TV Miniseries Review: ‘White House Plumbers’: Pithy Watergate Lampoon Wobbles Slightly but Sticks the Landing

Michael Clark
Updated:

The new 5-part HBO miniseries “White House Plumbers” (“Plumbers”) opens with this text: “The following is based on a true story. No names have been changed because nearly everyone was found guilty.”

At the end of each episode, different riffs on this same pithy, tongue-in-cheek commentary are offered up, reiterating (where none was really needed) that we are watching a satire of one of the most embarrassing, self-sabotaging events in the history of American politics.

Also shown in the opening are the names of the director (David Mandel) and the writers (Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck). Either together or separately, these guys were staff writers on “The Larry Sanders Show,” “The Simpsons,” “Seinfeld,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “King of the Hill,” and “Veep.”

With little to no hesitation, I can say that if you liked any or all of the above TV shows, you will love “Plumbers.” On the flip side, if none of those shows worked for you, stop reading here; you’ll hate it.

Seriously?

Prior to directing “Dr. Strangelove,” Stanley Kubrick and his co-writer Terry Southern determined their adaptation of Peter George’s 1958 Cold War thriller “Red Alert” couldn’t be produced as the drama they had first intended, as it was too absurd. They decided satire was the only way to present the story, and they were beyond correct. Some events are just too ludicrous and far-fetched to be taken seriously.
Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux, L) and E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) are key players, in TV miniseries "White House Plumbers." (HBO Entertainment)
Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux, L) and E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) are key players, in TV miniseries "White House Plumbers." HBO Entertainment

In the half-century since the Watergate scandal, there have been over a dozen TV and feature films which directly or casually acknowledge it, the two most notable being “All the President’s Men” from 1976 and the “Gaslit” miniseries released last year.

While both of these productions were excellent for completely different reasons, they shared a great deal of content overlap; one was told from the perspectives of two Washington Post reporters, the other from the point of view of Martha Mitchell, the loose cannon wife of former Nixon administration U.S. Attorney General and convicted felon John Mitchell.

Collateral Damage

In “Plumbers,” Mandel and the writers do something no one has done before: They put emphasis not only on those that participated in the break-in, but also on events taking place long before Watergate went down, and the collateral damage inflicted on their families after the fact.

Included as secondary figures (or not at all) in all other Watergate-related productions, the principal characters in “Plumbers” are G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux) and E. Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson).

Liddy (ex-FBI) and Hunt (ex-CIA) were drafted by Nixon staffers to uncover dirt on both “Pentagon Papers” whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and his psychiatrist Lewis Fielding. Not only did the botched 1971 raid on Fielding’s California office by Liddy and Hunt yield nothing of political value, it made it clear the pair had no clue what they were doing.

Ex Marks the Man

Being labeled as an “ex” in any three-letter government-spy organization is not a good sign. If “retired” or “former” indicates leaving on favorable terms, that’s OK. “Ex” (as implied here) means one was fired and/or let go because of incompetency. Both Liddy and Hunt more than fit that description. Each was a gung-ho Nixon supporter and would do anything to “help the cause,” which made them ideal experimental “lab mice” on a multitude of levels.

Mandel and the writers take their time in working up to Watergate. The entire first episode (and most of the second) is dedicated to the Ellsberg fiasco. Why exactly Nixon’s underlings thought failure should be rewarded with a future covert assignment is dumbfounding, but also somewhat clever. Putting them back into circulation on another assignment as coalmine canaries wasn’t a total misfire. Liddy and Hunt proved to be “company men” and each remained “radio silent” even after their capture, conviction, and beyond.

Dorothy Hunt (Lena Headey) plays an important part in series subplot. (HBO Entertainment)
Dorothy Hunt (Lena Headey) plays an important part in series subplot. HBO Entertainment
The standout performance in “Plumbers” comes from Lena Headey (“Game of Thrones”) as Hunt’s wife, Dorothy. A woman with her own covert past, Dorothy restricts herself to the sidelines and refrains from publicly offering advice or commentary. Hers is the most interesting and heartbreaking subplot of the entire series.

Pointless Exercise

While “Plumbers” offers up nothing previously unknown about Watergate, it does so from a different angle and through a lens that points out its overall comic uselessness. Nixon had a commanding lead in the lead-up to the 1972 election, and the final results confirmed it.

Watergate was a pointless exercise to prevent losing a race that was all but already won and that is the point here.

Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken, and if you attempt to do so, you deserve everything negative you get in return.

TV miniseries "White House Plumbers" gives a satirical twist to the Watergate breakin. (HBO Entertainment)
TV miniseries "White House Plumbers" gives a satirical twist to the Watergate breakin. HBO Entertainment
“White House Plumbers” debuts on HBO Max on May 1.
‘White House Plumbers’ Director: David Mandel Stars: Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Lena Headey, Judy Greer Running Time: 4 hours, 32 minutes TV Rating: TV-MA Release Date: May 1, 2023 Rating: 4 out of 5
Michael Clark
Michael Clark
Author
Originally from the nation's capital, Michael Clark has provided film content to over 30 print and online media outlets. He co-founded the Atlanta Film Critics Circle in 2017 and is a weekly contributor to the Shannon Burke Show on FloridaManRadio.com. Since 1995, Mr. Clark has written over 5,000 movie reviews and film-related articles. He favors dark comedy, thrillers, and documentaries.
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