Political Animals: Worst Zoo Ever
As much as politics is on everyone's screens here in the US, the USA Network decided to put on the show Political Animals. This being a political year here, the network is assuming we could all use a little fantasy outlet for all the political stuff, but still want to engage in it just a little bit. They're hoping if they get a show that's both political and dramatic they will capture the imagination of political types and entertain at the same time. Of course, they also like to make it familiar to viewers who are not political junkies so they can follow along. It's the trick of a political fiction: it has to feel real, but that often means making it too complicated for a lot of people to follow. So, the best way around that is to steal from the real and make it your own. The basic premise is Elaine Barrish Hammond (played by Sigourney Weaver) is the wife of former two term president Bud Hammond (played by ciaran Hinds). Hammond is the former governor of North Carolina who was known for his philandering ways. Barrish has just lost a primary race for president to an ethnic (in this case, Italian) young Senator who gives great speeches about hope. She asks her husband for a divorce and two years later, she's the Secretary of State in the administration of the man who defeated her. Yes, it's that damn transparent. If one is going to make a story that has basis in reality, one needs to add in their own creativity to make it work. Sadly, the creators of Political Animals did not heed this advice. The politics is both clearly cribbed from reality and unrealistic in the areas they chose to be creative. And, like most amateurs writing about politics, the bias shows more than the creative effort.
Despite the popularity of The West Wing, most shows about politics on TV suck. Many are predicated on the Hollywood writer's understanding and view of politics, and from there fleshing out characters and plot. Some shows, like The Wire, do this quote well: Carcetti was their take on Martin O'Malley, former Baltimore mayor and current governor of Maryland, and other characters. If you knew Baltimore or Maryland politics, you picked up on it but weren't hit over the head with. All of that being said, most shows about Washington DC are largely forgettable and poorly written. Sadly, this show is no exception. Elaine Barrish Hammond is meant to be Hillary Rodham Clinton. She's bold, she takes no prisoners, she fights with ambassadors, she upbraids the president and she's known by everyone as a bitch. She even gets into an argument with a straw feminist since said feminist shunned her for staying with her philandering husband, again mirroring real criticism Secretary Clinton received in her time. Bud Hammond is a charming two term Democrat who can hold the room of any place he walks in. He's looking for a political angle to play in all of this to get his name in brighter lights. Elaine wants to do what's right in the world, always. She has a big heart, you see, and she cares about everyone and doing right and will yell at the president and assembled staff in the Situation Room if she disagrees.
In other words, she's what happens when you make Hillary Clinton likable. She's smart, ambitious, politically savvy, willing to kick asses to make it all work and never backs down. Sadly, this does not make a very watchable person all by itself, so they made her caring and with a big heart. She yells at the president in the Oval Office for not having the courage of his convictions, which is pretty much a no-no and a good way to find one's self back benched. They're trying to have her both be Mr. Smith from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and be the Hillary Clinton we all know and it's coming off as inauthentic. By every account, public and private, she's not the warmest person and if she decides you're against her, you have an enemy for life. She's brutal and she chose politics as her arena, so she was a senator and is currently Secretary of State and half the political intelligentsia are predicting she'll probably run in 2016, despite pushing 70. Barrish comes off as roughly the same way, but occasionally a little naive because she cares so much. The problem is not Sigourney Weaver; she's fantastic with what she has to work with. She's a world class actress and they're lucky to have her for this role. Ciaran Hinds is likewise out of this world. I could watch that actor read the phone book, and be bring a certain charm and deviousness that comes across wonderfully. His natural hamminess even works since the character is supposed to be hammy. But at least that part works because we all know people kinda like that.
