When Netflix released the trailer for its newest show, The Politician, created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennen, audiences were anxiously awaiting the show’s release.
Though the show was messy and definitely lacked in some areas, The Politician is a brilliant and captivating series with a gripping set up for the second season.
The show follows Payton (Ben Platt) in his plight for student body president of his high school. Along the way he struggles with finding a running mate, relationship drama, opponent drama and his own mental health. The show captivates audiences within the first minute, but is also extremely flawed.
However, the incredible cast performances make up for the show’s issues.
Everyone in the cast is superb. With Jessica Lange’s portrayal of the artificial Nana Jackson, Zoey Deutch’s portrayal of the not-so-innocent Infinity Jackson, Lucy Boynton’s dominant portrayal of Astrid Sloan and Gwyneth Paltrow’s portrayal of the sweet but lost and helpless as Georgina Hobart.
Other notable performances include Laura Dreyfuss as McAfee, Julia Schlaepfer as Alice, Theo Germaine as James, Benjamin Barrett as Ricardo and, of course, the beautiful David Corenswet as River. The cast was a predominantly female-powered knockout, with Platt leading the charge.
The show was written for Platt to play Payton, and rightfully so. His performance is god-tier, and he perfectly portrays the role of Payton, from his inability to let himself relax to his manic campaigning. Platt truly gives an award winning performance that is the definition of memorable.
The only problem with Platt’s performance that could be argued is that he didn’t get to dive deep enough into the character. By far the most compelling storyline is the emotional composition of Payton, and though Platt gives glimpses into the complexity of the character, the writers didn’t give him the amount of space necessary to truly dive into this compelling storyline. However, with what Platt was given, he far exceeded expectations in the performance.
One of the most interesting and awkward parts of the show is when Platt sings. His rendition of “Vienna” by Billy Joel in the season finale makes sense, however in the pilot, when he sings “River” by Joni Mitchell, it feels a little forced. Platt is a phenomenal vocalist, but his vocal work in the show works best when it’s organic, and the vocals in the pilot felt forced.
Platt lacking the space to dive into the complexity of the character is not the only storyline left undeveloped. One of the biggest undeveloped plot points is River’s character, and his relationship with Payton.
River is one of the only examples of the sweet, loveable, popular jock, “golden boy” type that is bisexual, and yet the writers fail to further develop his character’s story. His relationship with Payton provided the only emotional relief Payton felt in the entire show, because River is the only person who is able to bring out Payton’s vulnerable side. His character’s storyline is short-lived, but so is their relationship and it’s frustrating for the audience.
Another irritating aspect of the show is the Munchhausen by proxy storyline. It’s clear from the pilot that Infinity isn’t really sick, however once the writers really dive into her Munchhausen by proxy storyline, it seems all too familiar to the Hulu show and real life tale of Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard. There were plenty of ways the writers could’ve gone with Infinity’s story line, and it seemed as if they literally directed her to play the character exactly like Gypsy Rose. This is, undoubtedly, the most problematic part of the series.
However, the series is truly brilliant. The satirical elements of the election process, the camerawork, the laugh out loud moments and the shocking drama of it create a wonderful viewing experience. There’s no doubt that the cast is what makes the show great, but there are definitely stand alone aspects that make the show great.
The bottom line is, the writers created a great set up for the second season, and it’ll be hard to wait for its release.
