What I’m Watching: American Crime Story: Impeachment

American Crime Story: Impeachment: Season 3, Episode 6 “Man Handled” (B+)

This was a clever episode title, and while there were other moments in this hour that felt unnecessarily exaggerated, it did compellingly convey the sensation of being trapped that Monica felt as she was repeatedly told things that weren’t really legal. There was also an interesting duo of the more relatable, seemingly nice Mike Emmick, played by Colin Hanks, and the bad cop Jackie Bennett, played by Darren Goldstein. The initial focus on what ties and books Bill and Monica gave each other seemed so specific and absurd, but that’s the nature of this whole investigation, which George Conway acknowledged didn’t constitute a high crime or even a misdemeanor. I did enjoy Cobie Smulders’ delivery of Ann Coulter saying that she understood why some cultures drown female infants after listening to the mundanity of the tapes. Monica did her best to escape her situation as Mike tried to force her to make incriminating calls right away, and her mother swooped in to help when she was able to call her. It was her father’s friend and lawyer, portrayed by the always fantastic Fred Melamed, who really helped change the dynamic and let Monica know it was okay to just walk out since they wouldn’t stop her. His insistence that he knew the hotel had a fax machine was among the most memorable moments of the hour, along with Monica running into Linda in the mail with plenty of shopping bags on her arms. Linda’s fury that Clinton dishonored the presidency makes her a fascinating character, one who is almost definitely not going to be looked at anywhere near as favorably as she believes.