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S03:E08 Stand By Your Man


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The President must admit the truth to the Nation - and to The First Lady.

Also, please remember to keep your comments to the show. Thank you.

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The irony that this episode aired on Hillary’s birthday…

Well, Edie was finally unleashed after weeks of being held back. Poor Hillary, she couldn’t win in the eyes of the public. Either she was the pathetic “stand by your man” wife or the cold ball-busting bitch. I really felt for her: it wasn’t so much the actual cheating, it was the fact that he lied to her and let her stand up for him only to be made a fool of.

Welcome to fucking around and finding out, Bill. Can’t say I feel sorry for him.

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Did they put an APB out on Edie Falco for this episode?  Because she killed it!

WOW!  She really doesn't look like hillary...but she had her mannerisms, her speech pattern...and that scene after getting back from Jordan's....just gutted me.

And, while I haven't been a fan of Owen's portrayal - tonight he nailed Clinton's 'magic' during that deposition:  yes...it was as ridiculous as portrayed.  But I'd forgotten just how much Clinton took full control of that questioning and I LOVED how they showed people watching, open mouthed, shaking heads, semi laughing in disbelief at what we were listening to and watching.

I can't say I didn't LOVE LOVE LOVE the digs at Kavanaugh via his behavior and insistence on what to question...

Edited by BeatrixK
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3 minutes ago, BeatrixK said:

And, while I haven't been a fan of Owen's portrayal - tonight he nailed Clinton's 'magic' during that deposition:  yes...it was as ridiculous as portrayed.  But I'd forgotten just how much Clinton took full control of that questioning and I LOVED how they showed people watching, open mouthed, shaking heads, semi laughing in disbelief at what we were listening to and watching.

It's kind of unbelievable how that deposition went. Clinton is so sleazy for everything that happened, and I just kept thinking how good he was during the deposition because he basically owned it and controlled everything.

And what kind of bullshit definition of "sexual relations" did they give that if he didn't intend arousal, oral sex didn't matter. The word sex is in the name. The lawyer that did that kind of blew it.

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It's unbelievable that Starr waited to offer a deal until the lawyer he despised went away.  That's some petty shit.

I really don't understand Hilary.  She knew Bill cheated on her for 12 years with Flowers, but it's too hard to believe that he would stray again??  Bill was so incredibly weak - using her lawyers to browbeat her in 92 and using another lawyer again in 98.  He even tried to have his other philandering friend step in to bring Hillary back on his side.  He can't unring the bell.

I would have stroked out if I had to face the smug faces of Bill and his lawyers.  He really abused his position, saying he would only make the statement and they shouldn't try to get other information.  Speaking of, was that comment about him masturbating into Currie's trash can true??  So gross.

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9 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

The irony that this episode aired on Hillary’s birthday…

Well, Edie was finally unleashed after weeks of being held back. Poor Hillary, she couldn’t win in the eyes of the public. Either she was the pathetic “stand by your man” wife or the cold ball-busting bitch. I really felt for her: it wasn’t so much the actual cheating, it was the fact that he lied to her and let her stand up for him only to be made a fool of.

 

This is exactly what I have always thought and have never been able to get past. It shows a total lack of respect  for the woman that had always stood by him, the mother of his child. I never say 100% that I would leave a man that cheated, but I damn well know I would leave one that allowed me to be publicly humiliated for believing him.

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22 minutes ago, BeatrixK said:

I can't say I didn't LOVE LOVE LOVE the digs at Kavanaugh via his behavior and insistence on what to question...

I have no love for him but it's too cutesy. Also, was he 16 at the time??

11 minutes ago, peridot said:

It's unbelievable that Starr waited to offer a deal until the lawyer he despised went away.  That's some petty shit.

I really don't understand Hilary.  She knew Bill cheated on her for 12 years with Flowers, but it's too hard to believe that he would stray again?? 

It wasn't hard to believe he'd stray, he'd confessed to straying before when faced with it. This time he lied in a way that led to her own public humiliation. Not for being cheated on, but for standing by him on his lie. That was the distinction -- as well as, of course, the presidency. A thing that most of us would assume could make a dude keep it in his pants temporarily.

