I have seen only this first episode and loved it. At first from the trailers it seemed like a bad SNL skit but no worry, it was so much better. Can't explain how good and emotional it was. I especially loved all the other sane voices talking to James Comey, his family and colleagues.
Review by oftenevilBlockedParent2020-11-12T13:07:56Z
An outstandingly accurate account of the months leading up to the infamous 2016 U.S. Presidential election, as well as the immediate days & weeks following the results.
This cast is full of top-tier, A-list talent — and everyone turns in a performance that could possibly be the best work of their respective careers. Gleeson’s not going for any sort of “mimicry” or “impression,” because his version of Trump isn’t looking for audience laughter. There are brief moments where you’re not actually sure if you’re seeing Gleeson or the actual loser POTUS himself (1 term POTUS might I add; only the worst presidents in US history fail to win re-election, but I digress...).
James Comey & Andrew McCabe, NO MATTER HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THEM, dedicated their entire careers in the FBI and that hard work paid off. They never let an ounce of personal bias or political leanings change the way they approached their decades-long careers in the FBI.
You can still be angry if you want and tell yourself that James Comey’s poor decisions before the 2016 election cost Hillary Clinton the White House, and I would probably agree a little bit to be honest....however, if you’re not watching this amazing 2 part mini-series out of some sort of misplaced belief that it will only cover events you already know about & don’t need them in your face again, TO THAT I SAY WATCH IT ANYWAY BECAUSE THERE’S QUITE A BIT THE AVERAGE AMERICAN VOTER DOESN’T KNOW ABOUT THE SPECIFICS OF THIS STORY.
Thank me later :)
Jeff Daniels is a revelation, as always. Scoot McNary shows up briefly but his scenes are the ones that really stuck with me. “Doug Stamper” plays Andrew McCabe — which is one of the greatest casting choices since, like, ever. Sally Yates is played by Holly Hunter, and like I mentioned: every face you see besides the Russians (who unquestionably meddled in the 2016 election w/ significant success in their slandering of Hillary Clinton on social media) I think you’ll have an easier time listing actors you don’t recognize.
To be clear: it’s not good BECAUSE you recognize so many great actors — this little special mini-series turned out this great for a number of reasons, but of course a big factor was having a deep bench of talent ready to step up for even minor roles and knock each scene out of the park.
If you watch this mini-series, (and pay attention! No looking at your phone or computer like a jackass pls), and STILL don’t think that James Comey’s decisions were ones you would’ve handled immensely better, I’d be eager to hear you out before pointing you to a psychiatrist to treat the delusions of grandeur in your unhealthy mind.
If you watch this and think it was fine, but nothing TOO awesome or whatever, that’s okay too! That’s how I feel, really. It’s not that I think this is something that you can re-watch a lot & always enjoy; I just think it’s so well made that the subject matter is far too important for most Americans to overlook/ignore, hence the enthusiasm on display.
Anyway, no matter which end of the political spectrum you lean towards, I hope you all enjoy this. Full disclosure, however, there are NOT “fine people on both sides” in this story. There are the American Patriots who work for the DoJ & FBI etc., and then there is a sleazy cabal of inbred D-level reality TV star family members + some hack lawyers who follow the impeached, 1-term, most-popular-vote-losing-POTUS-candidate-ever like they worship the cheap ground he walks on.
If you think this story is too dramatic to have really taken place — read McCabe’s book. FBI agents are trained to immediately catalogue every conversation of potential relevance VERBATIM the moment the talk ends & those filed away notes are kept in a safe at HQ. McCabe & Comey did a hell of a job capturing the exact words of the soon-to-be-unemployed & bankruptcy POTUS, and I’m grateful we had those heroic men running the Bureau at the time.
Go go. Watch it. And if you think it’s just a bunch of nonsense created by the “fake media” in an attempt to ruin Trump’s image — then I think you should honestly ask yourself what parts of his image are worth acknowledging or giving credit? I’ll wait...