City on a Hill 1.2 continued to develop Jackie's connection to the Kennedys. He joined the FBI, we learned, back in the 1960s, when RFK was Attorney General, and Jackie wanted to be part of his team. He lost his faith in politics after voting once for Jimmy Carter. And as a political marker of when the series is taking place, in 1992, we see a bit from Bill Clinton's "come-back kid" speech in New Hampshire. (Speaking today, when I watched this, our past Presidents all look like angels compared to what we've got now in the White House.)
I like the way Jackie's character is developing. His mother-in-law gets the call from the docs, telling her that Jackie has no venereal disease. She lies to him and tells him the docs said that he does. This forces Jackie to decline his wife's invitation to have sex that evening. With Jill Hennessy playing Jackie's wife Jenny, that really showed commendable restraint on Jackie's part. Jenny, not knowing why Jackie said no, thinking she's unwanted, is left upset and crying. Altogether one powerful scene.
Decourcy has a strong night, too. He admits he never knew MLK. He also admits that he lost his eye to cancer not his father. His no-compromise stance is actually reminiscent, in a way, of RFK.
No big action from the heist men in 1.2. Instead, we see the screws continuing to tighten on them. It's not easy being on the wrong side of the law, even in Boston in 1992. City on a Hill is roughly based on real Boston history. But I'm not looking on Wikipedia, because I want to be surprised.
Sterling acting, as I mentioned in my review of 1.1. I liked the second episode better than the first, always a good sign. Count on me, for what it's worth, to watch the entire season, and report back here with reviews of every episode.
See also City on a Hill: Possibilities
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