Prescience

By necessity, I've had to curb my news intake since the election. I used to read BBC news every morning, and always had NPR on when I was working in the kitchen, but since every day brought new horrors as Cabinet choices were announced, I've cut down drastically. I read and listen enough to stay informed, make my donations, and practice peace and tolerance.

I work at home, and sometimes it gets pretty quiet. Because I was no longer listening to NPR all the time, I thought maybe a Netflix series would make good background watching/listening. I had watched The Crown twice, so the bar was fairly high, and then I remembered The West Wing. The first four seasons portrayed the wonderful kind of fantasy world that I liked to imagine represented the Obama administration - caring, intelligent, thoughtful people always trying to do the best for their country. And then I came to the end of season four.

I had completely forgotten about John Goodman as House Speaker Walken, who becomes President when President Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) invokes the 25th Amendment. President Walken is a bully, ready to wage war and bulldoze everything that Bartlet's team has accomplished. We see him arriving at the White House as a dark, looming shadow, then striding confidently into the Oval Office. He takes over, saying, "Now, I thought you all had some good ideas, but somebody ought to make it clear to the people in this room that someone is in charge." 

Soon after, President Walken says, "I'm going to blow the hell out of something, and God only knows what happens next." 

I could only play a few episodes of season five before my imagined similarities of life after January 20, 2017 became too much for me. It looks like I'll be giving Stranger Things a try. Your suggestions for other good series to watch are welcomed!