American Crime Story
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The arc of a TV show isnt always a perfect fit for real-life events.
In that regard, Stand by Your Man can be frustrating.
Bills simply run out of road.
His scattershot scheming can make for scattershot TV.
Luckily, theres the inimitable Edie Falco to ground us.
This week, it makes sense.
When she finally lets rip, its clear why the role needs Falco.
You are mayhem, she screams as she pegs him with a bouquet of fresh flowers.
You lit our life on fire, she adds tearily.
How do you play an outrageously angry and resentful woman who already knows that she wont leave?
Falco injects pathos into a decision popularly regarded as calculating.
When the episode begins, though, its 1992, and the president isnt yet president.
Instead, they settle on60 Minutesand a black-ribbon headband to offset her emerald-green blazer.
If Hillary can stomach Bills philandering, the thinking goes, voters will too.
Even in 2016, the heartlands Tammy Wynette fans were among the constituencies she couldnt win.
Alas, we mustnt dwell.
Its as far as she can get from the scandal that bears her name without looking like a fugitive.
At least he has the manners to say thank you.
Four months go by, but nothing much changes.
So Ken hauls Monica in for a handwriting sample.
Its a facile attempt to scare her into cooperating, and, well, it works.
Meanwhile, Bills cooking up his own slippery perjury defense.
Bill Clinton, ladies and gentlemen.
To her credit, Hillary remains steadfast in her trust in Bill.
She might not be his only sexual partner, but theyarepartners.
Thats how we survive.
It takes Bill a whole day to tell her that shes wrong.
When he does, Hillarys as upset by the secrets as the infidelity.
There are his lies, yes, and the lies she was asked to tell unwittingly.
We already know that Edie Falco can play a woman scorned, but its so good to be reminded.
The trickier reckoning is the one hes about to have with the American people via national address.
He needs to find the right words to confess his affair with Monica before Ken Starr makes it known.
Hillary, quite rightly, refuses to help him.
Theyre mad at you for lying, Vernon explains, completely unhelpfully.
If it’s possible for you to imagine, Hillary is not immediately overcome with forgiveness.
At least the pours of red wine look generous.
I wonder what part of the painting she identified with then.
We were a team, Hillary pleads.
He was always the weather, but she wasnt the ship.
She was something bigger, a force that could control him.
Bill begs her not to leave him, but, of course, shes going to stay.
His career is her career; his world is her world.
Theres nowhere else for her to go.
Bill leaves, and Hillary stays on the island, looking out at the sea.
For her, though, there is no safe shore.
She knows shes the boat.
She was always the stupid boat.
I would like you to appear with me on any forum, Wynette demanded.
Brett Kavanaughreally didadvocate going ham on Bill Clinton.
Bill Clintonreally didcall into question the meaning of the word is during his grand-jury testimony.
I mean, you couldnt make that up.
