When I first saw the trailer for The Politician, it looked loud, colorful, outrageous and satirical. It seemed right up my alley. I love a show with morally questionable characters and so much happening at once that you often feel overwhelmed. However, what I was not expecting was the complex and wonderfully performed characters and the deep reflection this show inspired. This story of the race for student council president in an affluent Californian high school is bold and exciting. If you haven’t already watched The Politician, I recommend using this fall break to binge it!
- Ben Platt
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Wow, so I knew Ben Platt was a bundle of talent and intelligence and emotion all rolled up into one, but his performance in this series exceeded all expectations. The complexity of his character is breathtaking. Throughout the show, I thought I knew what he would do next or who he was as a character, but each twist and turn of the series made me question it all. Leave it to Ben Platt to perform in such a way that truly reflects the contradictions and uncertainty humanity is filled with.
- Ben Platt Singing
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Many of us first heard the sweet melodic tones of Ben Platt’s wonderful voice when he played Benji in Pitch Perfect. From there he shot to worldwide fame for writing and starring in Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen. With a background like this, how could creator Ryan Murphy, producer of Glee, not utilize the momentous talent of this sweet man in a couple of spontaneous musical numbers in The Politician? Platt’s range is incredible and his tone is hauntingly beautiful. That weird little thing he does with his tongue? Ok, I can be here for that too.
- David Corenswet
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Here’s a picture. I don’t feel that further description is necessary.
- Gwenyth Paltrow
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I’ll be completely honest, I’ve never been a huge Gwenyth Paltrow fan. I’m not sure what it is, something just didn’t sit right with me. But she did something in these eight episodes that was absolutely magnetizing. She played an intricate caricature of a person who you were never really sure whether to laugh at or sympathize with. Something about her just ended up getting under your skin, and you had no choice but to appreciate her for the ridiculous, but honest, character she portrayed.
- The Houses and the Clothes
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On a purely aesthetic basis, the show was beautiful to look at: the palacios homes, the lush California backdrop and every character’s impeccable and unique style. It was fascinating to see how personalities corresponded with wardrobe details such as suits and pocket squares in this show where image is everything.
- The Soundtrack
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The music was so well placed and really provided a great flow of energy for the episodes. Musical moments were masterfully implemented so that we could hear the full talent of the actors. It never felt kitschy or forced but rather were perfect additions to the story.
Am I still waiting for Ben Platt’s version of “River” to drop on Spotify? I absolutely am.
- The Incredibly Constructed Characters
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I can’t stress how enthralled I was by each character’s fascinating storylines. At surface level, it could be easy to see Saint Sebastian High School as a parallel to the Constance Billard School for Girls of Gossip Girl, but the people and setting were so much more nuanced. There was complexity to Payton Hobart, contrast to Astrid Sloan and trauma for Infinity Jackson. The ridiculous things that were said and done were for a purpose, not just the wow-factor. The characters make you think and look at our own society to note what these portrayals are reflecting.
- The Chaos
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Essentially every chaotic event imaginable happened in this show. The Politician truly had an epic amount of outrageous and preposterous storylines running all at once. It was immoral while taking a hard look at morality; it had beautiful people doing a lot of ugly things. The chaos was somehow comforting as it acknowledged and mirrored the often outrageous political environment we are faced with every day. The chaos served as a fictional escape for contemplating the true mess of our real-life political climate.
- The Irony
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As I stated in the point above, the chaos served to reflect a realistic element of American politics. Without question, events were pushed to widely unrealistic extremes, but it is in the satire that an audience is able to grasp onto similarities. We can all laugh or gossip about how insane it was that (SPOILER) a high school presidential race spiraled into attempted murder, attempted patricide, blackmail and political espionage. At the same time, we can see the pattern of escalation and ruthlessness in a bunch of high school kids and only imagine was really goes on behind the closed doors of our political offices.
- Being a “Politician”
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The show exploits the way in which “politician” can be a very dirty word while simultaneously pushing us to remember the humanity of all people. Everyone bears a burden that weighs on them and often shapes the way they act. In no way am I looking to excuse the debauchery often depicted in this show—it’s entertaining, but not exactly forgivable. I am, however, trying to explain the way that The Politician really made me think. In a crazy, roundabout way, it reminded me to look for love and compromise before reaching for hate. It reminded me that ambition can be destructive and dehumanizing, but it can also be harnessed to make positive change.