Original subtitles

(crowd applauding)

(dramatic music)

- Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your new president.

(audience applauds)

And her husband.

(audience laughs) - [james] oh, thomas.

(audience applauds)

(dramatic music)

- Congratulations, james.

Enjoy this.

It's your turn now.

- Thomas.

(dramatic music)

Sure you're all right with this, dolley?

- Well, mr. President,

It would be a little bit late in the day if I were not.

- Serious, dolley, there is so much to do.

- I know.

(audience applauding)

But here's what's gonna happen.

You're gonna focus on being the best president

This country has ever seen,

And I'm gonna look after everything else.

I mean, you practically invented the united states, jimmy.

(audience applauding) (dramatic music)

There is no challenge we can't overcome together.

(audience applauds) (dramatic music)

(dolley laughs) (james laughs)

(dramatic music)

(cutlery clinking)

(dramatic music)

- [melinda] what's a girl gotta do around here

For a glass of water?

- Melinda?

(melinda laughs)

- Put me down.

- I received your message,

But I didn't dare believe it could be true until now.

- When we reach 1809,

Thomas jefferson is packing up the white house

Heading back to monticello, retiring.

- Our star-crossed lovers, john and melinda,

Have maintained their relationship.

But as the jefferson presidency ends,

Something great happens for them.

Melinda, she's been freed.

- Finally, we can get married, be together.

What is it?

John?

- Well, now that mr. Madison's going to be president,

Mr. Jefferson wants to leave washington

And head back to monticello.

He wants me to go with him.

- But I just got here.

How long you gonna be gone?

- Forever. - What?

- I wrote him letters, melinda, begging him,

Asking him to grant me my freedom

So I could go back to washington,

But he says I'm too important.

- Well, that's that then.

We ain't going to be married

And we never going to have a family.

- [john] hush.

- The laws of virginia said that you could not live there

As a free african american.

So melinda is banned from ever returning to the state.

- Melinda.

- Do you understand?

Okay, thank you.

- [jesse] the second jefferson leaves washington d.C.

And takes john freeman with him back to monticello,

They will be separated again

With possibly no chance of ever being together.

(tense music)

- Easy there, boy.

(tense music)

Careful with that, freeman.

It's fragile scientific equipment.

Drop that and there will be trouble.

- That's the last of it, sir.

I just have my own belongings to fetch.

- Well, hurry it along.

The day is pressing.

- Mr. Madison.

I mean, president madison.

(suspenseful music)

- [thomas] you can put your trunk down, freeman.

You won't be needing it.

- I'm sorry, sir.

Ain't we in a hurry?

- I am.

Look after yourself, james.

And don't be too hard on mr. Freeman here.

He is both loyal and gifted,

Qualities you will need.

(gentle music)

- He didn't tell you, did he?

- Tell me what?

- Your ownership has passed to me.

You will give me the best six years of your working life.

- Six years?

And what then?

- Well, when mr. Jefferson bought you,

You came with a stipulation

That you would be freed in the year 1815.

Your previous owner, mr. Baker,

Insisted that that clause be honored.

And mr. Jefferson concurs.

- [leigh] so there's a bill of sale from thomas jefferson

To james madison,

And john freeman is listed as being sold for $230.

A horse is listed as being sold for $200.

(lively music)

- James.

I've left you something in my office.

(lively music)

- Come, freeman, let us go back inside the house.

(lively music)

(hooves clopping)

- Thomas jefferson and james madison

Are probably the closest

And most effective political partnership

In united states' history.

And so thomas jefferson looks at james madison

As the natural successor to his presidency.

- [thomas] dear james.

The british are stirring once again,

A war is coming.

(tense music)

Let this beast be a reminder that when the time comes,

We must bear our teeth.

Thomas.

- When madison enters office,

The united states is in a trade war with great britain,

And what is becoming more and more clear

Is that the united states

Is going to have to confront great britain.

(water sloshing)

- Utter, utter bastards.

- Jimmy. - Boots on our neck.

Snatching our citizens, strangling trade.

- The british start to impress american merchant men

Into the british navy,

Which is an incredible insult to the united states.

