Prisoners of State: Review of the TV series "The First Lady"
Moving through time, the story focuses on moments in the lives of Michelle Obama (Viola Davis), Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson) and Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer). When their spouses become presidents, the women have to adjust to White House rules, media scrutiny, and lack of peace.
The Showtime project does not follow a linear structure and does not describe the journey of each character individually. There are endless jumps in the timeline and parallels between the three first ladies of the United States scattered throughout the story. In the noughties Michelle worries about her children's safety and her husband's ambitions, in the 1970s Betty's dreams of her husband's retirement are shattered by the Watergate scandal, and in the 1930s Eleanor intends to defend her right to hold an important position in the presidential administration. The lack of a clear chronology makes the pacing of the series resemble the sheer chaos that is probably going on outside the White House doors. Therein lies the main problem of "The First Lady" - we can hardly get into each of the characters, because the passages overlap one another at the speed of light. However, the pulse of the story becomes more rhythmic when Michelle Pfeiffer appears on screen. Oddly enough (after all, Betty Ford seems less famous than Mrs. Roosevelt and Mrs. Obama), it is this lady who manages to separate herself from her spouse and reveal herself in all her glory. For one episode the image turns out to be the most curious - the wife of the Republican president spoke out on sensitive topics and fought for equal rights.
The institution of the first lady is a kind of unofficial title - more of an American phenomenon. Yes, of course, it is now used in other countries as well. But originally the word combination was used to refer directly to the spouses of the U.S. heads of state. And the first associations with the "first lady" are more a set of symbols, like the pink Chanel suit of Jacqueline Kennedy. A position that is subject to endless press scrutiny, requires adherence to countless rules, and yet is not paid for in any way.
However, judging from the first episode, the authors do not seek to follow ladies only within the walls of the White House. First and foremost, we are faced with exceptional women who married politicians, but, as is often the case, are forever imprinted in the memory of the public as "wives. By shedding light on the "holy trinity," the show's creators have the opportunity not so much to lift the veil of the presidential administration, but to start a conversation about the millions of women who have been left behind the shroud of male greatness. With its many mistakes and enormous potential, the premiere of "First Lady" offers a tiny but still hopeful new look at the phrase "behind every great man is a great woman"-where at last the man is relegated to the background and the woman can stand on her own without hiding behind her life partner's back. One can only hope for the next series.
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