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Let's just get this out of the way: The Politician is batshit crazy...and I love it. In what many have called a morph of every storyline floating around Ryan Murphy's brain, each episode of season one is filled with, well, a lot. There's depression, suicide, sex, Munchausen by proxy (I can't make this up), a throuple, gender fluidity represented with a refreshing normalcy, Jessica Lange's accent, and, of course, politics.
If you're like, this is absolutely ridiculous please tell me more before I binge-watch all eight episodes, here's the SparkNotes version: Payton Hobart (Ben Platt) is a wealthy high school student in Santa Barbara running for student body president, on a mission to eventually become President of the United States. And by mission, I mean he will quite literally do anything in his power to win the high school election, which will eventually set him up to run for Senate, which will eventually get him to the Oval, and...you get it.
Oh, and there's an all-star cast: In addition to Platt, we're blessed with Lucy Boynton (my new style icon), Gwyneth Paltrow, Zoey Deutch, David Corenswet, Julia Schlaepfer, Laura Dreyfuss, Theo Germaine, Rahne Jones, and Jessica Lange, amongst others.
Without posting too many spoilers, I'll let the hilarious reactions to the show, below, speak for itself.
Mostly jealous of the fact of how easy The Politician makes it seem to get haunted by a bisexual ghost with cute dimplesSeptember 29, 2019
everything abt the politician on netflix is superb. a sufjan stevens intro? ben platts singing? jessica lange putting the act on hulu to shame???? immaculate. chefs kissSeptember 29, 2019
Started watching #ThePolitician on Netflix and this brings me so much joy every time I see it pic.twitter.com/HKf4jMovXASeptember 29, 2019
I described Ben Platt's character in THE POLITICIAN as "Evan Hansen if he never admitted what he did and was adopted by The Murphys instead" and I stand by that. #ThePoliticianSeptember 29, 2019
Zoey Deutch as Infinity Jackson is a goddamn GIFT #ThePolitician pic.twitter.com/fd3Em2nsrpSeptember 29, 2019
me thinking about the piano scene btween payton and river #ThePolitician https://t.co/icY5krsmZhSeptember 30, 2019
when I forgot I had plans and get a "where are you" text pic.twitter.com/kYzp8Xl0aFSeptember 29, 2019
Was The Politician supposed to be a comedy or what, because, I thought I was signing up for something else and now I’m crying to Ben Platt every time he starts singing. 😂😩🤦🏻♀️#ThePolitician pic.twitter.com/D0pk3GZV2pSeptember 29, 2019
me irl #ThePolitician pic.twitter.com/UQn3DMiDkPSeptember 29, 2019
#ThePolitician That’s it, that’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/NACr657PYUSeptember 29, 2019
‘Patricide is so on-brand for the twins.’- #ThePoliticianThis show is fucking genius. pic.twitter.com/LCVor27LWgSeptember 29, 2019
Ryan Murphy named a character River just so Ben Platt could sing “River” by Joni Mitchell and that is an EXPLOITATIVE way to get an emotional response. #ThePoliticianSeptember 28, 2019
The Politician season one is streaming on Netflix now.
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Rachel Epstein is a writer, editor, and content strategist based in New York City. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the site’s day-to-day editorial operations. Previously, she was an editor at Marie Claire, where she wrote and edited culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. She also launched and managed the site’s virtual book club, #ReadWithMC. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop.
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