S01.E03: Please Allow Me

[CheshireCat]

Quote

Eleanor holds the White House's first all-female press conference; Betty's public announcement of her breast cancer diagnosis makes her a popular figure among American women; Michelle launches a new healthy school lunch programme.

Air date: May 1, 2022

[TakomaSnark]

IMDB gives the wrong blurb for this episode. It is entirely focused on all three as young women (so no Viola, Michelle or Gillian). Per Showtime:

Quote

Young Eleanor reluctantly cuts short her progressive education in London to make her dreaded societal debut as a member of New York’s prestigious Roosevelt family, which includes her ambitious cousin, Franklin. In Michigan, Young Betty, trapped in an abusive marriage, finds herself pursued by hotshot lawyer Jerry. As she rises the ranks at a Chicago law firm, Young Michelle gets to know an idealistic and politically inclined summer intern named Barack.

On the bright side, I didn't have to endure Viola's bizarre acting/facial choices but on the downside, without Michelle's Betty, this was very 'meh.' 

This hour in paritcular really drives home how silly it is to have a different performer playing 'young' (late twenties) Michelle Obama vs. 'older' (forties) Michelle Obama. At least with 1940s Betty vs. 1970s Betty, there's such a dramatic change in how America, and American women look, it isn't jarring. It may not be necessary but it works. There's really no reason, other than name recognition, that the 'younger' Michelle couldn't have played White House-era Michelle.

I still can't stand that they are constantly using a chyron to tell us the year/location. Production values clue viewers in to those things, particularly with three such different eras. And no, I didn't need the chyron to tell me that the exterior of the White House is Washington, D.C. It's such a bizarre, insulting choice.

I wish this was a four hour miniseries about Betty Ford. That's what I'm watching for anyways.

Edited May 1, 2022 by TakomaSnark
Missing Words

[maggiemae]

The casting (with the exception of Betty) is terrible.

Why, oh why, could they not of just aged young Michelle (who was in her mid 20's) rather than giving us old Viola Davis? 

I love the show except for jarring casting...but the characters, history, scenery etc are fascinating.

[txhorns79]

I thought it was interesting we saw real relationships grow between Betty/Jerry and Michelle/Barack, but we are given almost nothing as to Franklin and Eleanor's pre-marital relationship. 

[monakane]

On 5/1/2022 at 10:18 AM, TakomaSnark said:

I wish this was a four hour miniseries about Betty Ford. That's what I'm watching for anyways.

Betty is the most interesting to me in any era.  Eleanor has been done so many times.  We all know her story.  I wish they would have done another first lady that we don't know as much about.  Maybe Rosalyn Carter or Barbara Bush.  I liked Betty as first lady but never knew her back story.  I'm a fan of Michelle Obama, but Viola Davis's portrayal is distracting.  Viola Davis is a phenomenal actress, but miscast in this part.  Of course, I would be thrilled to hang with any of these ladies.

[Marley]

Horrible choice for young Barack. He just came off like a huge doofus and bad actor. Young Michelle seemed better and she should’ve just been Michelle for every era. Best part of the episode was no Viola Davis and her weird mouth movements lol.

[Dejana]

22 hours ago, Marley said:

Horrible choice for young Barack. He just came off like a huge doofus and bad actor. Young Michelle seemed better and she should’ve just been Michelle for every era. Best part of the episode was no Viola Davis and her weird mouth movements lol.

I thought the dorkiness from Young Obama was somewhat intentional, to show he wasn't quite the polished politician who hit the national stage. The actor is Robert De Niro's son, so I'm sure that didn't hurt in the casting process. 

 

Are they going to circle back to how Eleanor changed her mind about Franklin eventually? She didn't even want to dance with him, and the next thing you know, they're married? 

Edited May 4, 2022 by Dejana

[TakomaSnark]

On 5/2/2022 at 11:57 AM, monakane said:

Betty is the most interesting to me in any era.  Eleanor has been done so many times.  We all know her story.  I wish they would have done another first lady that we don't know as much about.  Maybe Rosalyn Carter or Barbara Bush.  I liked Betty as first lady but never knew her back story.  I'm a fan of Michelle Obama, but Viola Davis's portrayal is distracting.  Viola Davis is a phenomenal actress, but miscast in this part.  Of course, I would be thrilled to hang with any of these ladies.

