Series / The Comey Rule

"I expect loyalty."

The Comey Rule is a two-part Mini Series about the 2016 Presidential Election, specifically focused on former FBI Director James Comey and his role in countering foreign interference in the election, investigating Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as Secretary of State, possible ties between Russia and the campaign of Donald Trump, and navigating the political fallout following the latter's election. The show is based on Comey's memoir A Higher Loyalty.

The series is written and directed by Billy Ray and stars Jeff Daniels as James Comey, Brendan Gleeson as Donald Trump, Holly Hunter as Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, Michael Kelly as Assistant FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Scoot McNairy as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Peter Coyote as Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and Kingsley Ben-Adir as Barack Obama.

The show aired on September 27-28, 2020 on Showtime. Trailers can be seen here and here.

Tropes Associated with The Comey Rule include:

• Actor Allusion:
  • This isn't the first time Michael Kelly had to navigate political intrigue.
  • Jeff Daniels as a sanctimonious FBI agent whose personality impacts his ability to investigate a high-stakes espionage threat brings The Looming Tower to mind.
• Advertised Extra: Although Donald Trump's appearance was heavily touted in promotional material, he only physically appears in a few scenes in "Night Two".
• Affectionate Nickname: Comey is often referred to as "boss" by many who work closely with him. He's also called "Jim" by his family, friends and almost everyone he's on good terms with, including Obama and other heads of law enforcement.
• Awesome Aussie: Alexander Downer, the Australian Ambadassador who drinks with Papadopoulos, speaks with a distinctly ocker accent. In reality the former foreign minister has a more plummy register.
• Benevolent Boss: Comey is shown to care for his agents and subordinates, asking how they and their families and telling prospective agents to be close to their families.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Lisa Page is known to be abrasive towards her fellow agents in meetings but acts much more pleasant when her superiors are around. This has made her disliked by everyone on her team except Peter Strozk whom she is in a relationship with.
• Blatant Lies: Trump claims the media made up instances of bad behavior on his part such as his infamous mocking of a reporter's disability. We are then immediately shown the footage of him doing exactly that.
• Everyone Has Standards: McCabe has been a Republican all has life and has voted for every Republican Presidential candidate in the past. He did not, however, vote for Trump.
• Evil Is Petty: "Evil" is up for debate but the series makes clear that Trump is extraordinarily petty and takes any slight against him in the most personal way possible and reacts accordingly. Jeh Johnson even outright says he is driven solely by spite.
• The Fettered: Comey is portrayed this way. He follows the rules to a T and prefers not to let his personal life interfere with his profession.
• Foil:
  • James Comey and Rod Rosenstein are contrasted throughout the miniseries. Comey has strong convictions and tries to treat everyone as fairly as possible in service to the rule of law. Rosenstein, on the other hand, is more self-serving, sycophantic and willing to throw anyone under the bus to protect himself. This contrast is most clear when Comey is fired and he walks out to see a crowd of agents who've gathered to pay their respects. Intercut with this is the sight of Rosenstein walking alone and unable to make eye contact with people who glare at him with disdain.
  • Obama and Trump are also contrasted, particularly in their behavior towards Comey. Obama is affable yet professional towards Comey despite the latter being a Republican who admits to not voting for him and the two at least have a mutual respect for each other. Trump, on the other hand, tries to ingratiate himself to Comey with flattery and pampering, and then turns on him viciously when he thinks Comey has betrayed him.
• Framing Device: The series is presented as Rod Rosenstein giving an aide an inside perspective of the events depicted.
• Government Procedural: The series depicts the FBI's role in election security as well as the often contentious relationship between the Justice Department and the White House.
• Harmful to Minors: During his first meeting with Obama, Comey recounts a story in which he and his brother where robbed at gunpoint in their home by a crook who had been terrorizing the neighborhood. Comey was 16 at the time of the incident and was so traumatized that he slept with a butcher's knife under his pillow for years.
• Hero with Bad Publicity: Comey faces massive backlash from Trump's haters who blame his FBI investigation into Hilary Clinton for costing her the election.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Whenever Comey^note 6'8" in Real Life, played by 6'3" Jeff Daniels wearing two-inch lifts and Sally Yates^note 5'6" in Real Life, played by 5'2" Holly Hunter share a scene.
