Thatcher — who bore the nickname “The Iron Lady” — is played by “The X-Files” star Gillian Anderson, the partner of series creator Peter Morgan. They deliver an extremely complex portrait, and Anderson so fastidiously captures the 1980s leader’s carefully enunciated speech pattern that it’s almost painful listening to her squeeze out words.
That’s actually the meatier part of the story — capturing Thatcher’s intense discomfort around the Royals, and her prickly interactions with Queen Elizabeth II (Olivia Colman) — if not the showier and more commercial one. Of course, that hinges on Diana (Emma Corrin) and her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor), who, despite pressure to settle down, never gets over his infatuation for Camilla Parker Bowles (Emerald Fennell).
Morgan zeroes in on the dark side of Diana’s fairy-tale story, as it’s noted that Charles — 12 years her senior to begin with — acts old and stodgy for his age, while she acts younger. He’s resentful of her popularity and appalled by her public displays, such as performing a surprise dance routine for his birthday.
Diana’s angst and pain is depicted in a number of ways, including an eating disorder, and her own extramarital dalliance as Charles stays away and rejects her. The key episode unfolds during the couple’s whirlwind trip to Australia, a triumph for her and source of profound discomfort to him.
Yet for those fascinated by the levers of power, Thatcher’s arc possesses more heft, including the misogyny that she faced, and her harsh approach to other women despite those dynamics.
“The way those men patronize me,” she fumes to her husband, while leading England into war in the Falklands and resisting efforts to sanction the South African government.
The Royal Family doesn’t exactly take a back seat over the 10 episodes, perhaps because Colman and the rest of the core cast remain fabulous, including an episode where an intruder improbably finds his way into the palace. In the “Oh, to be a fly on the wall” department, Morgan fills in the gaps.
The new season starts out a bit slowly, but the action quickly picks up. All told, the show remains an utterly enjoyable binge, even if the latest season doesn’t quite measure up to the previous ones — a byproduct of the years and conflicts encompassed.
That quibble doesn’t significantly detract from the show’s status as one of Netflix’s — and indeed TV’s — best. Like everything else associated with the much-examined lives of the Royals, chalk it up as another high-class problem.
“The Crown” premieres Nov. 15 on Netflix.
