“A Family Reconnects Through Their Grief and Discover Wealth Beyond Money”
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What You Need To Know:
The episode presents a strong moral worldview that emphasizes connection with love and family alongside the beauty of nature through their grief. Beautiful landscapes, emotional music, and strong performances elevate this drama beyond another Montana story like YELLOWSTONE.
THE MADISON portrays a family who supports each other through grief and discovers a simpler, more fulfilled life beyond the rat race. The city people, unaccustomed to country living, often serve as comedic relief in this convincing drama. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children for language, brief violence, and alcohol.
Content:
A strong moral worldview that depicts a true loving marriage as a sudden widow grapples with the shocking loss of her husband. She had already been noticing the disappointment of her life which was lacking in true meaning outside of her marriage.. The daughters don’t have a strong relationship with their father, as conversations focus on money. One daughter struggles with a bad divorce, the other is selfish and immature. However, they are both sticking with their mother to also make up for their part in the broken relationship they have with their father. This strong sense of family shines through the grief, showing a purposeful willingness to be there for each other in this difficult time. With this shocking loss, both her and her children begin to reconnect, finding a simpler life through the pieces her husband left behind. There are strong themes of mortality and the passing of time through generations: as both the widow and her husband separately discuss being too old to enjoy life after working so hard. She knew that he gained so much from Montana trips, but she always stayed away: partly due to the lack of indoor plumbing but mainly to allow him a sense of freedom without pressure to keep her and the kids happy. While religion is not expressly discussed, the sentiment throughout the plot of this episode is morally sound. A majestic backdrop of nature with the ticking clock of mortality, this family is coming together in a quiet, simple but rewarding adventure to discover what their father wanted so desperately to share with them
Strong language, two instances of profanity, 11 instances of obscenity with seven uses of the “f’ word and four uses of the “sh” word
A man punches a woman in the face and steals her shopping bags without warning. A plane crash is implied but not shown. Body bags are shown but remains are not
No sex is shown or implied. Husband mentions having sex with his wife in a phone conversation but no details are discussed.
A woman is shown in the bath, but no nudity shown
Characters drink socially and to cope with stress
No smoking or drug abuse shown; and,
Moral relativism where the law often contradicts a humane approach such as a woman being asked to identify her husband’s body. She struggles with the emotional weight of having to carry the image, despite lawful necessity. One character’s left-leaning political correctness precludes her from reporting her attacker or being taken seriously – illustrating the absurdity of modern society’s political standards. Stealing. Dysfunctional family behavior in the beginning (always on phones, no true connection) but it seems that the plot of this series aims to resolve.
More Detail:
Preston Clyburn visits his bachelor brother, while his wife, Stacy, and their daughters and granddaughters stay in the city. When their plane crashes, the family travels to the wilderness of Bozeman, Montana to identify the body. They learn why this place holds such significance.
The series opens with a stunning Montana backdrop showcasing rich mountain landscapes. Preston Clyburn and his brother Paul fly fish in a stream. During this annual trip to visit his brother, who lives there alone, they genuinely enjoy each other’s company. For his birthday, Paul surprises Preston with permission to fly into the mountains to fish at a river that would take a week to hike to.
The natural beauty in Montana starkly contrasts with New York City. Stacy Clyburn, Preston’s wife, attends a women’s wellness presentation. Her daughter, Paige, calls to report an attack and robbery on the street. That evening, the family dines at a fancy restaurant with Paige, Russell (her husband), Abigail, and her two young daughters. As they sit at the table absorbed in their phones, Stacy receives a call from Preston, who informs her he will stay an extra day.
The next day, Preston and Paul try to outrun a storm on their way back from the excursion. Back in New York, an Idaho Officer of Forestry calls Stacy to inform her that her husband and brother-in-law didn’t survive a plane crash. He requests her presence to identify the bodies.
The following day, after a long trip travelling to Montana, the family visits the cabins to see where Preston and Paul spent their time. The cabins appear small compared to their opulent city apartments. Stacy reminisces about phone calls with Preston during his time there over the years. While reading his journal, Stacy realizes her mistake in avoiding this place and now feels she’s run out of time. In her grief, she yearns to hold onto the meaningful pieces Preston left behind.
The series presents a strong moral worldview that emphasizes connection with love and family alongside the beauty of nature through their grief. Beautiful landscapes, emotional music, and strong performances elevate this drama beyond another Montana story like YELLOWSTONE.
The first episode of THE MADISON portrays a family who supports each other through grief and discovers a simpler, more fulfilled life beyond the rat race. The city people, unaccustomed to country living, often serve as comedic relief in this convincing drama. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children for language, brief violence, and alcohol.
