Rev iews
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 99 NOVEMBER 6, 2019
SOPHIE MUTEVELIAN/NETFLIX
Te l e v i s i o n
Capturing Elizabeth’s pro-
vocative banality has always been
The Crown’s biggest challenge.
This season unfolds as a string
of nearly stand-alone dramas in
which Morgan layers in parallels
— most expertly in the moon-
landing episode, which finds
Elizabeth recognizing her own
plight in the clean-cut, bland
heroism of the Apollo 11 crew. Two
other standout episodes focus,
respectively, on Charles’ semester
abroad and Elizabeth pondering
how much of her humanity the
kingdom wants to see (revisiting
the themes, if not the events, of
Stephen Frears’ The Queen).
It’s all a good way of covering
for how little Elizabeth actually
does here. The season’s weakest
episode finds the horse-loving
monarch on a global tour trying
to catch up on the latest advances
in animal husbandry. Even then,
Colman’s ability to convey deli-
cate private emotions behind a
public face saves it from boredom.
Few actresses are as comfortable
going both “big” (The Favourite)
and “small,” as she does here,
following Foy’s lead in keeping
Elizabeth inscrutable yet human.
Colman and Menzies share a
different kind of chemistry from
that of Foy and Smith, as Philip
grows from immature whelp to
occasionally disappointed man.
It’s a similar evolution to the one
Bonham Carter has to play, show-
ing us the rebellious, charismatic
Margaret only in glimpses but
more often foregrounding a
burnt-out resignation.
Overall, Morgan has accom-
plished his mission: turning
what could have been an awkward
in-between season into a robust
chapter of a still top-notch saga.sensation on a U.S. tour and copes
with the erosion of her marriage
to Antony Armstrong-Jones (Ben
Daniels, in for Matthew Goode).
The moon landing causes Prince
Philip (Tobias Menzies, in for
Matt Smith) to reexamine his life.
And Prince Charles (an excellent
Josh O’Connor) finds himself
in a love quadrangle involv-
ing aristocrat Camilla Shand
(Emerald Fennell).
Other new faces include Jason
Watkins as Prime Minister
Wilson; Erin Doherty, who makes
a spirited Princess Anne; Charles
Dance in fine imperious form
as Louis Mountbatten; and the
great Derek Jacobi replacing Alex
Jennings as the former King
Edward VIII. Mark Lewis Jones
has a great one-episode turn as
a Welsh nationalist, and Clancy
Brown makes for a very unlikely
but highly amusing LBJ in
another guest performance.Olivia Colman takes over for Claire Foy as
a monarch still fine-tuning her approach
in a season that spans the years 1964 to 1977.Returning to Netflix after a hia-
tus of nearly two years, The Crown
always was going to be a series in
transition during its third season.
Not only was creator Peter
Morgan replacing the entirety
of his award-winning cast, but
the time period covered — the
ascension of Harold Wilson as
prime minister in 1964 through
the Silver Jubilee of 1977 — feels
in many ways like a lead-up to a
juicier fourth season promising
the introductions of Margaret
Thatcher and Princess Diana.
Even in transition, though,
these 10 new episodes make for
thoughtful, gorgeously produceddrama. Accessibly austere and
immaculately polished, The
Crown remains a model for care-
fully crafted episodic storytelling
and a trenchant examination of
the nature of power. And the new
ensemble — fronted by Oscar
winner Olivia Colman, in for
Claire Foy as Elizabeth — proves
every bit the equal of the first.
It’s not an eventless season.
Elizabeth learns of a spy in her
inner circle and faces ques-
tions about her response to the
aftermath of a mining disaster
in Wales. Princess Margaret
(Helena Bonham Carter, in
for Vanessa Kirby) becomes aAIRDATE Sunday, Nov. 17 (Netflix)
CAST Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies,
Helena Bonham Carter, Josh O’Connor,
Erin Doherty, Ben Daniels, Jason Watkins
CREATOR Peter MorganThe Crown
A terrific Olivia Colman steps in as Elizabeth and
Helena Bonham Carter as Margaret for a satisfying
third season of Netflix’s reliable royal saga By Daniel Fienberg