In the near-present, the ugliness of the 2016 election is front and center. Betty is reluctant but agrees to rehab and her reaction to this personal crisis is why The First Lady has been worthwhile. Eckhart and Fanning convey the fear that comes from seeing a loved one in this position and it's a teary scene - for the performers and viewers. Gerry shoulders the blame because he mixed her cocktails and said the White House doctors should prescribe whatever she wanted. One after one, her sons tell Betty they were scared of her growing up because of the mood swings. As Betty swings between feeling betrayed and angry, Pfeiffer's performance is outstanding, as are the expressions that form on her face when the whole family comes to Palm Springs for the second intervention.Īaron Eckhart, Dakota Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer in The First Lady (Image credit: Murray Close/SHOWTIME) Gerry is on the receiving end of her fury when he comes home from the golf course and it's only now that he understands his daughter is right. Betty is cold and cruel when her daughter tells her, "I’m afraid that you’re going to die." Betty kicks her daughter and the doctor out and begins to pack a suitcase. The first attempt at what we would now call an intervention is a disaster. While Betty is in the shower, her daughter discovers enough pill bottles to open a pharmacy and decides to act on her own after Gerry brushes it off as her mother’s old shoulder injury. After last week's episode, Susan finds her mom lying face down on her bedroom floor. Gerry has been incredibly passive throughout and tries to brush off Susan’s (Dakota Fanning) concerns. However, Aaron Eckhart gets a moment to shine in the 1978 portion of the story as the Ford family confronts Betty’s addiction head-on. Due to the limiting format of the series, Hick suffers the same fate as the undeveloped romantic partners in the other timelines. In recent episodes, Hick is characterized by her drinking and frustrations. You always did," is Hick’s parting sentiment when she realizes she will never get her dream of it just being the two of them. "A team to the end" is the present-day proclamation, but the same cannot be said for Hick (Lily Rabe).ĭespite their adjoining rooms, the demands of Eleanor’s job continue to get in the way. They joke with each other, but Franklin is also quick to heap praise on his wife, calling her "singular, formidable, relentless, irreplaceable." The fact his mother insisted they stay together after Eleanor discovered Franklin was unfaithful is seen as Sara Roosevelt’s (Ellen Burstyn) greatest act. The results vary and tonal whiplash from the different situations is more pronounced.Īffection, vulnerability and intimacy are all displayed in a scene that emphasizes how close the pair remain. Crisis management is central to each situation in "Rift," whether it is Eleanor (Gillian Anderson) as a source of strength, Betty’s (Michelle Pfeiffer) personal challenges or Michelle (Viola Davis) aiding Hillary Clinton’s (Kate Burton) campaign. The First Lady's performances have made a case for this series - even with the loosely shared themes. The use of authentic images interspersed with dramatized moments helps set the scene and yet it also suggests that maybe this anthology would have been better as a docuseries, even if documentaries can also be limited in scope. In the penultimate episode, images of injured men at Pearl Harbor quickly reveal the magnitude of the scenes developing at the White House and the guiding role the first lady will undertake. Archival footage is expertly deployed throughout The First Lady, whether acting as a transition between eras or supporting what is unfolding in a specific storyline.
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