S01.E08: Punch Perfect

[CheshireCat]

Quote

Eleanor forces Franklin's hand in assisting Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany; while Jerry spends his retirement on the road, Betty seeks out new party companions at home; despite Barack's hesitations, Michelle directly speaks out about race

Air date: Jun 5, 2022

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

That guidance counselor was ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with telling a student "Princeton, like any Ivy, is super-competitive to get into, so you might want to also apply to one or two local universities as a backup." But to tell a student with top grades and extracurriculars not to even apply??? Wow.

The Ford Presidency stuff is already done, but she was First Lady for less than 2 1/2 years. There just wasn't that much to draw on. But HOLY FUCK at her collapsing on the floor. That's how the famous actor William Holden died: he got drunk alone, fell and split his head open on a coffee table, and bled to death before anybody found him.

[maggiemae]

Betty Ford's honesty about her mastectomy was huge...as her work for the ERA and later her work on drug and alcohol addiction. Huge.

[Spartan Girl]

6 hours ago, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

The Ford Presidency stuff is already done, but she was First Lady for less than 2 1/2 years. There just wasn't that much to draw on. But HOLY FUCK at her collapsing on the floor. That's how the famous actor William Holden died: he got drunk alone, fell and split his head open on a coffee table, and bled to death before anybody found him.

Betty was lucky she didn’t suffer the same fate.

[buckboard]

10 hours ago, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

10 hours ago, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

The Ford Presidency stuff is already done, but she was First Lady for less than 2 1/2 years. There just wasn't that much to draw on. But HOLY FUCK at her collapsing on the floor. That's how the famous actor William Holden died: he got drunk alone, fell and split his head open on a coffee table, and bled to death before anybody found him.

Not much to draw on?  As Maggiemae pointed out, it was HJUGE when the First Lady spoke publicly about her mastectomy.  This wasn't talked about in public at the time and her speaking out saved many lives.  We learned about her work on the ERA and how difficult it is for a first lady to have a voice of her own in the White House. 

Not that much to draw on?  Her work with drug and alcohol rehabilitation had a tremendous impact.  I'm sure they'll be talking about the Betty Ford Clinic, even though it was after her time in the White House.  How many presidents and first ladies are never heard from again after once they leave office.  Betty Ford did not disappear.

Edited June 6, 2022 by buckboard

[txhorns79]

13 hours ago, maggiemae said:

Betty Ford's honesty about her mastectomy was huge...as her work for the ERA and later her work on drug and alcohol addiction. Huge.

I think the issue was more that after those topics were dealt with, there was not a lot more from Ford's White House years to draw on, so that is why they've already moved on to her post-White House issues. 

Not sure if scenes like the one at the fundraiser actually happened, but I do recall from Obama's book(?) the story about the guidance counselor telling her that she wasn't Princeton material.  I cannot imagine how much that kind of comment must have stung, and am glad she didn't let herself get held back by someone else's messed up ideas.

Interestingly, in terms of the SS Quanza, in real life, FDR did listen to Eleanor and sent Patrick Malin (the one who later reported to Eleanor that the visas had been granted) to investigate.  It wasn't like in the episode where FDR threw up his hands and did nothing.       

[EdnasEdibles]

I did have to google the table photo to see how it looked IRL. Smithsonian Mag. Pretty cool. 

[buckboard]

3 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

Interestingly, in terms of the SS Quanza, in real life, FDR did listen to Eleanor and sent Patrick Malin (the one who later reported to Eleanor that the visas had been granted) to investigate.  It wasn't like in the episode where FDR threw up his hands and did nothing.       

I hate when fictionalized accounts change the reality of what actually happened.  It still would have been a good story to show that Eleanor brought this to the President's attention and lobbied for him to take action.  FDR and the State Department did very little to save Jewish refugees, but in this situation he did help those on the Quanza.

[TV Diva Queen]

2 hours ago, EdnasEdibles said:

I did have to google the table photo to see how it looked IRL. Smithsonian Mag. Pretty cool. 

I did too.  LOL, sent it to my mom who was 35ish at the time.  Her response was "drunk"  LOL.

[EdnasEdibles]

1 minute ago, TV Diva Queen said:

I did too.  LOL, sent it to my mom who was 35ish at the time.  Her response was "drunk"  LOL.

I did love that the photographer didn't share it because he was worried that would be the takeaway until she was like "Nah, share it" 

[TV Diva Queen]

2 hours ago, buckboard said:

I hate when fictionalized accounts change the reality of what actually happened.  It still would have been a good story to show that Eleanor brought this to the President's attention and lobbied for him to take action.  FDR and the State Department did very little to save Jewish refugees, but in this situation he did help those on the Quanza.

Me too.  I'm all for poetic license and all, but I feel they're taking the Eleanor/hick relationship a little too far into the land of "what if".  I mean, they way they're depicting it, they were pretty much "living together".  I did some light googleing and there just isnt enough info out there to back up this version.  

[TV Diva Queen]

On 6/5/2022 at 2:17 PM, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

That guidance counselor was ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with telling a student "Princeton, like any Ivy, is super-competitive to get into, so you might want to also apply to one or two local universities as a backup." But to tell a student with top grades and extracurriculars not to even apply??? Wow.

The Ford Presidency stuff is already done, but she was First Lady for less than 2 1/2 years. There just wasn't that much to draw on. But HOLY FUCK at her collapsing on the floor. That's how the famous actor William Holden died: he got drunk alone, fell and split his head open on a coffee table, and bled to death before anybody found him.