Edited by gesundheit
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25 minutes ago, BeatrixK said:

WOW!  She really doesn't look like hillary...but she had her mannerisms, her speech pattern...and that scene after getting back from Jordan's....just gutted me.

I think Falco was great.  I think she does a great job of channeling Hillary's incredible sadness beneath the utter rage she feels at Bill.  I wish they had figured out how to use her more in this series. 

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31 minutes ago, gesundheit said:

I have no love for him but it's too cutesy. Also, was he 16 at the time??

It wasn't hard to believe he'd stray, he'd confessed to straying before when faced with it. This time he lied in a way that led to her own public humiliation. Not for being cheated on, but for standing by him on his lie. That was the distinction -- as well as, of course, the presidency. A thing that most of us would assume could make a dude keep it in his pants temporarily.

Kavanaugh was in his 30s

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1 minute ago, gesundheit said:

Oh I know, I was just kidding because they cast him with such a babyfaced actor!

I knew you didn’t think he was actually 16. Ha ha. But I looked it up because I was curious.

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Most of this episode was great. It has to be difficult scripting conversations that no one even heard between the Clintons. However, I really did not like the final scene. Going with Stand By Your Man was just too on the nose when they already showed Hillary saying it in the 60 Minutes interview. And, really, why keep pulling poor Tammy Wynette into the mess?

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This was great, the tense scenes between Bill and Hillary.  Well imagined, but I guess some must be true, such as his being exiled to the guest cottage and her throwing a vase.  This is the first episode where I thought Clive Owens nailed the Bill Clinton impression well.

Also almost an afterthought the failed attempt to get Bin Laden.  It's almost like they are blaming him for the later attacks. 

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4 minutes ago, GussieK said:

This was great, the tense scenes between Bill and Hillary.  Well imagined, but I guess some must be true, such as his being exiled to the guest cottage and her throwing a vase.

In one of the books Hillary wrote she talked about when they (Bill, Hillary, Chelsea, and that beautiful dog who's name escapes me) were walking to the helicopter and she said the dog was the only one who wanted to have anything to do with Bill that weekend. The vase throwing was reportedly disclosed by a secret service agent.  

38 minutes ago, blueroses said:

However, I really did not like the final scene. Going with Stand By Your Man was just too on the nose when they already showed Hillary saying it in the 60 Minutes interview.

For better or worse Hillary and that song will forever be tied together.  And she was right when she said Bill had put her in an impossible position.  If she leaves she is the woman who left the President and if she stayed she is the woman who stayed with a cheating husband.  

While I do believe Hillary was justifiably furious Bill let her defend him when he knew it was likely the truth would come out I also think she was really hurt that once again he had cheated on her.    There was a scene a couple episodes back that showed him watching her sleep after he knew the walls were closing in on him.   And last night he was once again watching her sleep before he had to tell her something he knew would not make her happy.   I've always said at the heart of this whole thing was a husband who cheated on his wife who desperately did not want her to find out.

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I will never forget seeing the Clinton family walk across the lawn to the helicopter, Chelsea holding each of their hands. I remember thinking that she would need years of therapy after having to be in the middle of that mess, with your father and the world depending on you to somehow make their family look united. I was glad they had the Chelsea actress give Bill a disgusted look in the house. 

Edie Falco brought the thunder. And I loved the writing, when she threw the “arrangement” back in his face.

I have really come to loathe Bill Clinton. Arrogant and pathetic at the same time. Clive Owen nailed that combo. Not sure if they are trying to make him just so unlikable  but that’s definitely where I’m left. 
 

it was the end of the episode before I realized that Linda Tripp wasn’t there at all. That’s a sign of Edie’s successful portrayal, IMO. 

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27 minutes ago, ifionlyknew said:

While I do believe Hillary was justifiably furious Bill let her defend him when he knew it was likely the truth would come out I also think she was really hurt that once again he had cheated on her.   

