Liars and Saints

"The Crown" resumes on Nov. 15, and, as much as I grumble about aspects of this show (the self-indulgent pacing, the overly-tidy repackaging of actual historical events, the sentimental bits) .....I'm also SO EXCITED. Some thoughts, in preparation: *Helena Bonham Carter actually lost her Emmy Award. She lost to Julia Garner, from "Ozark." I think the Emmy Awards are unworthy of Helena Bonham Carter. I think, if you want to use your October wisely, you might rent "Corpse Bride," "Sweeney Todd," and "Enola Holmes." ("Enola" is over-praised, but things get lively whenever HBC appears.) *A long while ago, we were told that Sondheim Goddess Imelda Staunton would take over as Liz II in Season Five, and that Season Five would be The End. But: not so fast. There will in fact be a Season Six. There's too much material. *The teaser trailer is here, and it's like a long wet dream for any gay man. We hear Olivia Colman's v...

What do you get when two men marry? You get arguments about the Netflix melodrama “The Crown.” My husband is a stalwart defender of “The Crown.” At all times. This show inspired him to schedule a trip to Scotland, to see the Queen Mum’s castle. Once a self-described critic of All Things Royal, my husband now wants to see “The King’s Speech,” plan a tour of Buckingham Palace, and send photos of our infant son to Elizabeth II, who “might be interested.” I have more of a tough-love approach to “The Crown.” I’ve spent many years thinking about Peter Morgan--I saw both versions of “Frost/Nixon,” trekked through the two major Helen Mirren outings, rented and studied “The Special Relationship”--and I find certain things grating. The can-I-or-can’t-I-trust-that-new-Prime Minister plot gets old. (We saw it with Tony Blair; we’re reliving it now, in Season Three of “The Crown.”) The will-Elizabeth-learn-to-display-emotion story is, similarly, recycled; we saw it in “The Queen,” and we’re see...