The first season of Ryan Murphy’s The Politician had laid bare the idea of a dramatic comedy aimed at Gen Z, who react to mental Zen and facial zits with equal fervour. The drama is outrageous, the clothes are colourful, the world is gloomy but the future is bright and promising. The second season, recently released on Netflix on June 19, follows in the footsteps of the first, almost like the aching days of an annoying younger sibling imitating the elder one.
There is a seat of power to be won and one works hard for it (one would assume, since very little of the work is actually shown barring few overly dramatic speeches on public platforms to supposedly rile the placard-bearing youths into action). The usual suspects Payton Hobart (Ben Platt) and his mother Georgina Hobart (Gwyneth Paltrow) are back, only the stage is much larger. While Payton runs for the New York State Senate against Dede Standish (Judith Light), his “easily-bored” mother is running for the state of California, with the proposition of the state becoming a country. One can argue, even Amy Poehler’s Parks and Recreation had more dosage of actual politics than The Politician. However, one can’t hold a grudge against the show-runners, because they never promised to be anything more.
The fluidity of sexual orientation continues to form a major crux of the narrative with Standish’s character paving the way for a discourse on sexuality in older beings. The woman who has worked immensely hard for her constituency for 30 years, running unopposed, with her scrupulous sidekick Hadassah (Bette Midler), is a part of a throuple with her husband Marcus (Joe Morton) and William (Teddy Sears). Payton refuses to stoop to dirty levels that are often warranted in the roles of politicians, to use this information against his competitor.
Another pillar on which this episode stands is the climate crisis, a nod at the Boomer generation who supposedly “didn’t care and got us here”. There is yet another episode in this season that is dedicated to the voter and their changing personal politic over the course of an election day and much like last season, this one too is perhaps the most engaging episode of the season. If human emotions and their changing dynamics make you curious, The Politician is a dramatic push in that genre which only translates into a slight nudge for the viewer.
This season, standing at four hours 39 minutes scattered over seven unevenly timed episodes, feels like a rush to the finish line, with or without the ‘fast forward’ in the last episode, yet again following in the footsteps of the previous season. Midler’s Hadassah is the funky and vivacious force of power that we need to run for vice president of the United States. Whether it be asking for “spicy lube” for her newly found frantic love affair or fierce loyalty towards work and a candidate for over three decades, Hadassah is a pleasure to watch on screen. Fighting ageism and exploring sexuality at an older age is chaotically represented by the Standish and Hadassah duo, often too chaotic. The personal arcs of the characters and their influence on political decisions of grave importance is what this show is about.
Infinity Jackson (Zoey Deutch) who was a victim of Munchausen syndrome imposed on her by her grandmother, is now author-turned-activist fighting for climate change with a vengeance. Oftentimes didactic, her journey shapes the main events of this season, providing a moral dilemma for all involved. However, moral dilemmas are dealt with differently depending upon convenience as its wheel. “You only choose the path of light when you know it will get you what you want,” says Alice Charles (Julia Schlaepfer) and we couldn’t perhaps relate more. Consent, climate, abortion, ageism and sexuality are all topics addressed in this season but they all somehow feel like a cursory glance garbed under the cloak of ‘being woke’.
There aren’t too many reasons to binge-watch this season like one had with the previous one and one might find themselves forwarding through some of the portions that feel too slow in an otherwise fast-paced plot line. Ben Platt doesn’t sing as often as he should, so that too forms a deterrent to consuming this season in one sitting. However, if you too are keen on knowing ‘what happened in the end’, it works as a reason good enough to watch. One can even hope for a bigger race and a better narrative in the next season if there happens to be one. The show may not address politics as we understand in common parlance but it sure understands and expresses the nuances of personal politic in a way that is easier to comprehend and consume.
