Make no mistake: Commander in Chief is fantasy. Not because a woman is president of the United States—that's bound to happen, hopefully soon. No, it's the powerful, inspiring vision of principled, progressive leadership free of political machination that is so outside the realm of our experience today that it nearly makes you wanna weep for joy at what could be (and sorrow for what isn't). When President Mackenzie Allen (the brilliant Geena Davis, who justly won a Golden Globe award) is interrupted by her chief of staff while reading a storybook to a group of children at a public event so that he can notify her of a disaster, her response is such a pointed criticism of the real president's behavior on the morning of 9/11 that you can't help but gasp at the show's audacity. Moments like that regularly punctuate these 10 episodes from the 2005-06 first-and-final season, offering riffs on recent current events that create a window onto an alternate universe where honesty and integrity matter more among those elected to lead us than cronyism, gamesmanship, and coddling lobbyists, as embodied here by the villain, Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland, having fun as a bad guy), who does his best to trip up the president at every juncture. Unfortunately, this extra-less two-disc set contains only half the episodes in the now-cancelled series; the last eight are available separately on Commander in Chief: Inaugural Edition, Part 2. Highly recommended. (M. Johanson)
Commander in Chief: Inaugural Edition, Part 1
Buena Vista, 2 discs, 427 min., not rated, DVD: $29.99 Volume 21, Issue 5
Commander in Chief: Inaugural Edition, Part 1
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