'Atlantic Crossing' Opens with a Very Different Perspective on World War II

“Hello, cowboy,” says Crown Princess Märtha of Norway (Sofia Helin) to her Stetson-wearing consort, Crown Prince Olav (Tobias Santelmann) as the new Masterpiece drama Atlantic Crossing kicks off. It’s 1939, and they’re aboard a train on a goodwill visit to the U.S., having lots of fun (and sex), on their way to visit President Roosevelt (Kyle MacLachlan). The press adores this good-looking, charming couple, and who can blame them, laughing indulgently when Märtha admits the thing she likes best about America is … her husband. They’re royalty, but they live relatively simply, and they are friendly and approachable.

FDR takes a liking to them, too; Märtha flirts with him, and Olav retrieves a grandson’s ball from a pond, tactfully evading the issue of the President’s mobility. Eleanor Roosevelt (Harriet Sansom Harris) gets down to business and asks them if they think Norway will be invaded and what the chances of war are. FDR dismisses her concerns. A year later, though, the international scene has changed considerably. Eleanor and FDR study a map of Norway together. Germany’s steel supply depends on access to Norway, which means Eleanor’s fears are well-founded. “Those poor people,” she says, close to tears.

In Norway, Märtha takes photographs of her children, Princess Astrid (Amalthea Eik), Princess Ragnhild (Leonora Eik), and little Prince Harald (Justýna Brožková), as they play in the snow. Their grandfather, King Haakon VII (Søren Pilmark), visits, and we see what an affectionate family they are. But Olav has ordered blackout curtains to be installed, just in case. German airplanes have been flying over the country, and Norway also feels under threat from the British, who want to mine their waters to prevent invasion.