The last episode of the first season of The Politician felt like it should have been the first episode of this second season. The series, which had wrapped up most of its story arcs in its penultimate episode, “The Assassination of Payton Hobart: Part 2,” then flashed forward three years, added the incredible Judith Light and Bette Midler to the cast, set up a whole new storyline, and introduced us to the word “throuple”. (Which is a little bit like a threesome, only more committed.)
That episode, “Vienna,” – named for the Billy Joel song about the search for a meaningful life after a youth that’s been lead astray by drive and ambition – was an incredibly clever way to set up the next season. Conscience. Regret. Alcohol. Gratitude. Repentance. By speeding us through the aftermath of Payton’s failures, the series avoided having to waste any time in the opening episodes of the second season catching us up on the where and what of everyone involved. It also made us actually want more by creating a compelling new story arc to follow.
And Season 2 moves. We begin right where we left off. Payton and his misfit squad of political operatives are running an AOC-like campaign against the long-time, and incredibly popular, New York State Senator Dede Standish (Judith Light). (You know, if AOC was an incredibly rich, entitled kid from sun soaked California.) Payton is trailing in the polls and his team are trying to decide if they should “out” Dede’s unusual marital arrangements. They’re plagued by that age-old political dilemma. Should Payton win by the virtue of his arguments, or do whatever it takes to crush his opponent? After all, you can’t really govern until you’re actually in government.
In a parallel storyline, Payton’s mother Georgina (Gwyneth Paltrow, who now seems to revel in playing variations of her Goop persona) decides to do something about something and run for office. Her “give no fucks” attitude to politics makes her the most popular gubernatorial candidate California has ever seen. Think of her as a sort of liberal version of the Trumpian politician who can do and say anything and still not lose public support. Hers is a part that’s played to contrast Payton’s own immaturity and indecision.
Almost everyone who “survived” the first season is back. Payton is still conflicted about whether or not he’s a sociopath. Alice is still his biggest cheerleader, and now his fiancée. His friends – James, McAfee, and Skye – who now reside in an unhealthy throuple of their own, still can’t quite figure out why they’re his friends. Infinity is now a crusader for the environment. And River still shows up from time-to-time as a figment of Payton’s imagination.
The cast are still giving us their all. Ben Platt is smart, and energetic, and vulnerable. He is as watchable as ever and so are the rest of his squad. Zoey Deutch, however, is criminally under-utilised. Infinity’s story was one of the most rewarding of the first season’s, so it was quite disappointing to see her relegated to a bit part as an eco-crusader. That being said, Judith Light and Bette Midler are just effervescent as two ageing politicos in the fight of their lives. Reaffirming their status as international treasures.
And even though all these characters have grown in different ways across the 15 episodes of these two seasons, it isn’t too much growth as to make them virtuous or enlightened in any way. These are still the same broken individuals who often slip back into their old, self-destructive ways.
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan paint such deliciously saponaceous characters that you don’t mind when they slip into caricature. Why? Because it’s juicy television.
Unlike the first season, however, the politics now takes place on a much bigger stage. But despite that, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan, stay clear of the usual trappings of the genre. They aren’t really concerned with how the public reacts to the words and actions of these individuals. And rightly so. Does it matter if Georgina wants California to secede? Who cares if she later changes her mind? Do we really need more talking heads and analysis? Especially when the huddled masses are as fickle as they are.
The focus of The Politician – as its title suggests – is on the inner lives of the people who decide to take part in the tragicomedy that is running for office. This is a show that doesn’t just embrace the ridiculousness of politics but also the complete and utter futility of a “national discourse.” It’s nothing but noise. And fodder for those looking to take advantage of our principles, whatever they may be, and leverage that as support.
This is also a series that delights in the notion of the means justifying the ends. Questions of ethics and morality often play second fiddle to coming out on top. Where even doing the right thing – like Payton’s crusade to save the environment – is merely a way to win over a crowd and ensure political victory.
And as much as Ryan Murphy usually enjoys a good preach, The Politician was never a show with any pretence towards actual political or social commentary. Payton Hobart isn’t Tracy Flick. (Or even Paris Geller.) But it doesn’t make him any less relevant. Where both Election‘s Flick and the Gilmore Girls‘ Geller were true believers, what makes Payton interesting is his inauthenticity. Which is a characteristic that, sadly, skews far closer to every politician you’ll likely encounter in the real world.
That being said, the real reason The Politician worked for me is because of just how soapy it is. I love a good scheme. I enjoy an unexpected backstab. I’m not proud of it, but I sometimes revel in other people’s misfortune. (God knows schadenfreude has practically become the basis of modern society.) And that is pretty much what The Politician is. A series of plots and twists, conspiracies and treacheries, played out in spectacular fashion by a cast who are at the top of their game. It’s entertainment.
The Politician
Netflix, Season 2, 7 episodes
Showrunners: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan
Writers: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan
Cast: Ben Platt, Zoey Deutch, Lucy Boynton, David Corenswet. Julia Schlaepfer, Laura Dreyfuss, Theo Germaine, Rahne Jones, Benjamin Barrett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Judith Light, and Bette Midler
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