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| Scene from The Politician (2019) |
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
To make a long story short, there are few TV producers who have made a career out of insane plot twists quite like Ryan Murphy. While his recent twists have been quality TV (Pose, Feud, American Crime Story), his average series tends to embrace a sense of absurdist camp that will divide audiences. It's the sole reason that American Horror Story continues to draw attention every year. Up until now, he's allowed his madness to exist on the airwaves, playing on every type of cable imaginable. With The Politician, he finally joins his peers who have signed deals with Netflix to create original content. Add in Dear Evan Hansen's Ben Platt and Laura Dreyfuss along with Murphy mainstay Jessica Lange, and you get the basis for a fairly interesting plot that has been described as "Heathers-meets-Election."
The 2016 American Presidential Election has clearly inspired Murphy in ways that have remained abundantly clear. After American Horror Story's season Cult (which stars on that election night), he has put more political commentary into his work. It only makes sense that he would choose to then tackle it head-on with a story centering around an election at a prestigious high school. From the moment that Payton Hobart (Platt) appears, there's a sense of drive in him. His eyes are bright and his brain is brighter, knowing exactly how to manipulate people to follow his vision - thanks in large part to his obsession with biographies of politicians he studies to learn from their flaws. Much like in Dear Evan Hansen, Platt brings that underlying insecurity to his performance, but this is one that starts at a cutthroat position where optics are everything. The sympathy vote carries so much weight on the show, even if it betrays any beliefs one would have.
The first episode is a whirlwind of a plot, managing to establish Payton's entire life story as an adopted child trying to win his mother's (Gwenyth Paltrow) affection to his relationship with his Mandarin Chinese tutor River Barkley (David Corenswet). There is never a dull moment in the show, in part because every scene is packed with one absurd moment meant to shock the audience. While Payton still has a grounded sense of sympathy, he's increasingly seeming like a go-getter who manipulates people into a presidential win. He seems selfish underneath all of his vulnerability, which raises questions about just how genuine of a person he is, or if the people around him are even trustworthy. Everything, including a public break-up, is timed to the minute for biggest effect. Everything needs to draw some reaction, and both candidates know it.
In some ways, it's appalling because of how blatant the sensitivity is for personal gain. River discusses his attempted suicide, if for no other reason than the separate himself from Payton's passionate agenda. Someone else chooses a non-binary vice-president claiming that they're finally getting representation. Nothing else has changed in the election except that the candidates play allies for the sympathy votes. But what is all for? Will they actually represent their causes or is this all just another cynical act abusing power? This is where the show has found the most weight so far, drawing lines between morals and public image. Does Payton actually care about the disabled when he chooses Infinity Jackson (Zoey Deutch) as his running mate? Everyone ends up sacrificing some part of their spines, but will it come back to hurt them later on?
The entire thing feels like a competition among people losing their hearts. They're young and ambitious, learning from the past but not taking the humanity core into account. They know facts, and a fact is the most sympathetic candidate wins elections. The question from Murphy's perspective is how depraved the whole experience will go, or if this will be one of his safer shows that don't push boundaries. Considering his recent trend towards commentary, one can imagine that it will fall somewhere in the middle. The modern presidential elections are nightmares of sorts that The Politician cannot compare to. All they can do is exist in this heightened fantasy where youth eats itself, forever tarnishing their future. How does Payton ever redeem himself if this goes south? The sad part is that he may not be able to.
As the first collaboration between Murphy and Netflix, The Politician is an entertaining show that hits the right level of entertainment. It captures a selfish community and explores why they behave so poorly. It's all an act for acceptance, and Platt's performance carries it nicely. While it's too early to determine if the show will remain as good (this is a Murphy show after all), the beginning is full of twists and turns that engage the audience and want to discover more. The pilot does the job of making us care about the world, even as it has a delusional sense of self. It could be a great satire if it applies itself as hard as Payton. Otherwise, it's still a fun show that promises to be just as wild as the real thing, though hopefully with more self-awareness of the harm that's being put out into the world simply by playing the optics game.
The 2016 American Presidential Election has clearly inspired Murphy in ways that have remained abundantly clear. After American Horror Story's season Cult (which stars on that election night), he has put more political commentary into his work. It only makes sense that he would choose to then tackle it head-on with a story centering around an election at a prestigious high school. From the moment that Payton Hobart (Platt) appears, there's a sense of drive in him. His eyes are bright and his brain is brighter, knowing exactly how to manipulate people to follow his vision - thanks in large part to his obsession with biographies of politicians he studies to learn from their flaws. Much like in Dear Evan Hansen, Platt brings that underlying insecurity to his performance, but this is one that starts at a cutthroat position where optics are everything. The sympathy vote carries so much weight on the show, even if it betrays any beliefs one would have.
The first episode is a whirlwind of a plot, managing to establish Payton's entire life story as an adopted child trying to win his mother's (Gwenyth Paltrow) affection to his relationship with his Mandarin Chinese tutor River Barkley (David Corenswet). There is never a dull moment in the show, in part because every scene is packed with one absurd moment meant to shock the audience. While Payton still has a grounded sense of sympathy, he's increasingly seeming like a go-getter who manipulates people into a presidential win. He seems selfish underneath all of his vulnerability, which raises questions about just how genuine of a person he is, or if the people around him are even trustworthy. Everything, including a public break-up, is timed to the minute for biggest effect. Everything needs to draw some reaction, and both candidates know it.
In some ways, it's appalling because of how blatant the sensitivity is for personal gain. River discusses his attempted suicide, if for no other reason than the separate himself from Payton's passionate agenda. Someone else chooses a non-binary vice-president claiming that they're finally getting representation. Nothing else has changed in the election except that the candidates play allies for the sympathy votes. But what is all for? Will they actually represent their causes or is this all just another cynical act abusing power? This is where the show has found the most weight so far, drawing lines between morals and public image. Does Payton actually care about the disabled when he chooses Infinity Jackson (Zoey Deutch) as his running mate? Everyone ends up sacrificing some part of their spines, but will it come back to hurt them later on?
The entire thing feels like a competition among people losing their hearts. They're young and ambitious, learning from the past but not taking the humanity core into account. They know facts, and a fact is the most sympathetic candidate wins elections. The question from Murphy's perspective is how depraved the whole experience will go, or if this will be one of his safer shows that don't push boundaries. Considering his recent trend towards commentary, one can imagine that it will fall somewhere in the middle. The modern presidential elections are nightmares of sorts that The Politician cannot compare to. All they can do is exist in this heightened fantasy where youth eats itself, forever tarnishing their future. How does Payton ever redeem himself if this goes south? The sad part is that he may not be able to.
As the first collaboration between Murphy and Netflix, The Politician is an entertaining show that hits the right level of entertainment. It captures a selfish community and explores why they behave so poorly. It's all an act for acceptance, and Platt's performance carries it nicely. While it's too early to determine if the show will remain as good (this is a Murphy show after all), the beginning is full of twists and turns that engage the audience and want to discover more. The pilot does the job of making us care about the world, even as it has a delusional sense of self. It could be a great satire if it applies itself as hard as Payton. Otherwise, it's still a fun show that promises to be just as wild as the real thing, though hopefully with more self-awareness of the harm that's being put out into the world simply by playing the optics game.
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