Political Animals "Second Time Around" Review

I can't write about Political Animals anymore.

I doubt anyone reading will actually care about me choosing not to write about Political Animals anymore. I had reservations about the show last week but decided to put it aside and just write. I didn't really look forward to tonight's episode. I'm re-reading Tolstoy's War & Peace, and I would've rather read the book. I'm a man of my word, though, and I wanted to watch Political Animals in hopes the old Berlanti magic would be present.

The old Berlanti magic was not present. Aside from a scene in which I thought about how TJ was like Ephram, if Ephram had been a tortured homosexual addict, Political Animals had more in common with Brothers & Sisters and Dirty Sexy Money than his charming WB dramas. I ignored the similarities to the former shows in last week's review because I stubbornly wanted to see what I wanted to see. I can't ignore the soap opera tropes, not after the episode opened with Elaine and Bud engaged in a scene seen so many times before on daytime soaps. I wanted the episode to end immediately. Alas, it had just begun.

"Second Time Around' makes its theme abundantly clear. The title comes from a scene between Nana and TJ as they choose a song to sing together at Doug's engagement party. The song they choose is about love being easier the second time around. Anything, theoretically, is easier the second time around. War & Peace is an easier read the second time around. I know the characters and where the story goes. I notice the details more. For Elaine, specifically, love with Bud could be easier the second time around and running for president of the United States as well. Elaine's lived and learned and turned those experiences into strengths that helped her win America's hearts and positions in the government far beyond what political men would think a woman could achieve.

The political aspect of the series is not badly written. I'd be on board with a series that mostly followed Elaine's political career. The scene in Iran, with Bud freeing the hostages, wasn't astounding, but it was better than Doug and his fiancée arguing about a party, or TJ stealing a check from his grandmother. A deep exploration of Elaine the politician is worth writing about, but the series is too interested in superfluous stories. Yes, some people probably enjoy the TMZ aspect to the story; of the "royal" American family who find themselves in the headlines daily. Not me. The tonal imbalance is distracting. In one scene, Elaine chewed out the vice president for telling the press about Bud's secret meeting in Iran. In the next, Doug's pleasuring his fiancée before they get into a spat about the engagement party. The fiancée dismisses the Iran situation as if it's the equivalent of a hall being double booked or some such nonsense. I can't care about a threatened engagement party in the same way I'd care about threatened innocent people.

Of course, Political Animals lacks any suspense because of the parallel between the Hammonds and the Clintons. Bud would fly out of Iran with the hostages because Bill Clinton flew out of North Korea with the hostages. Elaine would learn the truth about the affair Bud had with a woman because Hillary learned the truth about the affair Bill had with Monia Lewinsky. I watched Moneyball this afternoon and felt the same lack of suspense because of my memory of the actual A's (I was 15 during 2002). Moneyball is well-done, very manipulative, a magnificently done Hollywood movie that has the audience in the palm of its hand without the audience realizing just how they're being manipulated. Stories can still be effective even when the audience is aware of what happened beforehand. Execution matters the most. Moneyball is excellently executed. Political Animals is not.

The principal characters are doing things for the second time in "Second Time Around." I covered Elaine's arc through the episode. Susan Berg is covering the Hammonds AGAIN. TJ is doing blow AGAIN. Bud is being diplomatic AGAIN. Is the process easier for any of them? No, in the case of TJ, who falls into complete soap opera drug addiction complete with attempted fraud. Susan Berg seems changed after being spurned and cheated on in love, but she's more drawn to Bud possibly sleeping with a freed hostage than she is about simply getting background for her story. Bud needs to avoid making the same mistakes if he wants to restore his image, repair his reputation, and re-build his relationship with Elaine, the only girl he's loved. So, you see, the "Pilot" established Elaine; the second episode establishes the other characters more thoroughly. All need to avoid the mistakes of their past. And, naturally, none seem destined to succeed. Susan's going to break Elaine's trust; TJ's already relapsed; Bud's the same old horndog. The only character growing is Elaine.

If the characters were placed in more original situations and circumstances, I'd feel more inclined to spend an hour on Sunday nights and another hour plus writing about Political Animals. None of the characters except for the women, minus the fiancée, are likable, which may be the point. The mission statement of the show is about removing men from the herd. Certainly, the storylines aren't interesting. I feel as if I'm going to ramble on about various parts of the show until my eyes are blood shot. Instead, I'm going to gracefully wrap up the review by wishing everyone a pleasant week and to please check back to The Foot on Tuesday for fun times in Capeside.

Good night.

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