I agree.  He humiliated her in multiple ways.  I can imagine she really struggled over whether to stay. 

I did kind of love Bill at his deposition.  He's awful, but how could you not root for him when Starr was there looking so smug? 

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10 minutes ago, lovinbob said:

I have really come to loathe Bill Clinton. Arrogant and pathetic at the same time. Clive Owen nailed that combo. Not sure if they are trying to make him just so unlikable  but that’s definitely where I’m left. 
 

As I have gotten older (I was 30 when all this happened) I have come to be deeply disappointed in Bill Clinton.  It is amazing how differently we see things as we age and get more experienced in life.    I don't think anyone needs to make this Bill Clinton on screen unlikable.  His behavior is making him unlikable.  

7 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I did kind of love Bill at his deposition.  He's awful, but how could you not root for him when Starr was there looking so smug? 

You can think what Clinton did was wrong but also dislike how he is being nailed for it.  

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It took me a minute to figure out that Chelsea was carrying a Discman as they got out of the limo and into the vacation house. At first, from the way she was carrying it, I was like “what is Chelsea doing with a cellphone in 1998?”

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43 minutes ago, lovinbob said:

I will never forget seeing the Clinton family walk across the lawn to the helicopter, Chelsea holding each of their hands. I remember thinking that she would need years of therapy after having to be in the middle of that mess, with your father and the world depending on you to somehow make their family look united. I was glad they had the Chelsea actress give Bill a disgusted look in the house. 

Edie Falco brought the thunder. And I loved the writing, when she threw the “arrangement” back in his face.

I have really come to loathe Bill Clinton. Arrogant and pathetic at the same time. Clive Owen nailed that combo. Not sure if they are trying to make him just so unlikable  but that’s definitely where I’m left. 
 

it was the end of the episode before I realized that Linda Tripp wasn’t there at all. That’s a sign of Edie’s successful portrayal, IMO. 

I also recall that scene  walking with the dog,  Buddy. My heart broke for Chelsea. I was a Daddy's girl and have only ever heard what a kind, honorable man he was. I cannot even imagine being in the center of that mess and the how disillusioned she must have been. 

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1 hour ago, ifionlyknew said:

In one of the books Hillary wrote she talked about when they (Bill, Hillary, Chelsea, and that beautiful dog who's name escapes me) were walking to the helicopter and she said the dog was the only one who wanted to have anything to do with Bill that weekend. The vase throwing was reportedly disclosed by a secret service agent.  

 

Buddy.  I sometimes can't remember why I walked into a room, but as soon as they showed the dog last night I was like - BUDDY!!  

It is pretty amazing that Starr let him read a prepared statement.  They had to have known the strategy would be run out the clock on the time for the questioning.  I mean, I guess it wouldn't have looked good to the grand jury watching if he'd cut him off but c'mon.  "We'll have it placed in the record, Mr. President.  You don't need to read it."  SOMETHING.

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3 hours ago, ifionlyknew said:

If she leaves she is the woman who left the President and if she stayed she is the woman who stayed with a cheating husband. 

If she would have left, she would have given up her chance to be backed by the party so it could be "her turn." So, she took the hit to be the woman who stayed with a cheater. But, I do believe that she was truly disappointed, hurt, and angry after he let her make a fool of herself on 60 Minutes. And, yes, that was an impossible choice that she was left with, but she made her best guess. 

 I also agree that Clinton ran that deposition like the experienced politician he was. I will never forget the, "it depends on what is is."

 

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4 hours ago, blueroses said:

And, really, why keep pulling poor Tammy Wynette into the mess?

Oh she and her stans can just chill. Hillary wasn't the first one to mock that phrase/song and she won't be the last.

2 hours ago, TexasGal said:

Buddy.  I sometimes can't remember why I walked into a room, but as soon as they showed the dog last night I was like - BUDDY!! 

I went to DC in sixth grade, back when you could get close to the White House fence, and there was a Secret Service agent playing fetch with Buddy! He ran right up to us and we tried to pet him through the gate. That was the highlight of the trip for me! I mean, yeah, the museums and landmarks were all awesome too, but the FIRST DOG!

