Wow, another great episode of John Adams on HBO with a brilliant performance by Paul Giametti in the title role. The plot: sent by the Continental Congress to Paris to negotiate French support of arms and ships for the revolutionary cause, John Adams is out of place with his straight forward New England ways and can't adjust to diplomacy with the French Court as Ben Franklin has. Ben Franklin, portrayed by Tom Wilkinson, understands the decadency of the Versailles and knows how to play to the Court's expectations of Americans. Dejected, Adams approaches the Dutch Government to procure a loan of 10 million dollars and is turned down because they view America as a bad credit risk.
The juxtaposition alone of the powdered, perfumed, French aristocracy next to the simple and inelegant Adams makes the episode worth watching. And...not to be missed is the attention to detail of the art direction particularly in the interior decoration of the Amsterdam scenes. It looks like something straight out of a Vermeer painting.
If you aren't watching the series now, you can sign up to buy the DVD on amazon as soon as it is released.
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