I remember this part from Michelle's book - appalling.  

[buckboard]

6 hours ago, TV Diva Queen said:

Me too.  I'm all for poetic license and all, but I feel they're taking the Eleanor/hick relationship a little too far into the land of "what if".  I mean, they way they're depicting it, they were pretty much "living together".  I did some light googleing and there just isnt enough info out there to back up this version.  

When I spoke of fictionalized accounts deviating from reality, I wasn't talking about the ER/Hick relationship.  Hick and Eleanor WERE pretty much living together during the time when Lorena Hickok had a room in the White House.  After their relationship broke up, they remained friends for decades.  I don't know what your "light" Google search turned up, but if you google "Eleanor and Hickok" you'll find dozens of hits with details about their relationship.  And if you want to dig even deeper, try Susan Quinn's "Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair That Shaped a First Lady," a non-fiction account.

[Marley]

Why was Viola speaking even weirder in this episode what the fuck lol.

I like Eleanor more and more with every episode I see. I read about her strained relationship with her daughter and I wonder about that.

The Betty on the table pics were cool. She was partying like a maniac tho lol wonder who her neighbours were. Yikes at her falling down.

Edited June 7, 2022 by Marley

[TV Diva Queen]

10 hours ago, buckboard said:

When I spoke of fictionalized accounts deviating from reality, I wasn't talking about the ER/Hick relationship.  Hick and Eleanor WERE pretty much living together during the time when Lorena Hickok had a room in the White House.  After their relationship broke up, they remained friends for decades.  I don't know what your "light" Google search turned up, but if you google "Eleanor and Hickok" you'll find dozens of hits with details about their relationship.  And if you want to dig even deeper, try Susan Quinn's "Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair That Shaped a First Lady," a non-fiction account.

thank you.  I will do this.  :) 

[cameron]

23 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I think the issue was more that after those topics were dealt with, there was not a lot more from Ford's White House years to draw on, so that is why they've already moved on to her post-White House issues. 

Not sure if scenes like the one at the fundraiser actually happened, but I do recall from Obama's book(?) the story about the guidance counselor telling her that she wasn't Princeton material.  I cannot imagine how much that kind of comment must have stung, and am glad she didn't let herself get held back by someone else's messed up ideas.

Interestingly, in terms of the SS Quanza, in real life, FDR did listen to Eleanor and sent Patrick Malin (the one who later reported to Eleanor that the visas had been granted) to investigate.  It wasn't like in the episode where FDR threw up his hands and did nothing.       

What I find interesting is how Michelle's parents were able to afford the tuition to Princeton on his salary.  Her brother got a basketball scholarship but I don't think she had any.

[TV Diva Queen]

2 hours ago, cameron said:

What I find interesting is how Michelle's parents were able to afford the tuition to Princeton on his salary.  Her brother got a basketball scholarship but I don't think she had any.

I thought when Michelle was in her guidance counselor's office the lady said something like "I know your brother plays basketball there and is on athletic scholarship" and MIchelle said (either then or later).  "what guidance counselor doesn't know that Princeton does give out athletic scholarships"  

[cameron]

54 minutes ago, TV Diva Queen said:

I thought when Michelle was in her guidance counselor's office the lady said something like "I know your brother plays basketball there and is on athletic scholarship" and MIchelle said (either then or later).  "what guidance counselor doesn't know that Princeton does give out athletic scholarships"  

And goes back to my original point on  how did her family pay for having two children attend Princeton at the same time.

[buckboard]

I've loved Viola Davis in every film and TV show I've seen her in, but I find the thing she does with her lips as Michelle Obama to be very over the top.  The younger Michelle actress doesn't do that.

I looked at a couple of Youtubes of Mrs. Obama.  One was her speech at Tuskegee.  She didn't purse her lips the way Viola does.  I don't know why Viola has taken up that affectation.

[cameron]

What is with Jerry Ford always calling Betty "Mother".  If my husband ever did that; there would be big trouble.

[MaryMitch]

23 hours ago, cameron said:

And goes back to my original point on  how did her family pay for having two children attend Princeton at the same time.

Princeton has a really low acceptance rate - something like 5% last year - but they have a policy that if you are admitted you will get the financial aid you need to attend. The aid is in the form of grants - not loans.

Vanderbilt does this as well - my niece went there and was able to get 90% of her tuition/books/housing through a similar program.  You just have to demonstrate need.

Edited June 8, 2022 by MaryMitch

[kassa]

Michelle Obama does have a tic where she moves her lips in a certain way... but it's a fleeting, occasional tic, not the way she holds her face in conversation.  Why Ms. Davis felt it captured her essence, I have no idea, unless it somehow links to her ability to mimic the voice. It's a thankless job as her character is the one still foremost in our collective minds, but ultimately it comes down to there not being anybody there to tell her no. 

[Hanahope]

On 6/8/2022 at 12:58 PM, MaryMitch said:

Princeton has a really low acceptance rate - something like 5% last year - but they have a policy that if you are admitted you will get the financial aid you need to attend. The aid is in the form of grants - not loans.

Vanderbilt does this as well - my niece went there and was able to get 90% of her tuition/books/housing through a similar program.  You just have to demonstrate need.

The first episode or maybe the second, showed her getting accepted to Princeton but no financial aid.  Her parents said they’d handle it.  So maybe Princeton didn’t give her aid and her parents took out loans?

[Thumper]

The actress playing Eleanor also does something weird with her mouth and chin that I find annoying.  I keep expecting Eleanor to burst into tears.