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52 minutes ago, Retired at last said:

But, I do believe that she was truly disappointed, hurt, and angry after he let her make a fool of herself on 60 Minutes.

Are you thinking of the Today Show interview we saw at the top of the episode?   I think the 60 Minutes interview was considered the thing that saved Clinton's candidacy in 1992. 

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Seeing the reaction to Clinton's "it depends on how you define 'is'" was very satisfying, but I was definitely not amused at the way he almost brags about how one-sided his 'intimate contact' with Monica was. Maybe you could have tried to gratify or arouse her in return?

I don't have much sympathy for a rich woman who helped to discredit and defame the working class women her powerful husband sexually harassed. 

Bill name-dropped several senators/congress reps this episode, but not Gore. I wonder if he will show up at some point.

 

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14 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

And what kind of bullshit definition of "sexual relations" did they give that if he didn't intend arousal, oral sex didn't matter. The word sex is in the name. 

I'm not sure why Bill brought intent into it. I thought the definition of "sexual relations" he was pushing was that having sexual relations with a person = having contact with the person's privates.

And IIRC, he claimed he'd never touched her privates. Thus, he was arguing that she had sexual relations with him (by giving him a BJ), but he didn't have sexual relations with her.

This argument is complete absurdity, of course. Especially because I don't buy for a second that the BJ was the only intimate thing they did.

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The idea Tammy Wynette wanted an apology made me LOL so hard. As if that song is some kind of proud message or something that Hillary desecrated, lmao.

For me, with Hillary, and I think to a degree the writers hit on it (not that I was satisfied with their portrayal overall), the major crime as far as their marriage went with Bill was that he lied. He had the chance to be upfront with her and admit it--after all, he'd done it before, she wouldn't have been surprised and they would've gotten over it again--and he didn't. She apparently was the kind of person strong enough to look beyond adultery (not something I think I could do--I think it's a generational thing, a lot of women from back then saw all men as having this problem), it was the dishonesty over it afterwards that was hardest for her to get over. How is she supposed to know what the right thing to do for them in any situation is, since they were a team versus the world, when he won't even tell her what's happening?

I've never liked him on a personal level because of his inability to keep it in the pants, but I admit the deposition scene where Bill Clinton ran circles around those goons was so satisfying and hilarious. He was a strong politician. That was part of Hillary, too--or perhaps she helped grow the same quality in him over the years--which they touched on with the "pain threshold" line.

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Wow, that birthday dinner with the Jordans was so awkward.

Poor Buddy. The Clintons were not dog people, and he paid the price, getting hit by a car at only 4 years old. 

25 minutes ago, TheGreenKnight said:

He had the chance to be upfront with her and admit it--after all, he'd done it before, she wouldn't have been surprised and they would've gotten over it again--and he didn't.

I think Hillary could deal with his cheating—they seemed to have made some sort of agreement—but the lying? That was the biggie. I'd be mad as hell, too. Clinton's selfishness is astounding. He wrecked so many lives because he couldn't keep it in his pants. Ugh. 

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As much as I'm not on his side about much of anything, they went after him for years for no other reason than political pettiness, so I was fine with him using their definition against them.  They were as awful as he was.

Edie Falco was perfect casting.  She doesn't really look or sound like her, but she brought out her essence, so well, and how anyone in that situation would feel.  Really excellent.

 

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 It has to be difficult scripting conversations that no one even heard between the Clintons. 

It's fiction, and I don't know how I feel about it. The scenes with Monica are largely true, because Monica Lewinsky herself is involved with this project and can verify certain parts. But scenes with just Bill and Hillary are entirely the product of the writer's imagination. Nobody has any idea what kinds of conversations they had between them but the two of them. And this idea that their marriage is nothing more than an arrangement sort of feeds into the propaganda that has dogged Hillary ever since Bill was President.

At the end of the day I think the show would have been better off sticking to parts of the story that can be verified as fact without diluting the story with speculation.

