Warning: Spoilers for White House Plumbers are in play. If you haven't seen the HBO miniseries just yet, you've been warned.
History nuts, fans of Veep, and anyone who just loves good television, you need to watch HBO’s White House Plumbers. A limited series offering on the 2023 TV schedule, the ensemble dramedy starring Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux covers the infamous Watergate scandal in a way that we’ve rarely seen before: as a farce that turns tragic. With its run wrapping recently, I’m ready to sing the praises of creators Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck’s short but sweet narrative project.
And yet, there’s one thing I wish the HBO miniseries had done differently, which also ties into the length of the story. It’s not a deal-breaker, as series is something that I could find myself revisiting from time to time. But as we’re about to discuss, I could have used a little more, particularly in one aspect of the story that isn't as extensively covered. To start things off, let’s go over why this new cable series hit is easy to love.
Why I Loved The White House Plumbers
Political history has always been a genre I’ve loved to see explored, in both fiction and non-fiction. Watergate, in particular, is a subject of interest to me, as the scandal that led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon was still somewhat recent event during the time that I grew up.
The fact that White House Plumbers took that subject and applied a satirical lens to deftly make light of such a heavy matter only made this series all the sweeter for me. What starts like a version of one of the greatest political debacles of the ‘70s told by the Coen Bros turns into a dour and tragic tale that ends in failure. That much is true when following the trajectory of the five installments that have just concluded.
The crew that was run by G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux) and E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) went from screw up to screw up, which eventually sees them all landing in jail. As far as the history and the attempted burglaries are concerned, I think the pacing worked out fine. However, there’s a piece of the puzzle that felt comparatively rushed, and I’d have liked to have seen it play out differently.
What I Wish HBO’s Watergate Dramedy Did Differently
For a series that focuses on the group of operatives that were the boots on the ground during Watergate, White House Plumbers seems to blaze through the fallout over the course of its final two installments. The series capper in particular, an episode entitled “True Believers,” streaks through the legal ramifications of The Plumbers in pretty brisk fashion.
Again, this isn’t something that I think kills the vibe of the series. However, had this particular matter been covered longer, this series could have been expanded to have either a longer single-season run, or maybe even one additional season. Five more episodes of White House Plumbers that extensively tackles the consequences that came after 1972’s Watergate break-in would have been spectacular and given the show time to breathe.
How The Fallout Of Watergate Could Have Been Given Some More Screen Time
The rough timeline of White House Plumbers saw the series run through events that spanned between 1971 and 1974. Ending with a scene where E. Howard Hunt learns of Richard Nixon’s resignation, the five-episode saga closes at a natural end point; though according to HBO’s White House Plumbers podcast, there were other moments drafted to be considered as the final say on the matter. My desire for more episodes isn't predicated on the show going past the Nixon administration but rather fleshing out the legal fallout of the break-ins that take place at the heart of the series.
If anything, there’s a possibility that HBO’s new kid on the political satire block could have altered its existing run to shift the fifth episode into a hypothetical second-season opener. With the story of episode 4, “The Writer’s Wife” ending with a massive cliffhanger involving Dorothy Hunt (Lena Headey), there was a perfect pivot point that could've launched into four more episodes. Those could've shown the downward spiral of The Plumbers in a more extensive manner.
Focusing On The Plumbers Was The Right Lens To Switch Up This Familiar Story
Having the right hook into a story is perhaps the greatest asset any creator could posses. This is especially important when one is covering the frequently trod ground of the Watergate scandal through a historical narrative, as you need to have a unique lens to even think of touching those events yet again. It's because of these fresh perspectives that I could have done with at least another episode or two more added to this show's total package.
Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck's satirical production is one of two recent series that has been able to do so, thanks to focusing on players that we don’t normally get to see as lead figures in Richard Nixon movies that discuss this watershed event. Much like the Starz series Gaslit, which saw the events of Watergate framed through the story of Martha Mitchell (Julia Roberts), the wife of President Nixon’s Attorney General, the show took familiar history and dug into the nooks and crannies. With such an oddball assortment of real-life characters at the forefront, and even more obscure figures becoming supporting characters, there were all sorts of events that came to light that seemed absolutely preposterous.
But as the weekly title cards would remind us, while the depiction of these events were dramatized for entertainment, they actually happened. Just as the White House Plumbers cast is full of fantastic acting talent, the story they were employed to help tell is loaded with incidents that feel too good to be true. Which just makes this series another great example of truth being stranger than fiction and also makes for this brief but beautiful trip through American history something I value for even existing. Even if i would've enjoyed a little more meat at the end of the bone.
Yes, I know that HBO fans are still coasting off of Succession’s quotable and fitting finale but, now that the Roy family’s antics have concluded some of you may be wondering what to do with your Max subscription. My suggestion is to let White House Plumbers fill that void temporarily, as all five episodes are now available to stream.
