I know that this isn’t a common refrain, but I liked the first season of The Politician. If you follow the general buzz around the Netflix series, there is one thing that many agreed upon: it was a mess. Every moment was so appalling and over the top that it never landed on one cohesive idea, making it all a petty narrative about a spoiled preppy trying to gain as much power as possible. It was Ryan Murphy’s first collaboration with Netflix, and there was reason to suggest that their partnership hasn’t been all that fruitful. All that I can say is that it’s fared much, much better than Hollywood in the cultural zeitgeist.
So if it’s “a mess,” then what is there even to love about The Politician? Honestly, the cult of Ben Platt runs deep in me and I’m drawn to everything that he does. That is why I was able to see someone more sympathetic and complex than general audiences. I’ll admit that this source material has done him somewhat of a disservice with his breakthrough as a TV actor, requiring you to not see him as insufferable in his niceness and ambitious ways. I’m even thrilled by the presence of Dear Evan Hansen co-star Laura Dreyfuss. If anything, I’m dazzled by the cast, in tune with Murphy’s anarchic approach to TV, and this is just how he does things.
That is what season one was. It was a full acceptance of the absurdity and it worked because we were set in a high school, watching childish characters in the prime of their youth at a crossroads where they could still walk away from their morally challenging decisions. Platt’s Payton Hobart has the choice to keep his spine and be a good person, and his eagerness is shocking, though it is explained by how he feels burdened by his family.
This is a political campaign set in a high school, and it’s kind of great as this messy form of teenage rebellion. While many critics were more attracted to what season two would be, I was skeptical because this show knew what it wanted to be. The closer that Payton got to a conventional politician, the less endearing he would become. I initially saw it as a parody of current events, but that theory faded when it stopped caring about any paralleled ideology. This was just awful people being mean to each other.
I think the moment that confirmed how much I missed season one came in the penultimate episode of season two. As Payton finds himself in a breakneck election with Dede Standish (Judith Light), they decide to break the tie with a game of “rock, paper, scissors.” You know, the old roshambo. It’s a ridiculous concept and one that the writers are quick to compare to other elections, where these arguments are solved on things as menial as a coin toss. It’s clever and cute, finding the story finally gaining some ounce of electricity as Payton and Dede must learn game theory in order to become a congressman for New York.
Among the things that happen is a visit to prison that finds a memorable cameo by Ricardo (Benjamin Barrett). For those who need a reminder, he was a dimwitted henchman from season one who was responsible for taking down Payton. He was easily the stupidest character in the supporting cast, easily manipulated by sex and Bubba Gumps. He was a character who clearly didn’t have a future and is so indicative of a teenage archetype that is given deadpan perfection here. I know that he’s arguably one of the most expendable for season two, but I really missed his earnest stupidity trying to make sense of corrupt politics as they’re being birthed.
The way that he equates roshambo to a prison snitch pastiche was so absurd that it somehow became endearing. On one hand, this is yet another expendable and dumb scene, but if The Politician had any charm, it was in its childish approach to exploring characters. The growth of integrity in small dramatic beats was a nice touch, but you were drawn into whatever crazy thing that Murphy put onscreen because it was too ridiculous. This show was never going to be great. At most, it would be a place for Platt to sing a few songs every season and remind us of his imminent potential.
That isn’t to say that the remainder of the season doesn’t lay on the quirky nonsense. It’s just that it lacks any subtext that makes the dumb moments fun. Somehow this election feels more serious, being pulled away from the trivial feel of the first season. Suddenly it feels important, and the world view has grown just as much in that time. Suddenly it’s about more than what you’ll do to improve the school. It’s about what you’ll do to make New York a better place. It’s something tangible, where we understand the real-life circumstances in such a way that even the concept stops seeming ridiculous.
That’s kind of the point of season two, which tries to take things way more seriously. In that time, it’s a chance to make Payton a more three-dimensional character who is looking back on his past decisions. There are questions as to whether his desire for power is healthy, including a conversation with his dead boyfriend River (David Corenswet), which makes him believe that what he’s doing is effective. He’s getting enough power to use it for good.
But, as we have seen last season, he’s a naïve fool who doesn’t really have the best interest. He doesn’t really have any experience outside of knowing how to negotiate on a collegiate level. He’s the bright-eyed optimist who will take advantage of every opportunity, even if it goes against his personal ethics. This is constantly questioned, making those around him wonder if he’s being genuine, that he will live up to all of his promises.
