In 2011, Reelz gave us The Kennedys and tonight at 9p, they continue their sad, cursed story in The Kennedys – After Camelot.
In June 1968, Robert F Kennedy was running for President and it looked like he was going to be the second Kennedy in the White House. A bullet cut that dream short. His wife, holds a vigil of his brain dead body refusing to pull the plug. Edward Kennedy (Matthew Perry) does everything in his power to try to get her do it, but he to cannot do it. Finally, Jackie Kennedy (Katie Holmes) is asked to do it and she does. I did not know that part of the story, so I Googled it to find out that is really what happened. The first many new things I learned about The Kennedys from this two part miniseries.
Now, that Bobby is dead. The only way for Camelot to continue is if Teddy takes his place and runs for President. He is not ready and his family is not ready for him to do it. Therefore, he decides not the run.
Meanwhile, Jackie is dating Aristotle Onassis and things are getting serious between them. He wants to marry her and he asks The Kennedys for their permission. While he asked her family, he didn’t ask his own and they don’t like her. They think she is just after his money. The married couple now spend time going back and forth between the US and Greece.
Back, in The States Ted Kennedy is married, but not faithfully. One night he meets Mary Jo Kopechne in Chappaquiddick and gives her ride back to the hotel even though he is drunk. His drives the car off of a bridge into the water and channel. She does not. He goes back to the hotel leaving her in the car. Everything he does next will destroy his Presidential dreams and haunt him the rest of his life.
The first part of the miniseries ends tonight with Teddy getting his wife to make a call to Mary Jo Kopechne’s parents trying to stop the autopsy and preserve his future. Next week, After Camelot concludes with how his whole life was ruined because of that night. While Jackie realizes the true love of her life was always her son.
What makes The Kennedys – After Camelot so intriguing, is this is not the story that is normally told about the Kennedys, usually it is only about the rise and falls to a bullet of John F Kennedy and his brother Bobby. The miniseries shows us how hard surviving the ’60s was for the Kennedys. It was even harder than losing two of them to assassinations. Because of that you want to see how Camelot really ended due to cancers and a plane crash.
