`Politician's Wife May Be Best `Masterpiece' This Year

----------------------------------------------------------------- "Masterpiece Theatre: The Politician's Wife," 9 p.m., Midnight Sunday, KCTS-TV. (Conclusion airs same times next Sunday.) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Politics is in the air. Not only on the news but at the movies and on TV as former President Nixon is the subject of movies and documentaries and Michael Douglas plays a fictional U.S. president - so what better time for PBS to air "The Politician's Wife?" This terrific two-part drama (the second 90-minute segment airs next Sunday night) is dramatic fiction but not that far from real life, if one remembers the Gary Hart debacle and the controversy before President Clinton was elected (not to mention the rumors about President Kennedy's extra-marital affairs).

In "The Politician's Wife," the story by Paula Milne looks at things from the wife's point of view. Juliet Stevenson is splendid as Flora, wife of Duncan, Conservative politician who is the Minister for the Family and whose affair with a so-called "researcher" comes to light and threatens his career. Duncan's staff and political friends rally around him and pressure Flora to "stand by her man" which, after due consideration, she does and Duncan appears to weather the storm.

Ah, but that is just the beginning and to tell much more would be to spoil the wonderful surprises that continually pop up in this terrifically entertaining drama. (If you loved "House of Cards," you'll find "The Politician's Wife" every bit as enjoyable.)

Trevor Eve is excellent as the amoral Duncan, who can do mea culpa with the best of them, a politician who knows what's best for No. 1 and who would be as at home in the United States as in Great Britain. Ian Bannen is also wonderful as one of Duncan's pals - for a while, at least. Anton Lesser is great as Hollister, one of Duncan's aides, who is playing Iago to Eve's Othello. Also turning in fine work is Minnie Driver as the sexpot who is the "other woman."

But it is Juliet Stevenson who is the standout, playing all aspects of the character, from wronged wife to shattered woman to scheming, clever politician. It's a dream role and Stevenson does everything possible with it. We're talking Emmys here.

As with most British productions, even the smallest roles are cast to perfection and the pace and look of the film often makes it seem like a newscast, reinforcing its verisimilitude. "The Politician's Wife" may be the first "Masterpiece Theatre" presentation of the new year - but I can't imagine we'll see anything else this year that will be this good or better, with the possible exception of the conclusion of "House of Cards," which airs next month.

Poor movies ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Sunday movies "Jack Reed: A Killer Amongst Us," NBC Sunday Movie, 9 p.m., KING TV "For Love Alone," CBS Sunday Movie, 9 p.m., KSTW-TV "Stolen Memories: Secrets From The Rose Garden," Sunday Night Movie, 7 p.m., Family Channel "The Right To Remain Silent," Showtime Original Picture, 10:30 p.m., Showtime -----------------------------------------------------------------

Plenty of new TV movies this Sunday night but few reasons to recommend them. Brian Dennehy is the only reason to watch "Killer Amongst Us," based on a true story and a real Chicago policeman, played by Dennehy, who also produced, wrote and directed the film.

Dennehy is an accomplished actor who deserves more interesting material than this - he's played Reed in two other movies. This one is just another crime story involving hired assassins out to murder a young woman who can't get it through her head that her stupid lout of a boyfriend would pay to have her killed. Charles Dutton and Susan Ruttan portray Dennehy's boss and wife in the film.

"For Love Alone" is called "Ivana Trump's For Love Alone," for she's invading Danielle Steel territory with this perfectly dreadful potboiler, so silly it's almost entertaining. Basically it's Ivana's life story with Sanna Vraaa beautiful blond who acts with her cheekbones, portraying Ivana, and Stephen Collins as The Donald. It's a glossy film to remind us, in case we'd forgotten, that money doesn't buy happiness - and who should know better than Ivana?

"Stolen Memories" is a period piece, a family film with many charming moments and a lugubrious plot. Set in the 1950s South, it's about a 12-year-old, nicely played by Nathan Watt, who spends a summer with his three spinster great-aunts. Two of the aunts are played by Shirley Knight and Linda Lavin and they are wonderful. The third aunt is played by Mary Tyler Moore, who has to pretend to be mentally retarded and behave in all sorts of dopey ways having to do with a complicated story far less interesting than the relationship between Lavin and Knight. If "Stolen Memories" had been allowed to be merely a loving, thoughtful character study, it would have been a treasure.

"The Right to Remain Silent" is presented as a typical day (night) in the life of a rookie cop played by Lea Thompson. Unfortunately, this movie behaves as if we'd never seen a police show before and all of the weirdo characters paraded before us were new and unusual. It's tiresome in the extreme, despite yeoman efforts by such performers as Christopher Lloyd, Amanda Plummer and Judge Reinhold to portray criminals. The excellent Robert Loggia is wasted as Thompson's superior. He and Thompson mostly look dazed, as well they might.

A better choice ----------------------------------------------------------------- Monday movies: "Have You Seen My Son?," ABC Monday Movie, 8 p.m., KOMO-TV "Deadly Pursuits," NBC Monday Movie, 9 p.m., KING-TV -----------------------------------------------------------------

Crime runs rampant on Monday night as Lisa Hartman-Black strives frantically to find her son, kidnapped by her ex-husband, played by Jameson Parker, in "Have You Seen My Son?," based on a book for Northwest author Jack Olsen. The situation is familiar but Hartman-Black holds one's interest as she pursues her son with dogged determination, from the Northwest to Mexico. Paul Schneider directs the film to not only capitalize on the suspense but some of the unintentionally comic moments, as well.

"Deadly Pursuits" could use a few comic moments even though Tori Spelling tries desperately, frantically, unsuccessfully to portray a kooky girl who takes up with Patrick Muldoon, a student looking for his wealthy father, who may or may not have been involved in the murder of Muldoon's mother and sister. Spelling behaves as if she thought she were Goldie Hawn. Believe me, she isn't. Michael Ahnemann's script isn't very believable and the best one can say for this movie is that it wasn't filmed in Vancouver, B.C., but in Charleston, S.C., a wonderful change of scenery.

Full of information ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Upon Reflection," 12:30 p.m. Sunday, KCTS-TV -----------------------------------------------------------------

The University of Washington's excellent interview show begins a new year with a dandy interview with Sherry Turkle by Marcia Alvar. Turkle is an M.I.T. sociologist and clinical psychologist who has written two books about computers and how they are affecting our lives. Turkle tosses out a lot of stimulating ideas, brought about by Alvar's provocative questions. This half-hour with Turkle told me a lot more about computers and cyberspace than David Frost's hour with Bill Gates.