TV on DVD Buzz

This week’s TV on DVD Season I am going through and doing wrap ups of is the two part Season 1/Inaugural Edition of the Commander in Chief series, which ended up canceled after the first season. Today’s wrap up is of the final disc, Part 2 Disc 4, which has three episodes and some bonus features.

“The Elephant in the Room” - The President is sick in this episode. Their is an airline pilot strike. The President has appendicitis and invokes the 25th Amendment. Since the Vice President resigned in the previous episode, Templeton was next in line as the temporary or permanent successor. They expected him to resign as Speaker of the House and allow the Senate Pro Temp to be President. Instead Templeton decides to take this opportunity to resign from the House, as it works well for his campaigning for the next Presidential election, especially since he can still remain Speaker even if he is no longer a voting representative in the House. The President’s surgery has some drama moments that seem kind of tacky and overdramatic for this show. As President, Templeton negotiates the pilot strike to end by calling a special Congress session. When the President resumes office she makes it clear to Templeton that she disapproved of how he mandated the end of the strike and feels that one of the best reason to run for President is to keep him out of office.

“Happy Birthday, Madam President” - In this episode it is the President’s birthday. In this episode she deals with a hostage crisis in Istanbul. Templeton talks with a political consultant to run his campaign for President and he tells Templeton he has to destroy the President’s viability to serve as President if he is to get elected. One of the hostages ends up shot on live television. Also in this episode they talk to Vice President candidates. She sends in a Delta Force team to deal with the hostage situation. She is not liking any of the possible Vice President candidates and actually asks her Chief of Staff, Jim, if he would be interested in being Vice President. The Delta team appears to have saved the hostages, but then they end up being attacked as they got the hostages out. Some of the Delta team died, but most of the hostages were rescued. In the end there is a birthday get together of the President’s old friends at the White House.

“Unfinished Business” - This episode begins with the President looking over possible options for the artist to paint her Presidential portrait. The speaker of the Illinois house of representatives dies and now it is possible for Illinois to ratify the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) and a chance for it to become an amendment to the Constitution. Templeton officially announces that he is running for President to help push the ERA news out of the spotlight. Templeton and the President lead a town hall type meeting about the ERA. The President decides to campaign by just doing her job. Her campaign speeches are to be only from the White House Lawn and she is limited campaign donations to $100 per person.

Bonus Feature: “A Conversation with Madame President” - Somewhat interesting short interview with Geena Davis including how before this show she never even considered doing an hour long television show because she had heard they are a lot of work.

Bonus Feature: “Deleted Scenes” - The deleted scenes includes “First Woman President” with Amy saying maybe she could be the first woman President, which comes from the first episode when Allen was considering resigning. The other deleted scenes are “Jim’s Loss,” “Missing Agents,” “Big Jump,” “Lock and Key,” “Keeping Busy,” “Snooping Templeton,” “Misguided Q & A,” “First Movie,” “Candy Corn,” “An Incident,” “The Bottom Line,” “Agenda,” “Family Matters,” “Strong Men,” “Dinner Bet,” “Spiked Drink,” “Chinese Finger Trap,” “A Present for Templeton,” and “Why Presidents Age.”

Bonus Feature: “White House Humor: Bloopers & Outtakes” - This is a pretty funny blooper reel with mostly the President making the bloopers. It includes one where she says she is drunk and one with the door not opening when she tries to go through it.

Bonus Feature: “Audio Commentary” - The audio commentary section has the “Pilot” episode and “The Elephant in the Room” episodes with commentary. The “Pilot” one is done by the show creator Rod Lurie and the other one is done by the writer/producer Dee Johnson.