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Arnold 2023 ★★★★
We follow Arnold from his childhood in Austria over the various stages in his life up until where he is now. As the embodiment of the American dream.
Is he arrogant? Yes. And... It all depends in what way you see it. Is it the a-hole kind of arrogant or is it the kind of arrogance that says “look, I know what I'm good at, being good at it makes me feel good and I do not want to hide or deny that it does”. He acknowledges his past mistakes, though that is a lot easier to do when your hits outweigh your misses.
His political career... Not sure how I feel about that, since I don't have a full picture of what his policies were like. Certainly in retrospect (with what came after), it's easy/easier to see him as the sort of poilitician you would now consider a “sensible Republican”. I am aware of his envionmental policies and that, of course, makes him look good. Then again, I could be unaware of some of his other policies. But I did finding myself nodding in agreement in his approach to things like bipartisanship.
Does the series shy away from the scandals? It does not, in large part because it can not. I can certainly see how some people might feel the series glanced over it in the larger scope of things. And I can also see the point of view that says “we don't want this to overshadow all the good things he accomplished”. Plus we will never know what he really thinks and how his mind has “evolved” over the years.
To what degree was it a truthful representation of Schwarzenegger and how much was spinning? Not sure. What I can say is that the man has charisma and a half and he can certainly make for very charming company. And that this series made for amazing television and a very interesting time document.
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