The piece discusses the increasing tension in the U.S. political landscape, portraying it as more than just a standard competition within the government’s branches, but as an existential battle that undermines the constitutional harmony expected among them. It highlights how institutions are experiencing chronic friction, with the President viewing federal courts as obstacles, Congress seeing intelligence agencies as overreaching, and the Executive struggling against the media over the legitimacy of information disseminated.

These current tensions have roots in American history, particularly stemming from the Watergate scandal of the 1970s, which revealed the White House's potential for conspiracy, transforming it into a site of suspicion rather than just governance. The article references how this historical rupture fostered a collective trauma or 'loss of innocence,' prompting institutions to test their resilience against accountability pressures.

The narrative encapsulates the larger question regarding who monitors the government when it deviates from its intended path, and who safeguards the guardians of state power, showcasing how cinema and drama have contributed to interrogating this dynamic. In doing so, the article also indicates that Hollywood’s portrayal of political struggles plays a significant role in shaping public perception and discourse surrounding the legitimacy of power and accountability in the American political sphere.