• Incriminating Indifference: In part 2, the US intel chiefs meet with the Trump Campaign to inform them of Russian agents using fake social media accounts to spread pro-Trump propaganda. After leaving the meeting, the intel chiefs note that the Trump Campaign wasn't particularly worried about the Russians trying to influence the election nor did they ask how to stop them from doing it again.
• It's All About Me: Trump tends to express everything in terms of how it relates to himself.
• Lady Swearsalot: Lisa Page provides the majority of the profanity.
• Large and in Charge: Comey. It's somewhat downplayed from real life as the real Jim Comey is a very striking 6'8. Jeff Daniels isn't quite as tall but does stand 6'3 with lifts making him even taller and has the same air of dignified authority.
• Manchild: Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson likens placating Trump to giving a child a lollipop before before giving them a flu shot and says that spite motivates every decision the man makes. Trump's justifications for firing Comey are pointed out by members of his own cabinet as coming across as very petty.
• Nice to the Waiter: Comey insists on standing in line at the FBI cafeteria, doesn't get offended when people don't recognize him, and treats his colleagues as friends. Rosenstein also says that Comey made a point to visit every FBI field office and is the type of person who'll remember someone's favorite candy bar and shake hands with janitors to thank them for their work before dismissing this behavior as "showboating".
• Oh, Crap!: During the inauguration, Trump asks Comey, who clearly did not want the spotlight on him, to take a picture together. Comey's wife and daughter, who are watching the inauguration on t.v. at home, recognize Comey's expression as his "oh shit" face.
• Politically Incorrect Hero: Lisa Page refers to the commissioner of baseball as "retarded".
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: In the end, Justin gives Rosenstein a thinly veiled put down, implying that the US government's institutions are strong enough to survive the disorder Rosenstein played a role in causing. Rosenstein briefly acknowledges this in a moment of self awareness.
• Rules Lawyer:
  • Comey is portrayed as being dedicated to the rules and procedure of the FBI to a fault, in contrast to Trump, who will gladly ignore such norms if they get in his way.
  • Despite Comey being fired, McCabe allows him to return home in the FBI jet. He defends this decision by pointing out that Comey was on FBI business when he was fired, it would not be deemed a misuse of bureau funds and Comey would be in potential danger if he drove in a car. Trump isn't pleased with this decision even though nothing illegal was done and he goes as far as insulting McCabe's wife to show his displeasure.
• The Scapegoat:
  • The series makes the argument that Hilary didn't run her campaign the best way she could have despite being more qualified for the job than Trump. Despite this, we see people blaming Comey for costing her the election. Part 2 opens with Youtube artist Jonathan Mann's "Fuck You James Comey" song and two people at the Women's March blame Comey for Hilary losing the election.
  • Rosenstein is forced to take the blame for writing the memo to fire Comey even though it was entirely Trump's idea.
• Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: James Comey is an idealist who believes that the rule of law will always act as a safeguard for society. His colleagues and subordinates are more cynical, knowing that the dirty game of politics will try to subvert justice, but still dedicate themselves to enforce the law as best they can. Donald Trump is presented as the counterpoint to Comey, someone who seeks to manipulate and ignore the rules for his own ends.
• Smug Snake: Rod Rosenstein is introduced making snide remarks about James Comey and further depicted as someone who'll follow the prevailing winds to ensure his own survival.
• Somebody Doesn't Love Raymond: As stated by Jeh Johnson, Trump doesn't mind if half the country hates him but takes it very personally if one person insults him. His reasons for firing Comey as director of the FBI seem motivated by feeling personally slighted by Comey whom he thinks has betrayed his loyalty.
• Taught by Television: Trump tells Comey he prefers to listen to "TV people" over his own advisors:
  "...because they've got to get ratings every day. White House advisor can guess wrong, still keep his job... not the TV guys. A lot of smart people in that business."
• To Be Lawful or Good: The central conflict Comey faces is having to balance following the law while doing what he knows in his heart to be the right thing. At one point his wife Patrice begs him not to investigate Hilary because she fears it will cost her the election.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: At the end of "Night Two", the camera slowly spins around a conference room table showing senior FBI agents working on the Russia investigation. As the camera pauses on each individual a subtitle comes on screen to show the person's name and how their careers at the FBI ended.
• Undying Loyalty: Trump makes it clear to Comey that he expects this from him and reacts extremely poorly when he learns Comey's loyalty is to the law and the bureau rather than any specific leader.
• Unreliable Narrator: Rod Rosenstein.

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