I would love to know more about Rosalyn and/or Barbara. Though if they continue the series, I imagine they'll want to spread out the eras, so maybe they'll dig back further for the earliest (Dolley Madison), then go early or mid-20th century (Edith Wilson, Mamie Eisenhower) and round out with late(r) 20th century (Rosalyn, Barbara).

I love Viola and I am guessing she thought if she honed in on one small but distinctive thing about Michelle - okay, you can find *some* pictures of her pursing her lips like that - and put it in the forefront of her portrayal, that people would hail her attention to detail or something. I don't get it, I'm grasping at straws. I can't believe as a producer she didn't look at the dailies and gasp in wonder that no one told her how bad it was coming across.

[Inquisitionist]

10 hours ago, TakomaSnark said:

Though if they continue the series, I imagine they'll want to spread out the eras, so maybe they'll dig back further for the earliest (Dolley Madison), then go early or mid-20th century (Edith Wilson, Mamie Eisenhower) and round out with late(r) 20th century (Rosalyn, Barbara).

I find it interesting that the gaps here are both roughly 35-40 years: Roosevelt served 1932 - 45, Ford 1974-76, Obama 2008 - 16.  It's interesting to reflect on how much changed in American society within each of those gaps. 

[marinw]

On 5/3/2022 at 12:40 AM, Marley said:

Horrible choice for young Barack. He just came off like a huge doofus and bad actor. Young Michelle seemed better and she should’ve just been Michelle for every era.

"South Side with You" does a MUCH better casting job with Young Obama. Parker Sawyers got Obama's mannnerisms down without turning into parady. 

 

Edited May 4, 2022 by marinw

[Crashcourse]

43 minutes ago, marinw said:

"South Side with You" does a MUCH better casting job with Young Obama. Parker Sawyers got Obama's mannnerisms down without turning into parady. 

 

I agree, he was a much better Young Obama.

[andromeda331]

The younger Michelle Obama was really good. Was Barack really that dorky when he was younger? 

I just feel really bad Eleanor. She had crappy childhood and family.

I really liked seeing more about Betty. She had really interesting life.

[Inquisitionist]

On 5/7/2022 at 3:31 AM, andromeda331 said:

The younger Michelle Obama was really good. Was Barack really that dorky when he was younger? 

Hard to believe he was.  The guy was elected president of Harvard Law Review about 7 months after meeting Michelle.

[andromeda331]

4 hours ago, Inquisitionist said:

Hard to believe he was.  The guy was elected president of Harvard Law Review about 7 months after meeting Michelle.

Wow, I always assumed he was as cool then as he is now. 

[Demian]

On 5/2/2022 at 11:57 AM, monakane said:

I wish they would have done another first lady that we don't know as much about. 

Frances Cleveland would have been pretty good, but I'm pretty sure this show doesn't have the budget to go full-on Gilded Age on us.

Also, Frances Cleveland was pretty much an anti-woman, anti-immigrant, and pro-horrendous people kinda person.

[AuntieMame]

Pretty much in agreement with everyone else. This episode was easier to watch without the bizarre casting and acting choices. Plus I love Betty Ford. Who knew? 
I should note that I watched this accidentally just because I happened across it while surfing whereas the first episodes I watched on purpose and then decided to quit. Somehow this show isn’t doing what it hoped to do. 
 

[Cress]

On 5/3/2022 at 8:19 PM, Dejana said:

Are they going to circle back to how Eleanor changed her mind about Franklin eventually? She didn't even want to dance with him, and the next thing you know, they're married?

Yeah I was so puzzled that they skipped from her firm rejection straight to their wedding. Why?

[junemeatcleaver]

11 hours ago, Cress said:

Yeah I was so puzzled that they skipped from her firm rejection straight to their wedding. Why?

I was thinking maybe they want to focus only on her interest in women?  I don't know, it's weird.  From the little I've read, they actually were fond of each other at the start.