The Politician: A satire and a coming-of-age story

Hollywood news about financial deals can make for eye-popping reading. Some time ago, it had been reported that hotshot creator Ryan Murphy (Glee, 911, American Horror Story) had struck a five-year deal with Netflix worth 300 million dollars. The Politician, a dramedy starring Ben Platt (Pitch Perfect) in the central role, is the first offering from Murphy after the cash-rich OTT platform wooed him with big bucks.

Created with his longtime professional partners Brad Falchuk (the husband of Gwyneth Paltrow, who also stars in the web series) and Ian Brennan, the crisply edited web series is far better than a dissatisfying one-time watch.

The Politician introduces the viewer to a wide range of characters, which includes a few students who could have taught the characters they are playing.

The casting, in other words, falls short of being appropriate on occasions. However, Murphy and his partners have also cast some fine actors in interesting roles, which are more than just a few in number.

The best of the lot is the reliable Platt, who plays Payton Hobart, a young man born in ordinary circumstances who has been adopted by an affluent couple. His adoptive mother is socialite Georgina Hobart (Paltrow) while the collector dad Keaton’s role has been essayed by Bob Balaban.

The overachieving Payton shares domestic space with his adoptive parents’ badly behaved biological twins, but he gets his share of love, and more. Clumsy, ambitious, and a singer too, the young man is sure of what he wants to do with his life. He wants to become the student body president of his swanky private school, Saint Sebastian High School in Santa Barbara, since a win will be his ticket to Harvard. He eventually wants to adorn the White House as the US President. In fact, he has ‘known’ since childhood that he will get there someday!

A student body election forms an important part of the story. While watching the series, however, the viewer will come across sequences in which reel-life students take their politics a lot more seriously than real-life students do. While that may seem absurdly unrealistic, these sequences are the outcome of smart writing that comments on data-obsessed politicians with the use of student characters.

Another thing that usually works is the quality of unpredictability in the subplots. Themes hinging on love affairs, secrets and sexuality form the backbone of well-conceived stories that merge to create the big picture. The plot isn’t limited to being just a story of a young student politician and his ambition, which might have been boring as hell.

Payton believes that being the US President is his destiny. Platt steps into the character’s shoes that fit him perfectly. Paltrow is marvellous as the caring adoptive mother. Zoey Deutch as Infinity, his running mate suffering from cancer, has her moments as well. Murphy favourite Jessica Lange delivers a standout performance as Dusty, Infinity’s articulate and manipulative grandmother with a peculiar accent.

The Politician is, in equal parts, a satire and a coming-of-age story. The creators appear to have enjoyed a good laugh while scripting moments that take a jab at American culture. This reviewer might have found it even more enjoyable if the series had included asides on Donald Trump and his Trumpisms with subtle plot points. Minus that, too, it is a first-rate web series with good performances, efficient writing and fine direction that the viewer can watch without worrying about regretting later.