Last night's episode was different for ABC's "Commander In Chief" on a lot of levels. It was the first episode with "NYPD Blue" executive producer Steven Bochco in control, a different opening to the show, and changes in character's personalities. Bochco takes over from show creator Rod Lurie. Lurie's departure is either about developing new projects for Touchstone television, or creative differences (depending on the source).
I'm still not sure about this new direction, after watching last night's episode. From doing these diaries, I know a lot of people have had problems with this show's believablility. I don't think things got better on that level last night...
(Spoilers After The Jump)
Last night's episode changed some of the character archetypes around & changed some of their attitudes drastically. The children of the President have almost switched personalities since the beginning of the show. Last night, Becca became the child that was nice & careing to her mother, while the son, Horace, became the asshole cheating in school. This almost totally opposite from the beginning. We also learn that President Allen's nemesis, Republican Speaker Of The House Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland), was once a Democrat.
The story centered around the attempt by Republican Speaker Templeton's to embarass the White House, and President Allen's "M.A.D." defense against it...
SYNOPSIS
- In the episode before this one, it was revealed that the President's White House Special Assistant (far left in the picture above) was HIV positive, when he feared testing positive on a random drug screen. The aide admits to the White House Chief Of Staff that he's a Homosexual & been living with HIV for 10 years. The Chief Of Staff advises him that the Secret Service needs to be made aware, and there could be problems because he gave an incomplete security application.
- At the same time, through illegal back channels, Templeton discovers the information about the aide & plans to make it public to embarass the President. Templeton's Chief Of Staff warns the White House of the Speaker's plans, saying that even she has limits that she can't agree with Templeton going over. The White House Chief Of Staff informs the President about the issue. President Allen is at first upset that she wasn't told, and takes it as a "lie of omission". The aide argues that he has a "Right To Privacy" when it comes to his private life & medical condition. When he mentions that he would resign before hurting the President, Allen tells him that she accepts his offer. However, she reconsiders after thinking about the message it would send to Templeton, and the aide's service to her over the years.
- While this is going on, the White House Press Secreatary obtains a film reel that could cause a scandal for Speaker Templeton. It's from friends of her parents, and shows Speaker Templeton at a fundraiser in the 1960's. He defends segregation, and argues that if God wanted white-people & "colored-people" to be integrated, he wouldn't have put us on seperate continents. At first, President Allen is reluctant to use the tape. When she invites Templeton to the White House, President Allen gives him a chance to tell her that he won't "out" her assistant. When he won't back down, Allen hits him with the tape. He is crushed by the sight of it & begins whimpering. He claims that this was never his "true" views, and he only said what he said because of being a Southern-Democrat trying to get elected. The Speaker & the President agree to a situation of "Mutually Assured Destruction" if Templeton tries to burn her with her Aide's status, with the President telling the Speaker that she might come to "collect a debt" at some point in the future.
- Speaker Templeton is both angry & hurt. He figures out that it was his Chief Of Staff that betrayed him by giving away his plans. He tells her that she was supposed to get info from them, not the other way around. He throws her out of his office, and tells her that her things will be sent to her.
- The First Gentleman, Rod Calloway (Kyle Secor), gets a seat at the table. Pissed at being only a "pillow talk advisor", he demands & gets the title of "Director of Strategic Planning", and a spot in the West Wing. He answers to no one but the President. The Chief Of Staff resents having some of his authority subverted.
- The First Children are having problems. After escaping being video taped having sex with her boyfriend, Becca breaks up with him after he gets upset with her for not "giving it up" to him. However, this doesn't stop the boyfriend from going around school claiming he "bagged" the President's daughter. Horace gets caught turning in a plagarized paper he bought on the internet. He cops an attitude with the assistant principal, and invokes his mother. He then is embarassed when he confronts Becca's former boyfriend about kiss & telling. The boyfriend responds by screaming at the top of his lungs, in front of the entire school, his claim to have had sex with "the President's daughter". Horace goes home to brood, when his father comes in to confront him about the plagarized term paper. During their screaming match, he lets loose the untrue rumor that his sister is a "slut". The First Gentleman is shocked by it, and it leads to a sex talk between the President & Becca.
- The Special Assistant to the President goes public about being HIV positive & his sexual orientation. The President also announces that she will have weekly press conferences in the mold of Roosevelt & Truman. The episode ends with the President & First Gentleman making out in bed & getting the foreplay on hot & heavy, when the youngest daughter comes in to break it up...
ANALYSIS
- I had a hard time believing that the fact that a Presidential aide was Gay & HIV positive would be a big scandal. I understand that he didn't include the info on his security application & the argument that it's a blackmail threat, but this isn't 1982. I have to believe that someone Gay & HIV positive has or is working in the White House. I just don't see it being a big issue that people would go nuts about, other than the right-wing crazies. Maybe I'm wrong.
- I also have to wonder about one of the messages in last night's show. They came very close to saying that it's OK to fire someone if they're Gay or HIV positive, & don't disclose it. Wouldn't that be something similar to what happened in the movie Philadelphia? The President felt it was the equivalent of a lie, for her aide to not tell her about his sexual orientation.
- It's hard to believe that no one knew about Templeton's segregationist past as a Florida Democrat. The video is from a fundraiser, so wouldn't a lot of what he's saying be the same kind of crap that he would be saying on the stump? It's obviously based on Senators Strom Thurmond & Robert Byrd. However, both of those guys "old" views are well known.
- Maybe the dynamic would be different with a female President, but wouldn't the First Spouse getting a job directing policy in the West Wing cause a bigger scandal than a Gay aide with HIV? Hillary Clinton was almost crucified for something similar.
- The biggest character change from the change in producers seem to be the First Children. Basically both characters (Becca & Horace) have switched personalities.