A civil war can shake even the greatest of empires to its core.
While originally an internal conflict, the war in Yemen has expanded into something far beyond a civil war. Everyone has felt the ramifications of the situation in Yemen in some way as the Houthis continue to bombard key global trade routes in the Red Sea.
Yet in January of 2015, right before the Houthis seized control of the Yemeni government and Presidential palace, that was not the most talked about story in the media cycle despite the real effect this conflict was going to have on the world.
It was Deflategate. That’s how deep the New England Patriots dynasty was embedded into American culture.
“The Dynasty: New England Patriots” paints a tale about the most notable “civil war” in the recent history of the National Football League. The winningest head coach, player, and owner in league history are pitted against each other throughout the series.
But, is that what the focus should even be?
The series has been labeled by many NFL fans as a Bill Belichick smear campaign/Robert Kraft puff piece; a last ditch effort to conserve his legacy and be inducted into Canton.
Completely funded by Kraft, it’s not ridiculous to at least raise an eyebrow and consider there to be some truth in that label given to the docuseries. However, upon a full watch of the Imagine Documentaries project, that becomes a question that’s not abundantly clear.
In many ways, the project completely falls short of telling the full story of the Patriots dynasty. For example, the Super Bowl 52 loss is exclusively blamed on Belichick not playing cornerback Malcolm Butler in the big game.
However, it does not mention the injury of star wide receiver Brandin Cooks at the start of the second quarter or the incredible play of the Philadelphia Eagles. The audience is told, no, it’s completely on Belichick. Kraft even says it himself in an interview.
To their credit, the producers did include interviews that opposed Kraft and the “perfect” image of the Patriots. Namely Belichick-predecessor Bill Parcels, former St. Louis Rams head coach Mike Martz and the police officer responsible for leaking Deflategate, to name a few.
Those interviews felt like a breath of fresh air, as did television segments that called out the Patriots on their controversies.
A large part of the series is spent talking about just that: the Patriots and the public perception of them — not just within the circle of NFL fans. But, the project fails to mention something extremely prominent within that realm.
Robert Kraft narrowly escaped first-degree misdemeanor charges for soliciting prostitution on a technical legality in 2019, despite being caught on video. It was just as huge of a blow to the public image of the organization as Deflategate originally was before the league officially stepped in, which elevated the prominence of the latter to unseen heights.
There’s not a peep of Kraft’s controversy, and it’s likely the biggest hole in the story that’s left out — especially with the blatant focus on Kraft and the Patriots’ public perception throughout the show.
That then begs the question — what’s really the point of making this docuseries? Is it truly to pin Kraft as the “savior” of the Patriots franchise? It’s not outrageous to say he is, but the fashion in which it’s blown out of proportion is a tough pill to swallow after being jammed down your throat for 10 episodes.
Should it then be to capture the dynasty with the pure intention of recording history? Or is it just to create an invigorating watch for television? The creators of the docuseries make it hard to answer any of these questions.
Sure, the production of the docuseries was amazing, with heart-pumping recreations of the most prominent games in the dynasty’s history and interviews with all the key players throughout the two decades of success in Foxborough.
There’s no denying that. I found myself on the edge of my seat multiple times despite knowing the outcomes of every game and scenario. The docuseries was a genuinely exciting watch.
Enjoyable? Not as much.
There’s truth in the label that the constant pitting of Belichick versus Brady and Kraft takes away from the documentary — and the Patriots story as a whole. Many important details are lost in the fold.
There was no mention of the near 180 on Deflategate in the public eye after new details emerged in 2022. Really? I thought that controversy was important.
The exclusion of this makes one wonder if that was deliberately done to flamboyantly paint the 2017 season as the “Brady revenge tour” — which it was — but the decision ultimately robs the audience of the full story.
While “The Dynasty: New England Patriots” is certainly a cinematographic marvel, it’s not the full truth, and is — gentle — with Kraft’s involvement in the story. As long as one understands that going into a viewing, then the docuseries is a great watch.
