Commander In Chief: TV Review

(Image Source)

I am a huge fan of The West Wing. If I were to choose three things to bring to a dessert island, I’d be very reluctant to leave my boxsets behind.  Having watched them on an endless loop for months, I decided it was time to expand my repertoire of DVD boxsets. I got recommendations (Mad Men, The Wire, A Good Wife) which I may invest in, in the future. But for now, I ordered Commander in Chief online and watched it in 3 quick days.

THE STORY:
The President of the United States dies suddenly of a stroke, causing the Vice President to assume office. Mackenzie Allen (Played by Geena Davis and a pair of ginormous lips) is the calm, reasoned and rather flat new president.

THE PROS:

• Anything that’s set in Washington DC, I’m predisposed to love. This offers only the occasionally shot of the city that stole my heart, but I love it none the less.
• I loved her wardrobe. Female leads never get decent suits, but President Allen’s are feminine, exquisitely cut and accentuated by a broach. I always thought broaches were for grannies, but maybe not. Maybe fashion is a facile reason to like a show,  but it’s a reason none the less. (Image source)
• Given that the show tells the story of the first female US President, there are some interesting forays into protocol and practicalities. Should she dance with male heads of state? Should she shake hands or kiss cheeks? How will Muslim countries respond to a woman with nuclear weapons?
• There are some gentle digs at Hillary Clinton as First Lady. “Mrs. Clinton had a staff of 20 and an office in the west wing” clucks the prissy hostess “That didn’t go over very well”.
• The First Family. I enjoyed the familial subplots, involving the President’s 16-year-old twins and 6-year-old Amy. Their romantic entanglements are entertaining (if ultimately unresolved) and Amy’s wide-eyed innocence was adorable. Jim Garner (played by Harry Lennix) is very Obama-esque as Chief of Staff.
• At times, the dialogue was pretty spunky. Arguing with the Speaker of the house over whether the world is ready for a female Commander in Chief, the president retorts: “We’d have the whole once-a-month, ‘will she/won’t she press the button?’ thing.” He laughs nastily and says, “Well, in a couple of years you’re not going to have to worry about that anymore.” Here’s that scene, one of the best in the show:

CONS:

• It lacks the political complexity, timing, wit, realism and intelligence of The West Wing. It lacks the oratory. There’s no sense of urgency or suspense.
• It’s unrealistic. The aim of this show is, pretty overtly, to show that a woman can sit in the oval office and the world will continue to spin. To do this (as Genna Davis mentions in an interview on the DVD), President Allen concocts all sorts of creative solutions to problems.  North Korea stepping back from the brink of war, for example. It’s pretty fanciful stuff.

  The villain of the piece, Speaker Nathan Templeton, played by Donald Sutherland, is a caricature. His snowy hair and mean eyes portray his ambition, but with little explanation or development of his character. The women surrounding him are far more believable, his sweet but determined wife and savvy, sexy, blonde chief of staff Jayne.

• Allen is a flat president. She seems restrained and contemplative, but also shallow and disengaged. She’s naïve too, and far too lucky. She always triumphs. Whether it’s a broken teleprompter, a military screw up or a cranky member of congress, President Allen always comes out the hero. It is too good to be true.
• Disappointingly, there’s a strong focus on the president’s gender, as opposed to her policies of beliefs. As the first independent president, there’s plenty of scope but in its efforts to show a woman with balls, Commander in Chief focuses on national security and the military. There’s little policy discussion or debate.
• The loose endings. Season one tees up lots of interesting plots twists and teasers, but none of them are resolved. Kites are flown about the daughter, the press secretary and the vice-president with zero resolution. I’m sure they were to be resolved in Season 2 (which was never made) but I left it feeling a bit hard done by.
• There’s no continuity. At the end of one episode, there’s a decision about a death row case. The implications of the choice are said to be huge, and then it’s never mentioned again. Disappointing.

  I felt the sets were poor. The press room looks like the back of a lorry and the press secretary, well she ain’t got nothin’ on CJ.

• I enjoyed the hop-all-over-the-timeline style, but could have done without the condescending character labels. Every time a new person was introduced, their name and title flashed up on screen. If you introduced them to me properly, I could remember them and you wouldn’t have to treat me like an idiot, ok?
• Her lips. Geena Davis has massive lips. They were very distracting. And she’s far too youthful for the Oval Office.

OVERALL:
Would I buy it? No.
Would I rent it? Sure.

Would I recommend it? Only as a fluffy fantasy. It’s not in the same league as The West Wing.