for the first time in years after the death of his brother. Jennings, who played Prince Charles in The Queen, does a wicked job of not always showing us his cards. Underneath his charismatic, graceful exterior is a schemer, but not one we can easily pin down. And his relationship with Wallis is explored, and we find how much he truly loved her.
Foy not only elegantly handles herself like a monarch, but her transformation from princess to queen is quite a sight. Foy navigates Elizabeth's internal pressures and conflicts beautifully. She rules without ever raising her voice. Smith not only resembles Prince Philip physically, but while not being quite sympathetic as a man relegated to the sidelines while his wife rules the United Kingdom, we can understand his frustration over trying to figure out his place in a still male-dominated world. But, while he is a loving and hands-on father, Elizabeth is rarely seen in the presence of her children. Is this a standard trope with television series these days in which children spend the majority of time off screen?
Season one of The Crown provides us access to an intimate world of privilege and tradition, and how both can hinder progress. As the 1950's sweeps on, it becomes apparent the monarchy needs to change with the times, but will that be enough to save the UK from the unrest that is coming?
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