Of course, that’s easier said than done because the story is caught up in the first half with a “throuple,” or a three-person relationship, a plot that frankly amounts to a hill of beans. On the opposition, Dede uses it as leverage to make the older woman demographic think that she’s powerful for embracing unconventional sexuality. For Payton, it’s less interesting and an excuse to not feel alone. This is some non-scandal that exists to fill time until the plot is uprooted by the more promising but also empty plot of cultural appropriation.
In a time where blackface is being called out regularly, it makes sense to have a scandal emerge around Payton dressing in Indian headgear as Geronimo. Payton tries to walk it back, but all it does is reveal his weird fetish and insecurity. It’s also a chance to reveal a lot of inside man deception as everyone plants a snitch into the opposition. It’s much more interesting than it’s made out to be because, again, it amounts to a hill of beans compared to the big picture. They’re both corrupt, doing everything to cut corners, and everything that could be considered shocking turns out to not impact the election at all. If anything, it’s only interesting AFTER the tallies are totaled.
I understand that this story wants to tackle something that could be passed for realism, but it’s just not the same. When there are no stakes, it all feels like spinning wheels where we’re just passing the time. In season one, there was the benefit of these elaborate side-plots where people faked having cancer and went missing. There were these salacious moments that lasted throughout every episode, informing how they were seen by the end of things. It helped that it felt cramped with five episodes’ worth of plot in any 40-minute period, never allowing things to be unbearably slow. They may have been dumb, pointless, and cynical, but they never were boring.
The new characters of Dede and her campaign manager Hadassah Gold (Bette Midler) sounded promising on paper, but it’s clear that they’re less informed about the circumstances than Payton. They’re two women holding onto power, which could’ve amounted to an interesting parallel, showing the vulnerable need to hold onto power. Instead, it’s caught under controversy without any sense that they accomplished much of anything. By the time that they hand Payton the keys to the election, there’s no catharsis that this has all been worth anything. They haven’t gone on a journey. Given that they have a significant amount of screen time, it’s a bit disappointing that they amount to old hags wanting nothing more than to stay in power.
That’s the big issue with The Politician. No matter how far along the story gets, none of it seems to matter. While Payton does achieve a lot by the season’s end, it’s all off-screen. Nothing substantial happens because Murphy has decided that this show isn’t about the years of laborious meetings and compromise, but the time when we’re forced to be artificial and please voters who we could care less about. By the end of season two, it feels like we’re back where season one ended, and not in a fulfilling way. He’s looking to have an even higher position to campaign for, though it’s left as a cliffhanger.
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| BRING BACK RICARDO! |
Again, what does it all matter when plots seem to dissipate after two or three episodes? This is typical Murphy stuff, but it’s also him at his worst tendencies. While there is enough empathy and character development to keep it from being a total waste, you’re still wanting something more substantial. If it’s not going to be the off-the-wall chaos of season one, try and give depth of characters, showing how the generations disagree on their concepts of change. What happens when that optimism fades and you’re staring youth in the face? For as high profile of gigs as Middler and Light have here, it’s amazing how little resonates.
This isn’t a misfire. If The Politician wanted to course-correct from the negative criticism, this was a good idea. The issue was that by the end they realize that it’s too much for them. They want to just roshambo and be a goofy nonsense show where nothing matters. Payton’s mom Georgina (Gwyneth Paltrow) becomes governor of California, and yet it’s rarely addressed on the show. There’s no desire to explore the intimidation as to why Payton becomes an environmentalist just to make it look like a Hobart pastime. It’s all just stuff that happens because you need to fill time somehow.
By trying to be more important, The Politician feels like it lost most of its value. It was never going to be high art, providing insightful commentary on American politics. All it wanted to do was have a good time, and the charm of Platt and his supporting cast is enough to make that true. However, season two feels pointless. Fans will appreciate how characters grow, but the hijinks are paper-thin and the brief appearance of Ricardo makes me long for a show that could get mileage out of failed assassination subplots. I want something, good or bad, that will make you pause and realize the audacity of this show. It’s already saying that there’s a shameless quality to politics, so why not walk the shame a little further?
I’ll confess that I don’t hate the show, even if I recognize how dispensable it is. I still hope that Ben Platt has a great career ahead of him since I recognize his talent. He’s able to sell a moment with the best of them, and his nice guy attitude mixed with shady manipulation is ripe for a potentially interesting character. It’s just that this time around there isn’t enough substance to make it even a fun watch for casual viewers. The best episodes come after the ballots have been submitted because it’s there that the craziest ideas arrive. Suddenly the crouching in the bushes is let loose and ready to attack us. I just wish that lasted more than two episodes and that next season (if that’s even a thing) does more than knock on doors, waiting for us to answer unfulfilled promises a third time.
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