From Gold’s Gym To Being The Governator

The first episode of “Arnold” starts with his youth in Thal, Austria, and follows his rising star as a bodybuilder. In intimate conversations with Schwarzenegger, he reveals that he spent much of his childhood and teenage years feeling like he wasn’t good enough and that he always had to strive for more. Bodybuilding became an outlet for Schwarzenegger’s obsession with greatness at first, before becoming an escape from his pain when his brother died drunk driving and his father died from a stroke within fairly rapid succession. Schwarzenegger turned to his work, becoming a total workaholic so he didn’t have to think about anything. That work ethic helped him become one of the most famous bodybuilders in the world, but it also took its toll on his mental health and well-being. 

The early parts of his life are shown mostly through old family photos and videos, and Schwarzenegger’s voiceover, with a handful of archival videos from his bodybuilding days filling in the gaps. The first episode is plenty entertaining but doesn’t feel like a particularly deep dive into who Arnold is or who he will become. He’s refreshingly honest about his steroid use as a bodybuilder, but also comments that he did it with the help of doctors and that it was something everyone did. The episode is fine and hints at more depth, but might not be enough to keep audiences hooked. It’s good background information, but it’s not all that compelling. Thankfully, the following two episodes step things up.