In the HBO miniseries “John Adams,” Paul Giamatti’s John urges Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence. “I am obnoxious,” he says, explaining why he won’t perform the honor himself. It’s a stark moment of self-awareness by Adams, one certainly bred and fostered by his wife, Abigail.
So much of “John Adams,” adapted from David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, is the chronicle of a solid political marriage. Abigail is so onto John, one of the best gifts spouses can give each other. And the miniseries shows John, with his wife’s guidance, using his offices to forward democratic ends, not his personal needs.
What a relief! Thank you, John and Abigail Adams and HBO, for providing TV viewers with a portrait of a real union that’s not defined by cheating and remorse. Adultery, it seems, is a requisite for political marriage these days. Most notably, Eliot Spitzer was forced into a confession earlier this month.
With the disclosure of infidelity by Spitzer’s replacement, David A. Paterson, and with the re-emergence of the 2004 McGreevey scandal amid tales of a threesome involving the former New Jersey governor, his wife, and an aide, the tri-state area seems to be leading the trend.
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is doing his part for the Motor City, too: Kilpatrick was charged with perjury on Monday for denying an extramarital affair with a co-worker under oath. There have been others.
All this deceit recalls the classic reality-TV melodrama that unfolded late last month on Fox’s lie-detector series “The Moment of Truth.” A so-called ordinary woman from New Jersey named Lauren Cleri sat calmly before her sweet husband — oh, and millions of TV viewers, too — and confessed to adultery and passion for another man. She came clean for money, of course.
Midway through its run, “John Adams” is a welcome reminder that even in public life, a true partnership can have great power. There’s nothing turgid about the Adams’ union, which stands in contrast to HBO’s usual fictional roster, focusing lately on adultery (“In Treatment”) and even polygamy (“Big Love”).
When it comes to political marriages, there’s nothing like the ongoing saga of Bill and Hillary Clinton. But unlike the Adamses, the Clinton marriage continues to be like something straight out of reality TV.
When Bill began to campaign so sloppily for Hillary in January, he raised the odd suspicion that he was trying to undermine her, consciously or subconsciously. Why was that speculation so inviting? They just don’t make a convincing team.
OK, so the Adamses were wed some 250 years ago, long before the days of media hyper-scrutiny, our Jerry Springer-ized culture, and Fox, the network that delights in defaming marriage with “Temptation Island” and “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?” Tawdriness had not yet become a ratings grab.
Still, “John Adams” is a welcome sign at this juncture of how marriage and public life can truly work out.
