Line #15 YMMV/JohnAdams


1	Note: these are for the the MiniSeries ''Series/JohnAdams'', not [[UsefulNotes/JohnAdams the president]] it is based on.
2
3	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Benjamin Rush is given so many lines singing Adams praise and stating his popularity with the people (despite much evidence to the contrary) that he can almost come off like an obsequious toady who Adams keeps around seemingly for the express purpose of flattering him - almost certainly not what was intended by the writers. They seemed to just be condensing many of Adams' friends into this one character, in truth Rush wasn't even present for (and, in some cases, even still alive for) many of the situations he's placed in.
4	* AluminumChristmasTrees: Yes, we do have Thomas Jefferson to thank for the swivel chair.
5	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klcVN-HhBL4 The opening]] is pure patriotic goodness, and sets the tone perfectly.
6	* FandomRivalry: With ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}''. Each work provoked an increase in interest and appreciation for its own often-overlooked historical figure but is extremely dismissive of the other's star character. ''John Adams'' portrays Hamilton as frivolous and out of touch, while ''Hamilton'' has the whole cast scoff at Adams without the man even making an appearance.[[note]]Lin-Manuel Miranda liked ''John Adams'', his favourite scene being Adams’ meeting with George III, but he tweeted an apology to fans of the series about how Adams is treated in the musical: "Y’all got a whole miniseries. Let us have this."[[/note]] This is largely a reflection of the very deep and genuine enmity between the two in real life, since there's really no way to tell a story from the perspective of one in which the other isn't regarded as, at most favourable, an absolute ass.
7	* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments:
8	** John's confession to Abigail upon their reunion in France that "My pen was silent not because you were absent from my thoughts, but because you were too much in them." Imagine - Abigail lived alone, raising her children, with her husband overseas, knowing next to nothing of what was happening there, with only occasional word from him - this must have eased a worry that has haunted her for months, if not years. And Laura Linney makes viewers feel every bit of it.
9	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1jhv6yG6_E "Rejoice! Rejoice, evermore!"]] After a lifetime of fighting and struggling and butting heads and fretting over what legacy he would leave behind, an aging John Adams finds himself at peace in his gardens and with his family. The revelation is such that it gets Adams, who at this point in his life is near-blind and frail, to once more call upon the fiery passion of his youth.
10	** After years of rivalry, political schism and bitterness between the two, Jefferson and Adams make peace and resume their friendship, albeit mainly by correspondence, in their twilight years.
11	* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome:
12	** Although American audiences may be somewhat prejudiced, the inauguration of President UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington feels this way. It's also {{subverted\|Trope}} in the immediate aftermath of the passage of the Declaration of Independence when it shows the delegates sitting silently in a room during a thunderstorm pondering the immensity of what they just accomplished.
13	** ''Liberty will reign in America!''
14	** While in France, Mr. and Mrs. Adams and Jefferson take in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB32OLW7suA one of the first balloon flights by the Montgolfier brothers]].
15	* NightmareFuel:
16	** Nabby's mastectomy. TruthInTelevision and ShownTheirWork, though they did tone down the horror a bit.
17	** The tarring and feathering of the British tax collector in the first episode. It's in no way played for laughs, is clearly shown to be incredibly painful, and Adams is just as horrified and disgusted as we are.
18	* OneSceneWonder: Tom Hollander as King George III. His total onscreen time is about six minutes and their dialogue consists almost entirely of ''extremely'' formal avowals of mutual respect, but he holds his own against Paul Giamatti.
19	* RetroactiveRecognition:
20	** Creator/StephenDillane (UsefulNotes/ThomasJefferson) after being cast as Stannis Baratheon in ''Series/GameOfThrones''.
21	** Creator/AndrewScott (William Stephens-Smith, Nabby's husband) went on to play [[Series/{{Sherlock}} Moriarty]].
22	* {{Squick}}: Do you hate needles? Heh, who doesn't? DEAL WITH IT. Be thankful you weren't born in the 1700's! Where instead of a ''little poke'', you get a ''crushed up infected BOIL shoved into an open wound''. And then probably die anyway. Not to mention the horrific implications of an early 19th century mastectomy!
23	* TearJerker:
24	** After knowing Abigail Adams the entire series her death and, especially, John's reaction to it makes us feel the loss that he felt after decades of her as his best friend and wife.
25	** Likewise the death of UsefulNotes/ThomasJefferson, even though the two of them had split apart for many years, the fact that he and Adams were two of the last great Founding Fathers and died on the same day reminds the viewers of the passing of an age. This is even sadder when you consider the day they both died: July 4, 1826. Fifty years to the day of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a document that Jefferson and Adams had a major role in writing.
26	** [[spoiler: John Adams disowning his own son, Charles, for drinking his life away. What makes it worse is that up to this point, during their final confrontation, John was speaking as a furiously disappointed father. Charles merely replied that [[NeverMyFault his father had been a curse on his life.]] Upon hearing this, John disowns Charles, and the latter is ''terrified'' at the thought, begging his father to show him mercy.[[note]] To be fair, the series has received criticism from historians for portraying their relationship in this manner, suggesting that it is highly inaccurate.]][[/note]]

Context YMMV / JohnAdams