Jack & Bobby Review

I watched the first two episodes of Jack & Bobby, a new WB show about two brothers in present-day 2004, one of which will grow up to become president of the United States. The premise is pretty interesting and promising, and the pilot episode wasn't bad (though I had some gripes with it). But I thought the second episode was really good.

It may surprise some, but I was pleased when they showed Grace (their mom) chairing a college Democrats meeting, with everyone sporting Kerry/Edwards paraphernalia. To me, it was a foregone conclusion that a Hollywood-created political protagonist would be a Democrat, so I was glad that they were actually willing to give the characters substance and relevance (hey, it does take place in 2004). This stands in contrast to the remake of The Manchurian Candidate, which, though clearly hinting at the political parties of its characters, never actually went out and said it. Was still a good movie, however.

In any event, it turned out that despite the political persuasion of Grace's mom, Jack & Bobby did not present an unfair caricature of Republicans, and in fact even poked a little fun at the traditional anti-Republican bias in Hollywood. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I was very pleasantly surprised that after the college Democrats metting, it is revealed that some of the main characters turned out to be "axe murderers [Republicans] coming out of the closet", and there was reasonable and meaningful depiction of political, educational, and familial issues in this episode.

I'm hoping this series keeps up its promise, and doesn't degrade into another Dawson's Creek, as Roswell did. I recommend you try to catch reruns of the first two episodes, and watch the third episode next Sunday at 9 pm.