They were seizing american sailors on the high seas,

Forcing them to serve on british ships.

They were interfering with american trade.

- Well, what will you do?

- The only thing we can do.

Stand up to the british and hope they back down.

- And if that doesn't work?

- Then we must prepare for battle on the seas

And in congress.

- [dolley] I don't follow.

- Some of the senators are baying for war,

Others are demanding peace.

But to stand any chance against the british,

We will need all their votes

To raise money for ships, weapons, and troops.

They would rather fight each other and me

Than agree on anything.

(tense music)

- Then we must unite them

In a single common cause they can't deny.

- Which is?

- America.

We came together once before to defeat the british.

Surely, we can do it again.

- No things were simpler then, dolley.

Back then, there were no political parties,

Backstabbing, point-scoring.

And it is not just the federalists who want to see me fail,

I have enemies within my own party.

(tense music)

- Then we must keep them all close.

Your friends and your enemies.

- How?

- Here.

This place.

I will make this great wide mansion the answer

To all your prayers.

We will invite everyone.

We will wine them, dine them, charm them,

And turn them to our side.

(gentle music) (water sloshing)

I will create events that no one will want to miss.

That will go down in legend.

(gentle music)

Trust me.

They don't stand a chance.

(lively music)

- When dolley opens the house in March of 1809,

She gets started right away.

What she did, along with benjamin henry latrobe,

Is renovated or redo the white house.

- The country's hungry, war's brewing,

President jefferson's french tastes aren't the fashion.

We need a new american spirit.

- Of?

- Vigor, vigor.

American vigor.

- There were no two better people than dolley madison

And benjamin henry latrobe.

I think they had gusto.

They were very deliberate about the americanness of this,

Furniture, argand lamps, things like that,

Were american-made.

It's important to understand the white house

As a kind of virginia gentry house on steroids.

These houses were indeed places for families,

But also places of business and social status.

- You know what to say?

- Well, sure, we only went over it 100 times.

- [catherine] john freeman is promoted to butler,

Which is a very prestigious position.

- And he's desperately trying to come up with a solution

To ensure that his fiance, melinda, will stay in washington.

- This could be our one and only chance, melinda.

- I know.

You can stop fussing.

(tense music)

- Ah, melinda.

Come.

Now, freeman says we could use you.

Though he would say that, we all know why.

Now I already have a seamstress,

I'm not sure I need another.

Are you good?

You have brought something to show me?

(tense music)

(clock ticking)

You did this yourself?

- Yes, mrs. Madison.

- That's good.

Very good.

You can start immediately.

- Oh, sweet jesus.

I thought I was gonna be sick

All over your beautiful carpet.

I'm sorry, mrs. Madison.

And thank you.

You won't regret this.

(lively music)

- Unless there's something else, freeman, you can go.

There's a party to prepare for, is there not?

- What she did, along with benjamin henry latrobe,

Is concentrated on just public spaces.

They flood these spaces with light,

So when you walked in, you were absolutely dazzled.

(lively music)

- Dolley begins to hold parties that she calls her squeezes

Because they're so packed.

People love them so much.

- You would find diplomats, you would find senators,

Congressmen, members of the cabinet.

- If you needed to talk to somebody

And you didn't know quite how to do it,

If you wanted a job in government,

If you needed an introduction,

Madison was there at dolley's squeezes every Wednesday.

(lively music)

- Madame.

(lively music)

- Are you all right, jimmy?

- The federalists up north are calling me a warmonger

Hell bent on dragging us into conflict with the british.

And the war hawks in my own party are accusing me

Of being too weak to lead us into battle.

- Then tonight we must sway the doubters,

Make them see

That you are the only man fit to lead the party

And unite the nation against the british.

- Fine words, dolley.

But there are some who don't give a damn about unity.

- Henry clay. - Henry.

- Mrs. Madison.

You look radiant.

As does the house.

I should send my wife to you,

Have her see how it's really done.

Mr. Madison, mr. Monroe, last of a breed.

Founding fathers grown old and gray.

- Senator clay.

