Madison Emotes

Give me a moment: I have to deal with the fact that I’m all choked up. The Madison - so named for the river in Montana - is a drama, with a tragedy at the center. I won’t spoil it for you, but I was practically sobbing halfway through Episode 1.

The Madison is from Paramount and plays on Amazon Prime. The stars are Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer as Preston and Stacy Clyburn. Currently there is a single six episode season available for streaming. And boy is it worth streaming. I put it 0n due to my nostalgic love of Kurt and Michelle. Who can forget Kurt as Snake Pliskin in Escape From New York? Big Trouble in Little China. Tombstone. And those wonderful team ups with the ever lovely Goldie Hawn. Or Michelle Pfeiffer as Cat Woman in Batman Returns. Frankie & Johnny. The Witches of Eastwick. Such charisma in both. Talent, personality, and beauty. These two are a match made in heaven on the screen.

The Clyburn’s are a wealthy family of socialites with roots set deep in New York. But Preston - Kurt Russell - travels to his widower brother’s pristine ranch in Montana annually. The two brothers fish, drink, converse, and emote about life, love, and fate. The talks are deeply profound. Preston wishes for his family to experience the beauty of this Montana land, but Stacy - Michelle Pfeiffer - remains in New York with her adult children and her grandchildren. Then an incident occurs which draws the Clyburn family to Montana.

The oldest daughter - Abigail (Abby) Reese, played by Beau Garrett - is a divorced mother 0f two with baggage from a bad marriage. She is a strong woman but a bit of a mess. She does not understand why her mother now wants to remain in Montana. Tension erupts, tempers flare, but love flows. Abby thinks her mother is crazy - that is, until Abby meets a handsome deputy who may give her a reason not only to return, but to resume living.

The second daughter - Paige McIntosh, played by Elle Chapman - comes along with her husband - Russell McIntosh, played by Patrick J. Adams. The two are quintessential New York socialites unable to appreciate or understand the draw of the rustic natural beauty of pristine Montana.

The funniest scene is when Paige, being forced to use the outhouse as there is no indoor toilet, gets swarmed up her naked bum by a batch of hornets from a nest in the “hole” she is perched over. Absolutely rolling on the floor hilarity ensues and is built upon when her husband, the ever dutiful Russell, gets stung in the eye while attempting to dispose of the hornets nest.

Abby’s two daughters, at 11 years old and the other a few years younger, are “snobbish” rich kids who try lecturing the helpful neighbor on political correctness the first time they meet him. The neighbor - Cabe Harris, played by Kevin Zekers - brings an offering of food from townsfolk, solely out of charitable neighborliness. The 11-year-old lectures him when he uses the term “Indian Tacos” in reference to one of the dishes. Stacy, a deeply empathetic person despite her wealth, proceeds to teach her granddaughters about respect and appreciation.

The sheer emotional depth of this show has me sobbing, chuckling, and laughing in every episode. Also… I find myself using my phone camera to take snapshots, like the one up top, of the vividly beautiful scenery. It has been a long time since a show made me feel so much at every end of the spectrum. I highly recommend this show if you like shows such as Virgin River or Sullivan’s Crossing (which I loved).

Below are some pics I snapped from my screen.