oh yeah I felt like there was a connection between Conclave (movie about the cardinals choosing a new pope) and The Residence (murder mystery TV series about detective in the White House) and that is the uneasy relationship with the institutions being portrayed (the upper level of the Catholic Church and the US executive branch).
in both cases the protagonists and the stories themselves view the institutions as flawed but still fundamentally necessary in some way, and depending on how you view it that can come across as a sincere expression of belief in the ideals that they represent (American democracy, the Christian religion) or a somewhat craven deference to the importance of these institutions, demonstrating awareness by paying lip service to the need for reform while shying away from the true weight of their fundamental problems.
I think this accurately captures the split at the heart of liberal centrism: is it really enough to keep the church and the presidency and just hope they elect the right people to run them? is there any critique that would demand a more serious response?
it almost feels like a form of inoculation, the idea that we know the people are doing a good job because they wrestle with doubts about how the institution has failed society, and from that we can conclude that they have not failed society! it’s not entirely false but it’s slippery and makes it dangerously easy to rationalise away atrocities.