- War is upon us, mr. President,

Even if it has not yet been declared.

Do you even have the energy to guide this nation

Through these troubled waters?

Did you ever?

America can win this war.

But can mr. Madison?

- Henry clay is from a younger generation.

He has no personal part

In the revolutionary experience or the founding.

- Mm-mm.

Leave him to me.

- James madison wants congress to be preparing for war.

But henry clay and the war hawks in congress

Seem to be pushing madison to war

Faster than madison thinks the united states

Is prepared for war.

(lively music)

- Senator clay.

Excuse me, miss,

Would you mind if I borrowed the gentleman from kentucky?

(lively music)

- Hmm.

(gentle music)

Wow.

Everyone loves mrs. Madison.

- That's because mrs. Madison loves everyone.

- [henry] hmm.

- I've heard you are a gambler.

- On occasion, it's true.

- I've heard that you once won $40,000,

But only took $500 and waived the remainder of the debt.

Is it true?

- Well, now that depends

On whether it makes you like me better or less.

- Huh.

Gambling is amusing,

But I prefer certainty, loyalty.

- Aha.

You want me to bend the need to your husband?

- Is that so hard?

- I'd fall to my knees for you

But you are not the president.

- It is a shame that you doubt

The vitality and resilience of a man

Who has proved himself time and again

To be one of the finest men

In the history of our young nation.

- Time claims us all.

(tense music)

- I'm disappointed, mr. Clay.

- [henry] hmm? - I was told

You were a clever man capable of looking beyond the surface.

Clearly, I was mistaken.

- Well, set me straight now.

Come on, tell me what I've got wrong, I'm all ears.

(tense music) (attendants chattering)

- Excuse me.

(gentle music)

- [carol] dolley discovers

That henry clay likes to take snuff,

And so does she.

- Ladies first.

(dolley chuckles)

(gentle music)

(dolley sniffs)

- Snuff is a tobacco product.

You sniff it like a drug.

She shares her snuff box with henry clay.

It is duly noted,

And some wonderful source compares it

To some kind of peace offering from a tribe.

- Look around you, senator.

Tell me, what do you see?

- Politicians.

- I see everyone.

Northerners, southerners, virginians, new englanders,

Federalists and republicans.

Everyone who matters assembled here by my husband.

(dolley sniffs)

(tense music)

(henry sniffs)

The time for petty political grievances is over.

We must stand together or the british will defeat us.

And you do want us to defeat the british, don't you?

- You doubt my patriotism?

- [dolley] then I can tell my husband

He has your support, mr. Clay?

- Huh, I'll think on it.

(lively music)

(henry sniffs)

(lively music)

- How did it go?

- He's thinking on it.

Sorry.

Give me time, I'll win him round.

- You could describe james and dolley madison

As one of the earliest power couples in us history.

Dolley madison loves to be at the heartbeat of us politics,

And james madison tries to cultivate a persona

Of a philosopher statesman,

But he's not as good with the social aspects

Of being president.

(dolley laughs)

(ambassador speaks french)

- We have always been grateful to the french nation

For your assistance in the revolutionary war.

- Oui.

- It is our hope that your forces will tie down the british

In the coming battle.

- (speaks french) I mean, yes, yes (speaks french).

- If you will excuse me, mr. Ambassador,

I must go and refresh myself.

(lively music)

(footsteps approaching)

(dolley sniffs)

Ambassador, you forget yourself.

(ambassador speaks french)

Get off.

(ambassador speaks french)

- Argh.

(dolley panting)

If you're the best the France can offer,

Then napoleon's in trouble.

(ambassador groaning)

- I've thought about it.

- [dolley] and?

- I don't ever want you as my enemy.

Your husband has my backing.

- Clever boy.

Now let's go do to the english what I just did to him.

(henry speaks french)

(lively music)

- Defeat after defeat.

The british are laughing at us.

They think our army and our president are weak.

- The british have landed in benedict.

It looks like they're fixing to head our way.

- The people fear a return to british rule in america.

- James, please.

I need you.

The nation needs you.

(gun fires)

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