The Clinton-Lewinsky issue is revisited in American Crime Story.
This star-studded, slickly produced new TV drama revisits the most famous political scandal of the 1990s.
Your memory of the Monica Lewinsky/Bill Clinton incident is limited.
Ken Starr, an overzealous prosecutor whose name was synonymous with headlines, was responsible for the notorious soiled blue frock, as well as those hidden tape recordings. That woman and I did not have a sexual relationship. These ladies, too.
This year marks the 23rd anniversary of the Clinton-Lewinsky controversy, and with time, some of the most striking elements have faded from recollection. That’s why Impeachment makes perfect sense for American Crime Story at this point.
A lot of what happens in Impeachment is not a play-by-play of what transpired in the first two American Crime Story installments (The People vs OJ Simpson and The Assassination Of Gianni Versace).
All of this will be explored in this series, from media hysteria to political maneuvering, and how a 24-year-old lady became the world’s most famous mistress.
When you have Lewinsky as a producer, Impeachment brings the human cost to light, recasting this tale as more than simply a spectacle put on for the benefit of an eager public who lapped up every juicy nugget of information.
On her public return in 2014, Lewinsky came to light at a time when the conversation on abuse of power had developed to such an extent that many began to question if her 1998 public humiliation had been commensurate to her “crime”.
While she was aware that she was having an affair with a married guy at the time, she was just 22 at the time. His age was 49, he was the most powerful person on Earth, and he was said to be a charismatic individual.
Those are the kinds of things that impeachment is interested in, as well as the many parties that exploited two young women to achieve their political ambitions — to bring down Clinton.
For Lewinsky’s image to be rehabilitated, Beanie Feldstein must play her. Feldstein has a natural tenderness about him. Though obsessed with Clinton with the unreasonably ferociousness of an elementary school girl with a crush, Lewinsky is endearing even in her most lovelorn state.
When she talks about how young she was at the time, it’s clear that she was well-sheltered, having grown up in Los Angeles. When she is exposed, she feels the full weight of everything.
Her agency is not stifled by the series, however. Linda Tripp, Lewinsky’s professed friend and confidante from the Defense Department, betrays her, shattering her naivete.
While Sarah Paulson’s portrayal of Tripp is full of bitterness, Colin Hanks’ character, who thinks that a jury would loathe her, agrees.
Tripp was a lifelong public worker with a heightened feeling of self-importance who undoubtedly understood in her heart that she was insignificant in the grand scheme of things. In Impeachment, her need for drama and validation – as well as her loathing for the Clintons – led her to covertly record her conversations with Lewinsky.
Also, Tripp was considerably older than Lewinsky, and it’s implied that Tripp nurtured the younger woman to suit her purposes.
The topic of grooming and exploitation runs through the entire series, and it’s a powerful one. Clinton was charged with perjury because of Paula Jones’ (Annaleigh Ashford’s) sexual harassment complaint.
Judith Light plays Susan Carpenter-McMillan, a conservative powerbroker who “advises” Jones, but not always in her best interests. Cobie Smulders plays Ann Coulter, a media personality, and Cobie Smulders plays Cobie Smulders.
With Billy Eichner portraying Matt Drudge, Blair Underwood portrays Vernon Jordan and Elizabeth Reaser portrays Clinton accuser Kathleen Willey. Lucianne Goldberg plays literary agent Lucianne Goldberg in this period piece that follows many of the key players of the day, including Matt Drudge (Billy Eichner) (Margo Martindale).
Clive Owen, who portrays Clinton with a terrifying creepiness but yet great charm, is also part of the excellent cast. Although Edie Falco’s portrayal of Hillary has been sparse in the first six episodes (of of the ten available for review), it is expected that she will take center stage in the second half of the show.
On the supporting cast, you’ll see Patrick Fischler and Kevin Pollak. Taran Killam and Fred Melamed are also in the cast along with Mira Sorvino and Jim Rash. There is a House of Cards-like network of personalities and power games that is real and less murderous.
A well-produced series, Impeachment is shot in muted tones, soft filters, and with a dramatic aim.
Even though this series has a lot of appeal and is addictive, it also commits the sin that so many historical dramas can’t avoid: telegraphing what’s to come.
“I don’t like to take no for an answer,” says Coulter of Clinton’s behavior, while Brett Kavanagh briefly appears on screen to say, “I don’t like to take no for an answer”.
They might make you laugh, but that kind of wink-wink knowingness is jarringly outdated and pulls you out of the plot completely.
Aside from her prior work, Impeachment was produced by Sarah Burgess, who previously created Dry Powder, a satirical theatre play that analyzed the specialized culture of finance and private equity.
The pace of the first six episodes, adapted from Jeffrey Toobin’s book A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal that Nearly Brought Down a President, already feels like it could be condensed into six or eight episodes instead of 10, but it’s far from a deal-breaker.
With this new episode, Ryan Murphy’s anthology series American Crime Story continues to live up to its reputation as a compelling and dynamic television series.
