Episode 1 - Epidemic of Fear
Summary
Whether it’s Buddha, Moses, Jesus, or the Knights of the Round Table, the heroes in every mythic tradition undertake the same archetypal journey from departure through fulfillment and return.
Episode 2 - JFK: A New Look
SUMMARY
Cut down by an assassin’s bullet in 1963, John F. Kennedy’s presidency took on a mythic glow immediately afterward. Subsequent revelations, however, have shown the personal and political recklessness behind his carefully constructed persona.
Episode 3 - Assassination and Chaos
Summary
Coming in quick succession, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy left the nation reeling. The sense of chaos reached its climax that August at the Democratic convention in Chicago.
Episode 4 - Presidents in Crisis: Johnson Quits and Nixon Resigns
Summary
In 1968, growing opposition to the Vietnam War led President Lyndon Johnson to abandon his candidacy. Six years later, Richard Nixon’s presidency came undone by crimes and cover-ups involving the Watergate break-in.
Episode 5 - Diplomacy and Conspiracy
Summary
In 1972, President Richard Nixon did what none of his predecessors had dared to do: visit China, a Communist nation virtually closed to the West for nearly 25 years. But just two years later, his status as a statesman was damaged irreparably when scandal forced him from office.
Episode 6 - Ronald Reagan and the Rise of the Right
Summary
Combining personal charm, political savvy, and unwavering principles, Ronald Reagan left the White House as the most popular departing leader since polling began. As president, he led a sea change in American politics that outlasted his term in office.
Episode 7 - The Impeachment of Clinton
Summary
Rumors of extramarital affairs dogged Bill Clinton throughout his candidacy and followed him into the White House. They finally caught up to him after a liaison with intern Monica Lewinsky, which led to his impeachment and trial.
Episode 8 - First Ladies
Summary
From Eleanor Roosevelt to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 20th century saw the role of the first lady evolve from hostess and helpmate to influential advisor and policy advocate.
Episode 9 - Upstairs at the White House
Summary
Just how much privacy should we give presidents? History shows that the press kept some secrets that the American people probably deserved to know, but the question of “character” came to make almost everything fair game.
Episode 10 - Washington Scandals: Sex, Money, Power
Summary
Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, the press confined its reporting to financial improprieties and influence peddling. But in the ’70s, a bizarre incident involving a powerful congressman and a stripper flung open the door to politicians’ sex lives, and an FBI sting revealed the extent of corruption in Congress.