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Days of Our Lives fans - there was a cameo from Jason Cook, Shawn-Douglas Brady, as Matt Lauer in last night's episode.

OMG. I thought I recognized him from somewhere. He's so much older now than he was back then.

Edited by iMonrey
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6 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Wow, that birthday dinner with the Jordans was so awkward.

Poor Buddy. The Clintons were not dog people, and he paid the price, getting hit by a car at only 4 years old. 

I think Hillary could deal with his cheating—they seemed to have made some sort of agreement—but the lying? That was the biggie. I'd be mad as hell, too. Clinton's selfishness is astounding. He wrecked so many lives because he couldn't keep it in his pants. Ugh. 

I will always believe they had an agreement, an understanding, some sort of Faustian pact where he would philander and she would look the other way as it benefitted both of them to stay in the marriage. He cheated pretty much throughout their entire marriage leading up to and including the White House (he admitted to one incident with Gennifer Flowers, who opened the episode, and that it occurred in '77, 2 years after he wed Hillary in '75). So long as he didn't lie to her or have it become public knowledge. I honestly think it's the latter that really got her pissed off. 

As much as I wanted to laugh and point at Ken Starr and his cronies when they made the asinine decision to let him read that prepared statement - period - without even looking at it, Bill is such a smug ass, that I cannot cheer him there or anywhere. Cheating, lying ass is still cheating, lying ass, no matter the person calling you out on it. 

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29 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

But scenes with just Bill and Hillary are entirely the product of the writer's imagination. Nobody has any idea what kinds of conversations they had between them but the two of them.

The conversations between Bill and Hillary are not entirely coming from the writer's imagination.  Hillary wrote about finding out the truth about Monica in her book, and what we saw hues closely to that, as well as other books and articles about this period in their marriage. 

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1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

I think Hillary could deal with his cheating—they seemed to have made some sort of agreement—but the lying? That was the biggie. I'd be mad as hell, too. Clinton's selfishness is astounding. He wrecked so many lives because he couldn't keep it in his pants. Ugh. 

Most people (especially spouses) will tell you it's not what you lied about but the fact you lied that does the most damage.  This was made even worse because Hillary defended him publicly.  Once he knew he was cornered he should have told her everything.  But Bill being Bill decided to roll the dice and hope he could somehow come through it unscathed.  

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Hillary saying "if I'd married that guy, he'd be president" comes from an old joke. It was an old joke when Mary Steenburgen's character told it on Justified the better part of a decade ago.

I really don't buy that Hillary ever actually said it. I guess Ryan Murphy thought the gag was so precious that it had to be included in the episode?

Anyway, Tammy Wynette's reaction to Hillary was significantly more over-the-top than what we were shown.

She said, "Mrs. Clinton, you have offended every woman and man who love that song…I will not stand by and all you or any other person to embarrass, humiliate and degrade me on national television and print without hearing from me."

Hillary responded by saying, "I didn’t mean to hurt Tammy Wynette as a person. I happen to be a country-western fan. If she feels like I’ve hurt her feelings, I’m sorry about that."

 

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9 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

Anyway, Tammy Wynette's reaction to Hillary was significantly more over-the-top than what we were shown.

She said, "Mrs. Clinton, you have offended every woman and man who love that song…I will not stand by and all you or any other person to embarrass, humiliate and degrade me on national television and print without hearing from me."

 

Oh, for God's sake, Tammy. Get. Off. The. Cross. She was probably thrilled to actually find herself mentioned on national TV. You're the only one embarrassing yourself with that faux-martyr complex.

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3 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

Poor Buddy. The Clintons were not dog people, and he paid the price, getting hit by a car at only 4 years old. 

Socks, however, lived a long life with Betty Currie after the Clintons left The White House. Betty took very good card of him. 

 

 

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4 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I'm not sure why Bill brought intent into it. I thought the definition of "sexual relations" he was pushing was that having sexual relations with a person = having contact with the person's privates.

And IIRC, he claimed he'd never touched her privates. Thus, he was arguing that she had sexual relations with him (by giving him a BJ), but he didn't have sexual relations with her.

