REVIEW: Ben Platt Shines in Netflix’s The Politician
The Politician is a fast-paced satirical look at the inner and downright dirty workings of the political system told through the eyes of high schooler Payton Hobart, played by Ben Platt, who is dead set on being the next student body president.
In today’s society, where the world is focused on bringing light to voices who never had a voice before, Platt’s character knows exactly what to say and bring to the table in order to get his fellow students vote. He has studied politicians his entire life and has done every requirement necessary in order to land himself at the most prestigious schools around the country so he can one day become President of the United States. However, there is still one thing keeping him from his path to presidency and that is becoming his school’s Student Body President.
After careful planning, Payton believes he has the nomination in the bag, but what he did not foresee was what his political rival, River (David Corenswet) would bring to the table. River has found a way of relating to the student body on a peer to peer level. A level that Platt’s character could never comprehend and a level that could very well end Payton’s future as President. When all of Payton’s scheming plans to earn him votes seem to fail, including a beautiful song sung by Platt in the first episode, he pulls out his ace in the sleeve, Zoey Deutch’s Infinity Jackson. Suffering from a long-term illness, Zoey’s Infinity is everything that Platt’s Payton is not, which makes her the perfect running mate for Payton.
As always with any creation from Ryan Murphy, nothing is ever straight to the point. Characters are complex and ever changing and the story constantly twists in and out of plot details and surprises that you’re not too sure which way is up by the end of it. Platt’s Payton is clearly the star of the series and was A+ casting by Murphy and his team. Platt does a great job bringing to life Payton’s desire to win at no cost, while also showing off his vulnerable side. Zoey also is fun to watch as Infinity, but her storyline reminded me a lot of Hulu’s recent anthology series, The Act. It was hard for me to separate her character from Joey King’s Gypsy Rose Blanchard from the series.
Jessica Lange and Gwyneth Paltrow make up our main secondary characters and are stand outs in their roles. It is fun to watch them take on their roles as moms in such a different and drastic way. Murphy should consider a show revolving around these two characters because they were great to watch on screen.
Netflix’s The Politician is not a show that you can just have on in the background. A lot happens, especially in the first episode, so if you intend to watch the series be prepared to be paying attention. If you’re not, you are going to have a lot of questions as the season progresses. I recommend watching this show episode by episode and not binge watching just to ensure you don’t miss anything.
However, The Politician will not be for everyone. If you are a big fan of Ryan Murphy or his hit show, Glee this show is for you. If you are not a fan of his work, I would suggest watching the first episode and seeing how you feel after that.
Grace: B