John Adams

Sorry for the long pause as I was trying to figure out just what in the hell I was going to write about. This will be the first in an occasional series about my current obsessions- giving reason for said obsession, and encouraging others to partake. Hmm...that sounds a lot like a pusher, so I'll just move on.

John Adams on HBO has been a spring surprise. In a TV season marred by a 4 month writer's strike, JA came as a refreshing change of pace. Of course, those of you that know me will also know my connections with Colonial and early Federalist American history, and it will come as no surprise that I am watching. For those of you who are not aware, most of the filming for the mini-series was done here in the Old Dominion. The Adams family farm is actually in the middle of nowhere in King and Queen County and Petersburg serves as some of the Boston scenes, but the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation was the host for a great number of shots, including the gaol (that's jail to all you 21st century folk), the Public Hospital, and the Wythe House (which served as the executive mansion, internal and external, in Philadelphia. So there is the added value of seeing buildings I see all the time on TV (with massive CGI), much like watching the Wire, Homicide: Life on the Street, or any movie set in D.C.

Historically, the series is based on David McCullough's brilliant biography of the Founding Father that no one likes. The book itself is a bit dense and lengthy, but McCullough is a talented writer who has a flair for narrative. (Check out his book on the Johnstown Flood as a primer, then move on to Mornings On Horseback before delving into JA). The writers have done a good job limiting historical inaccuracies in the telling of the story.

One of the greatest pleasures for me is the portrayal of George Washington by David Morse. In the few scenes that he is in, Morse does a brilliant job of conveying the quirks of the General's personality without reducing him to a caricature. My favorite was his inauguration- Washington had a horrible speaking voice, and witness accounts have him barely whispering the oath until he ad-libbed the "So help me God" line. Just an excellent scene.

I would like to have seen more development of the relationship between Adams and Jefferson proir to and during the Revolution to set up the schism that would make them not speak to each other until they were both old men.

All in all, I think the series is outstanding. Get HBO and watch.