(CNN) The dizzying pace of Trump administration flare-ups, as more than one pundit has opined, has sometimes made context a casualty as news organizations race to keep up. In that regard, PBS' Frontline continues to provide a welcome service with take-a-deep-breath dives into the headlines, the latest being "Trump's Takeover," a methodical tick-tock of the president's uneasy relationship with the Republican Party establishment.

Admittedly, even this latest report from producer Michael Kirk somewhat runs afoul of the current news cycle, including as it does an interview with Trump associate Roger Stone, the subject of new revelations regarding his possible role in the probe of Russian meddling in the U.S. election. There's also scant mention of tariffs and trade wars, a new point of friction between the president and fellow Republicans.

Still, the larger takeaway, from both Trump allies and opponents, is that despite the vocal "Never Trump" contingent prominently featured on cable news, the GOP's fractious relationship with the president has largely turned in his favor, with the party having been "Trumpified," as political commentator Charlie Sykes puts it.

It's Stone, among the supporters interviewed, who observes that Donald Trump securing the nomination represented "the hostile takeover of the Republican Party."

Much of the one-hour documentary unfolds through the experience of Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, whose early reservations about Trump stemmed from his support of the "birther" movement, a campaign to undermine President Obama that Flake deemed "unseemly."

Read More