This argument is complete absurdity, of course. Especially because I don't buy for a second that the BJ was the only intimate thing they did.

Bill said the definition he was given was contact with certain body parts with the intent to create arousal. So if that really was the definition, getting a blow job doesn't meet the definition. But it makes no sense, because giving one does. So based on that it means Monica had sexual relations with Bill, but he didn't with her. In my mind, two people either have sexual relations with each other or they don't. It isn't an individual thing. But if the definition really said "with intent to create arousal" then it is not that crazy an argument.

I actually remember an Oprah that aired about all these young teenage girls who were having oral sex and thought it wasn't a big deal because "it wasn't really having sex." And someone on the show was blaming Clinton for sending that message.

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40 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

Bill said the definition he was given was contact with certain body parts with the intent to create arousal. So if that really was the definition, getting a blow job doesn't meet the definition. But it makes no sense, because giving one does. So based on that it means Monica had sexual relations with Bill, but he didn't with her. In my mind, two people either have sexual relations with each other or they don't. It isn't an individual thing. But if the definition really said "with intent to create arousal" then it is not that crazy an argument.

I actually remember an Oprah that aired about all these young teenage girls who were having oral sex and thought it wasn't a big deal because "it wasn't really having sex." And someone on the show was blaming Clinton for sending that message.

I was six when the Monica Lewinsky scandal happened so I was not aware of it. I learned about it in health class years later when the teacher showed us the Oprah episode. 

I thought this episode was good. I don't think Edie resembles Hillary at all so that was distracting. I thought Clive did a really good job being Bill this episode. 

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37 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

Bill said the definition he was given was contact with certain body parts with the intent to create arousal. So if that really was the definition, getting a blow job doesn't meet the definition. But it makes no sense, because giving one does. So based on that it means Monica had sexual relations with Bill, but he didn't with her. In my mind, two people either have sexual relations with each other or they don't. It isn't an individual thing. But if the definition really said "with intent to create arousal" then it is not that crazy an argument.

I actually remember an Oprah that aired about all these young teenage girls who were having oral sex and thought it wasn't a big deal because "it wasn't really having sex." And someone on the show was blaming Clinton for sending that message.

This is how I understood it too. That the definition given to him indicated that a penis or vagina or breasts were touched in a specific manner INTENDED to give the recipient of the touching pleasure (or maybe even specifically  an orgasm?) SO… Bill did stuff to Monica that didn’t fit the narrow definition (didn’t touch whatever with whatever, or wasn’t directly on the body part but through clothing, didn’t result in orgasm.. etc etc.. and that the only acts that DID for the bill were acts done TO him… for HIS pleasure. Therefore - he didn’t  do those things with the motive to give her pleasure. So technically true while being totally disingenuous, LOL. 

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1 hour ago, KaveDweller said:

I actually remember an Oprah that aired about all these young teenage girls who were having oral sex and thought it wasn't a big deal because "it wasn't really having sex." And someone on the show was blaming Clinton for sending that message.

That message predated the events of this year, as the movie Clerks had come out in 1994 and Dante's girlfriend, who'd famously sucked 37 dicks ("in a row?"), brushed it off as no big deal. And specifically distinguished it from actually having sex.

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It made me sick how gleeful Bill was explaining that *he* didn't do anything to Monica with the intent to give her pleasure, no sir. Their entire relationship was only about his pleasure.

I wasn't aware that Clinton had been trying to get Bin Laden. Those parts were more unsettling for me than Bill and Hillary's private drama.

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5 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

 

Oh, for God's sake, Tammy. Get. Off. The. Cross. She was probably thrilled to actually find herself mentioned on national TV. You're the only one embarrassing yourself with that faux-martyr complex.

LOL, especially b/c it had been years since that song was even popular.  If we had iTunes back then, she would have probably got some sales and $$. 
 

I was talking to my daughter about the walking hand and hand and wondering if Chelsea really rolled her eyes. Got me to wondering if Chelsea or Hillary or Bill are watching this, even in secret if they never admit it. 

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