Have you ever gotten the feeling that you could be president? Well, Peyton Hobart (played by Ben Platt) lives for that feeling. Hobart already has a directional path to the presidency which includes attending Harvard after he wins his campaign for high school presidency. Enter the clownery that follows after rich-boy Hobart and his closest advisors – his childhood best friends James Sullivan (Theo Germaine), McAfee Westbrook (Laura Dreyfuss) and (ex?) girlfriend Alice Charles (Julia Schlaepfer) – begin the campaign to start all campaigns at Saint Sebastian High School.
The dramatics of this show are indescribable. Every scene creates a complex series of events that continue to unveil truth after truth after truth about each character. There is no exaggeration here: the twists and turns of this show are nonstop, but in the best way possible. Every character has their own issues and lies that have ramifications for other characters, continuing this dramatic circle with the center question… who will win the damn campaign?
Infinity Jackson (Zoey Deutch) and her grandmother Dusty (Jessica Lange), along with Infinity’s boyfriend Ricardo (Benjamin Barrett) create a disastrous few problems for Hobart and his team, while Astrid Sloan’s (Lucy Boynton) family is comical to watch fall apart throughout the semester. Hobart’s family drama adds a flavor to the show that keeps viewers laughing throughout the season.
In only 8 episodes, the viewer is introduced to an abundance of characters who quickly become family. The cast is to thank for this. The Politician has a cast that is phenomenal at portraying their characters and without such a fantastic cast, the show would not have been the same. The all-star cast includes Hollywood stars such as Jessica Lange and Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as newcomers who are bound to be show stoppers such as Rahne Jones. Ben Platt does an incredible job at portraying Payton Hobart, an extra-wealthy adopted boy who has a blazing fire in him to become president of the United States.
The visuals are also an amazing aspect of the show. Every shot is colorful and vivid, allowing even normal Netflix watchers to catch on to the fact that the show put a lot of time and effort into the visuals and background of the show. The characters’ outfits are suited to their personalities and they are also super trendy, yet will always be in style for the personalities they represent.
The hysterical one liners make this great show even better. There are moments when you may even have to pause the show because you’re laughing so hard. And what makes the whole season worth watching…the last episode. Episode 8, titled “Vienna,” does the season justice, leaving viewers wanting more already. Usually, season endings leave viewers upset with the show, but The Politician ends with a fantastic scene that is well worth the wait. The last five minutes of the show are EVERYTHING a viewer could ever want from the Saint Sebastian High School campaigners.
Ryan Murphy’s first production with Netflix, The Politician, already has a second season on the way and has people from all over raving about it. There is no doubt that this show should be on your “To Binge” list!
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