“The Crown”: warm portrait of humans in crisis

Peter Morgan is back on familiar turf now. He’s even edited himself a tad.
His latest “The Crown” (shown here) splurge – four episodes, ending with Diana’s funeral – is sort of “The Queen”-plus. In Morgan’s style, it has deep, fascinating human insights that may or may not be true.
Morgan has done this with others. His screenplays portrayed Idi Amin, Henry VIII, David Frost, Tony Blair and Anne Boleyn’s sister. But the 2006 “Queen” movie captured new attention.
Here was Elizabeth II in a blur. To her, Diana had been this headstrong kid who disrupted everything; now there was deep despair over her death. The queen was frozen in inaction.
The result was beautifully layered. Helen Mirren won an Academy Award and “The Queen” received five more nominations, including ones for best picture and for Morgan’s script.
Seven years later, his play “The Audience” depicted Elizabeth’s meetings with prime ministers, starting with Winston Churchill. Mirren again starred and again won – this time Tony and Olivier awards.
That led to “The Crown,” with a much bigger story to tell. Elizabeth, Morgan pointed out, had every reason to expect a semi-normal life. Her family was known for its longevity; she might be in her 50s before becoming queen.
Then her father died at 56; Elizabeth, 25, began what would be a 70-plus year reign.
Viewers savored that part, which helped propel the streaming surge. When “Crown” began in 2016, Netflix had about 90 million subscribers worldwide; it’s now near 250 million.
As subsequent seasons nudged closer to modern times, some people became wary of Morgan’s habit of contriving intimate conversations. Still, he does it brilliantly. In its first four seasons, “Crown” won 21 Emmys, including one for best drama. (The fifth has been nominated for six more, but the results won’t be announced until Jan. 15, a month after this sixth and final season concludes.)
And now he’s edited himself slightly. This Elizabeth, compared to the one in “The Queen,” is a little more aware, a bit more ready to acknowledge Diana’s impact. There are only two villains in this version, both old men – Elizabeth’s husband and Dodi Fayed’s father.
That may be the biggest surprise – the warm portrait of Dodi. It was easy for the public to see him as a groping playboy who had soiled a princess. Morgan sees him as a sensitive and caring chap, afraid to stand up to his father. In one segment, the dad provides a tip, leading to the Dodi-Diana photos that shattered their peace.
The photographer involved now vehemently denies that. And we knew Morgan makes stuff up; that’s especially obvious with scenes that bring back the ghosts of Diana and Dodi.
Still, gifted actors and meticulous directors are creating a warm and textured view of decent humans under pressure. The final six episodes arrive Dec. 14, examining the new lives of Charles and his sons; they should be worth watching.