The series began with a bang! Its first episode was called The Crowd and it centered on the argument that the crowd at Trump’s inauguration day was the biggest ever. People where a little bemused because the show had been sold as a reality tv drama (the producers really couldn’t make up their minds as to whether it was drama or reality tv), but that first episode got everyone laughing instead.
Then in a one two punch fashion came The Muslim Ban. In it people from some Muslim countries were not allowed to travel to the US. The government used code words like “national security” as the excuse to justify the ban. The scenes filmed at the airports were without a doubt the most heart-wrenching, and the ratings went through the roof as soon as the show hit C-SPAN, which had gone on a bidding war with Netflix and came out on top obtaining the rights to broadcast the series.
Audiences made a mental adjustment back to drama when The Muslim Ban came out, but eventually, this reality tv flick settled as a dramedy in most people’s minds. It was truly painful to watch, but viewers had no choice because the laughs it provoked were well worth it. Everyone was hooked. All it had taken was two episodes.
Charlottesville followed. It described the homegrown terrorist exploits of an alt-right rally whose climax was the murder of a protester by a white supremacist who ran his car into a crowd. Yes, we all wished we hadn’t seen that episode, but what choice did we have? The internet exploded with videoclips of tv viewers witnessing the crime. Glen's death in The Walking Dead had nothing on Charlottesville.
The lure of #Trumpgate had become too powerful. Even though by then many would have wanted the show to end, there would be no light at the end of this not-so-presidential tunnel. Some economic pundits remarked that popcorn sales in the commodities markets had perked up.
Then along came Russia. This one was broken down into a few episodes and introduced archenemy (at least that’s what Trump considered him) Robert S. Mueller, flanked by his team of highly trained attack dogs. The episode involved a rigged election and a mystery girl who came in from the cold. Her name was as confusing as it was musical: Collusion. While the president never said these words, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Collusion,” poll after poll indicated that most of the population believed Ms. Collusion’s involvement in the presidential election of 2016 was a foregone collusion, strike that- conclusion.
Show viewers everywhere began to think that Russia, which alone extended over some 14 episodes, would never come to an end. It was later discovered that the writing team had developed such a convoluted storyline that the show somehow took a life of its own even to the point of beginning to write itself. One writer, who requested to remain anonymous for lack of authorization to discuss the Russia episode, stated that from episode 7 on, all they could do was watch how “the darn thing started to write itself” leaving them baffled and dejected, mere accessories to the tyranny of what they had thought was top pop entertainment for the masses. By episode 21, they had come up with a plan to rein in Russia. They succeeded although many doubted about any real, long term handle on the matter.
However, the talented writers of this darn dramedy had a few more cards up their sleeves. No one was really expecting anything close to the fascination and exhaustion provoked by the Russia episodes. Yet, surpassing expectations beyond their wildest dreams, the writers didn’t skip a beat and immediately launched Rocket Man. It set a new viewing record for primetime tv. On C-SPAN!
In a speech delivered before the UN and for all the world to hear, Trump said “Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.” Yikes! That surely got Rocket Man’s attention. His regime had been aggressively testing nuclear weapons as well as mid and long range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Kim Jong-un responded in kind by calling Trump “a mentally deranged dotard” and saying that “a scared dog always barks louder.” People all around the world debated which of the two leaders would prevail in a sumo wrestling match. “Rocket Man, obviously!” said Elton John when asked.
While this exchange may have caused concern in many, especially South Koreans, it wouldn’t be the end of the story between the two leaders. Sources said that Rocket Man and Orange Man, as audiences fondly began calling the US president, will seat down to partake of select eastern and western delicacies in the not so distant future while discussing world peace and prosperity. Apparently, not all is hopeless, although Hope Hicks will be missing the affair.
In spite of the exhaustion caused by all that binge watching, primetime audiences all over the world remained faithful and the ratings kept steady for #Trumpgate. It was at this point that discussions about how the show would come to an end began. The writers were in agreement that the sooner the better. The show had accomplished way more than they had hoped for. It was truly the talk of the town. It had started with promise, according to some, but now plans for a second season were being discussed at C-SPAN HQ.
The writing team started considering ideas for a grand season finale. They candidly argued about what could possibly get them higher ratings than Russia and Rocket Man. Ideas were truly hard to come by and then again they were not. They took a long hard look at the protagonist’s profile and once again inspiration happened. The idea just hit them like a truck!
Forget Russia, that ancient, cold and distant foe. Forget Rocket Man and his megalomaniacal nuclear ambitions. The writers sketched the backstory- a porn star, a pre-election affair and money to keep it all under wraps. Just the right ingredients. Some of the writers said that the entertainment value of this episode would be unprecedented even for a storied network like C-SPAN. Others were more pragmatic and simply said that this was just the logical conclusion to such an ill-fated protagonist. But they all saw fit to call the last episode of #Trumpgate Stormy Daniels.
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| "It's a bit stormy!" |