That's the real problem with this show. The West Wing had all kind of consultants who had been in the game and knew how politics works, and even that show was far from perfect. It made up the entertainment gap by having great original characters who were fully fleshed out and well acted. It's clear the group in charge of this show has never been near the game. Ok, for analogy, politics in DC is like the NFL: everyone is trying like hell to get there, the stakes are huge and the commentators are a part of the game. On this scale, I'm that guy who in a college sports reading gig once said "Boom goes the dynamite". Know how to tell I'm not in the game? I write my own blog. The people really in this have staff to upload stuff on pre-approved websites that they control. The writers who wrote this show are the equivalent of angry fans who are pissed the Steelers didn't win the Super Bowl and made a show about it. They're clearly in the PUMA camp and really think Obama should not be president and Hillary should be, possibly for life. This doesn't mean it has to be a bad thing, but there's nothing else brought to the story or characters that makes them authentic. Or rather, not the Clintons. The actors are all great, but the characters are the Clintons and the setting is well, a couple of years ago. There's no layer of fiction on top of this, just a little light fiction on the side.
And at some point, the best television needs fiction, or it's just the damn Kardashians again.
So it is written, so do I see it.
Despite the popularity of The West Wing, most shows about politics on TV suck. Many are predicated on the Hollywood writer's understanding and view of politics, and from there fleshing out characters and plot. Some shows, like The Wire, do this quote well: Carcetti was their take on Martin O'Malley, former Baltimore mayor and current governor of Maryland, and other characters. If you knew Baltimore or Maryland politics, you picked up on it but weren't hit over the head with. All of that being said, most shows about Washington DC are largely forgettable and poorly written. Sadly, this show is no exception. Elaine Barrish Hammond is meant to be Hillary Rodham Clinton. She's bold, she takes no prisoners, she fights with ambassadors, she upbraids the president and she's known by everyone as a bitch. She even gets into an argument with a straw feminist since said feminist shunned her for staying with her philandering husband, again mirroring real criticism Secretary Clinton received in her time. Bud Hammond is a charming two term Democrat who can hold the room of any place he walks in. He's looking for a political angle to play in all of this to get his name in brighter lights. Elaine wants to do what's right in the world, always. She has a big heart, you see, and she cares about everyone and doing right and will yell at the president and assembled staff in the Situation Room if she disagrees.
In other words, she's what happens when you make Hillary Clinton likable. She's smart, ambitious, politically savvy, willing to kick asses to make it all work and never backs down. Sadly, this does not make a very watchable person all by itself, so they made her caring and with a big heart. She yells at the president in the Oval Office for not having the courage of his convictions, which is pretty much a no-no and a good way to find one's self back benched. They're trying to have her both be Mr. Smith from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and be the Hillary Clinton we all know and it's coming off as inauthentic. By every account, public and private, she's not the warmest person and if she decides you're against her, you have an enemy for life. She's brutal and she chose politics as her arena, so she was a senator and is currently Secretary of State and half the political intelligentsia are predicting she'll probably run in 2016, despite pushing 70. Barrish comes off as roughly the same way, but occasionally a little naive because she cares so much. The problem is not Sigourney Weaver; she's fantastic with what she has to work with. She's a world class actress and they're lucky to have her for this role. Ciaran Hinds is likewise out of this world. I could watch that actor read the phone book, and be bring a certain charm and deviousness that comes across wonderfully. His natural hamminess even works since the character is supposed to be hammy. But at least that part works because we all know people kinda like that.
That's the real problem with this show. The West Wing had all kind of consultants who had been in the game and knew how politics works, and even that show was far from perfect. It made up the entertainment gap by having great original characters who were fully fleshed out and well acted. It's clear the group in charge of this show has never been near the game. Ok, for analogy, politics in DC is like the NFL: everyone is trying like hell to get there, the stakes are huge and the commentators are a part of the game. On this scale, I'm that guy who in a college sports reading gig once said "Boom goes the dynamite". Know how to tell I'm not in the game? I write my own blog. The people really in this have staff to upload stuff on pre-approved websites that they control. The writers who wrote this show are the equivalent of angry fans who are pissed the Steelers didn't win the Super Bowl and made a show about it. They're clearly in the PUMA camp and really think Obama should not be president and Hillary should be, possibly for life. This doesn't mean it has to be a bad thing, but there's nothing else brought to the story or characters that makes them authentic. Or rather, not the Clintons. The actors are all great, but the characters are the Clintons and the setting is well, a couple of years ago. There's no layer of fiction on top of this, just a little light fiction on the side.
And at some point, the best television needs fiction, or it's just the damn Kardashians again.
So it is written, so do I see it.