Frontline Season 16 Episode 1 Once Upon a Time in Arkansas

Once Upon a Time in Arkansas is the first episode of the sixteenth season of the award-winning investigative television program Frontline. The episode takes viewers inside the world of Arkansas politics and explores the machinations behind the state's Republican Party.

The episode begins by introducing viewers to the central players in the state's Republican Party: Governor Mike Huckabee, Lt. Governor Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, and State Senator Tim Hutchinson. These three men, along with a small group of party insiders, had managed to turn Arkansas from a Democratic stronghold to a Republican state in just a few short years. But as the episode unfolds, it becomes clear that their success wasn't built on grassroots support or a robust platform of ideas. Instead, it was built on a series of cynical political maneuvers and backroom deals.

One of the most shocking moments of the episode comes when it's revealed that the state's Republican Party had received nearly a million dollars in illegal campaign contributions from nursing home owner Jerry Jones. The money had been funneled through a series of shell companies and false donor names, all of which had been set up by a well-known Republican political consultant named Karl Rove. The scheme had been so successful that the state's Republican Party had managed to win control of both the state Senate and House of Representatives in a single election cycle.

But the episode doesn't just focus on the more unsavory aspects of Arkansas politics. It also shines a light on the struggles of ordinary Arkansans who were caught in the crossfire of the state's political battles. We meet a group of rural farmers who had been forced off their land by a massive industrial chicken farm, all while the state's Republican leaders looked the other way. We also hear from the state's African American community, who had been marginalized and excluded from the state's political process for decades.

Throughout the episode, the narrative is driven by interviews with a variety of political insiders, journalists, and community leaders. These voices provide context and commentary on the events that shaped Arkansas politics in the late 1990s, making it clear that the story is not just about a handful of corrupt politicians, but about a broken system that needs to be fixed.

Overall, Once Upon a Time in Arkansas is a gripping and often disturbing look at the dark side of American politics. It's a reminder that power is often wielded by a few at the expense of many, and that the only way to combat this injustice is through transparency, accountability, and the tireless work of investigative journalists like those at Frontline.