User Reviews

I am really disappointed in Viola's portrayal of Michelle Obama. A dynamic and vibrant First Lady is being portrayed as a sourpuss and a very belligerent woman. I'd skip over her parts but it's like a train wreck, I just have to watch to see how bad it's going to be. This episode was especially notable in the lip-pursing department - just awful and comical at the same time. I just don' t understand how an Oscar winner and normally a terrific actress can make such a mess of this role. I'm almost embarrassed for her.

Anderson and Pfeiffer are excellent and making their First Ladies very interesting. I can't say I've learned anything new about the women but that's the writing not the actors.

As for the men, the only one worth singling out is Sutherland who is going a great job of showing the dynamic personality of FDR as well as he and Eleanor's relationship.

First of all, my favorite parts of this series are those involving Eleanor Roosevelt. We see her being a consistent force in the country, often doing the dirty work for her disabled husband. There is also the tension between her and her lover. The Obama stuff is just too recent and, for the last time, Viola Davis's husky, in your face demeanor doesn't work. She looks like she could pick Barack up and throw him against the wall. But this episode is most striking in its portrayal of Betty Ford's addictions. The intervention scene is utterly gripping and sad. Michelle Pfeiffer is stunning.

"Rift" episode 9 of season one of "Showtime's" anthology "The First Lady" was one raw and tough episode that looked at how each three of these first ladies dealt with tense times during their husband's terms. Eleanor seems strong and supportive when she helps Franklin deal with WW II while she seems to lose her female reporter friend. Meanwhile Gerald Ford out of office and living in retirement in sunny beautiful Palm Springs, California comes to terms with his kids and family to help former first lady Betty(in a fine turn from(Michelle) deal with her addiction. And finally you see Michelle take to the campaign trail in 2016 for Clinton as she's determined to help knock Donald Trump off, only Michelle feels disappointed when Trump upsets Clinton and becomes president. Overall tough and brash tension filled episode as the acting from Pfeiffer and Davis is top notch and both are a pleasure to watch.