Impeachment: American Crime Story premiere recap: Exiles

Impeachment: American Crime Story has finally premiered after what has been a fairly long wait. I think I’ve been writing about it for the past couple of years, but it’s finally here, and it is exactly what I was hoping for. Like the past two seasons, Ryan Murphy gives us a history lesson on one of the most scandalous things to happen in the White House.

The Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton scandal caused quite the uproar in the political world and shook us to our core. Some of you may remember the nitty-gritty details, and some may not have any idea what all of this was. Luckily, Murphy tells the story with the real Monica Lewinsky by his side as an executive producer.

She had a say in all parts of the series, and it’s safe to say it’s being told just how she remembers it. Whether or not you believe it, watching this story unfold with Murphy’s creative genius is going to be quite a wild ride. I can’t wait to see how the season progresses, and with that, let’s get right into the major moments of the Impeachment: American Crime Story premiere.

Impeachment: American Crime Story premiere recap: The end is the beginning

The episode starts in January 1998 with Monica (Beanie Feldstein) getting ready to move to New York City when asked to meet up by Linda Tripp (Sarah Paulson). It seems like a harmless lunch date, but in reality, the whole meet-up was a ruse to get Monica alone.

Linda shows up with FBI agents in tow, and it is quickly obvious that Monica’s affair with the President has now become public knowledge. The FBI agents take Monica away, and as they arrive in the room and try to put Linda in a different room, Monica demands that Linda be forced to watch because of what she’s done to her.

If you know how the events took place back then, you will know what brings us to this point. I won’t give anything away, but trust me when I say it gets wild.

There is a time jump back to July 1993, where we catch Linda working as the counsel in the White House, and she bumps into her boss Vince Foster (Matthew Floyd Miller). He seems frazzled and out of it, and just a bit later in the episode, we see him commit suicide.

The next day is a chaotic mess for Linda and also a turning point for Linda’s career…

Impeachment: American Crime Story premiere recap: Paula Jones

Another time jump brings us to 1994, where we meet Paula Jones (Annaleigh Ashford) and her actor husband (Taran Killam) and learn about her connection to Bill Clinton. She, too, had an unfortunate encounter with him in a hotel room where he asked her to come to speak with him. Now that story has been printed in a magazine article, and her husband is livid.

She claimed that he was trying to kiss her, but she pulled away, after which he exposed himself in front of her. She seems very traumatized and wants an apology from the President. And along with that, Paula would love it if they could hook her husband up with an acting role on a show called Designing Women. The Clintons know the show’s creator, and Paula wants to use that to her advantage to make a deal.

It’s not easy suing the President, but perhaps making a deal could be the way to go, but that would come at a cost, according to Paula’s lawyer. She’d need to get into the public eye and share her story–however embarrassing it may be.

Linda tells her story at a press conference, stating that the President made “unwanted sexual advances” towards her but didn’t provide many details. The press doesn’t take her story very well and begins questioning every aspect of it. And can we blame them? She barely shares any details and wants them to take her for her word.

But while the press in the room doesn’t believe what Paula has to say, Ann Coulter (Cobie Smulders) sees an opportunity. They could use Paula as a means to get Bill Clinton caught in a lie while under oath. Ann and her fancy lawyers meet with Paula and convince her to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton.

Impeachment: American Crime Story premiere recap: Linda’s plans

Linda begins to write a tell-all book and tries to hint to her literary agent, Lucianne Goldberg (Margo Martindale), that Bill Clinton has been having affairs. Lucianne brushes it off because those stories are common, and to get it to sell, Linda would need to put her name on the cover.

Sadly, things for Linda take a tragic turn when she gets booted from the White House and given a position in the Pentagon. Apparently, that’s a death sentence because it puts you at a far distance from the activity. And it’s all thanks to Kathleen Willey (Elizabeth Reaser), who clearly messed around with Clinton to get Linda’s job.

We move forward to 1996 when Monica Lewinsky shows up to work in the department Linda works in, who is currently trying to gather intel for her tell-all book. Kismet was on Linda’s side because the more she got to know Monica, she soon realized that Monica was having an affair with the President. It was quite literally what she was hoping to find out, and now she has it.

The episode ends with Linda celebrating her luck and Monica returning home to answer a phone call from the President himself…

Let the drama begin!

What did you think of the Impeachment: American Crime Story premiere? Tell us in the comments below!