Why the Kennedys hate “The Kennedys”: Episode 4

Now we’re getting to the good stuff. Episode 4 is chock-full of mobsters, drugs and the first hints of the Cuban Missile Crisis. And Frank Sinatra, played by a guy (Chris Diamantopoulos) who looks even less like Old Blue Eyes than Ray Liotta. Didn’t think that was possible.

(Note: Major spoilers ahead for Episode 4 of The Kennedys.)

— The first scene, set during the 1960 campaign, shows Joe being escorted by Sinatra to a meeting with Chicago mob kingpin Sam Giancana. Joe is trying to drum up support for Jack’s campaign, knowing that Giancana can deliver the union vote and pretty much ensure Jack a victory in the much-desired Windy City. Giancana blows Pa Kennedy off, but Sinatra steps in later and implicitly says that if Giancana helps Kennedy win, then the future administration would be most grateful. This comes back to bite everyone involved in a major way.

— We go from the mob to drugs. They are of the legal kind — methadone, prednisone, gabapentin, hydrocortisone, just to name a few polysyllabic kinds — and they were prescribed to battle the president’s Addison disease. But Jack is still in pain, and is seen nearly pleading with a doctor to give him even more. Jack eventually brings in a new physician, Dr. Max Jacobson, who supplied the president with shots of amphetamines, which were not yet illegal. Jacobson is known in history by another name — one that must have sounded appealing to a certain late ’80s/early ’90s hair band — Dr. Feelgood.

— Jackie spends the episode as the mopey mom, pining over lost time with her children. Every social obligation that tears her away from Caroline and John Jr. is like a small knife puncturing her soul. Forgive the purple prose description, but that’s kinda how it plays onscreen. At the end of the episode, having seen Jack deal with his troubles through medication, she enlists the help of Dr. Feelgood herself.

— It’s not all bad news for Jack. He definitely gets points for appointing the first black Secret Service officer (even though he still calls him a “Negro,” which modern ears might still have a tough time adjusting to), and he does so despite the objections of other members of the service, who let’s not forget, are called to take a bullet for him if necessary. Not the crowd you want to antagonize. Abraham Bolden would go on to an fascinating, controversial career in the Secret Service, and it’s to the series’ credit that it includes him. It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here.

To end, let me just get this off my chest. People can bring up the Camelot comparisons all they want, and many of those are valid. But The Kennedys, seen in a more modern context, really evokes The Godfather more than anything. Call it The Corleones. Beyond the ostensible mob overtones, there is Jack, who as the reluctant son taking control of the family business lines up well with Michael; Jackie is embarrassingly spot on for Kay, the idealistic outsider who keeps getting pushed out of her husband’s affairs; Bobby is not a hothead like Sonny, but he’s definitely the enforcer; and Joe fills two roles, as Vito, of course, but by the end of Episode 4, when the fallout from the Sinatra-Giancana mess forces his sons to push him out, he’s Tom Hagen.

Outside the family, Frank Sinatra acts more like Johnny Fontane than the tough-guy crooner who became an icon. Papa Joe condescendingly calls him “Francis,” and excoriates him during a private meeting after finding out about his private deal with Giancana. When Sinatra tries to bring up how much he did for Jack’s campaign, Joe coldly answers, “You didn’t do a damn thing! You sang some songs.” I could almost see Marlon Brando grabbing Al Martino’s wrists and screaming, “You can act like a man!”

Check back Thursday night for an Episode 5 rundown. And, in case you missed them, here are the rundowns for Episodes 1 & 2, and 3.