S02.E07: Election Day

[AgentRXS]

Quote

With the senate race up for grabs, Payton and Dede prepare for an unconventional showdown, but a last-minute decision suddenly changes everything.

Original air date: June 19, 2020

[Aulty]

I've watched the season yesterday and it did very little for me - to be honest I FFed through some of the later episodes. It felt shallow, unimaginative and repetitive. I love Skye and McAfee, but somehow Astrid is the most interesting character.

The storyline with Payton's mother is riddiculous - what a waste of screentime. She should have asked her son about 2 women thruples. I thought for a moment that they cast Wynona Ryda as Georgina's new squeeze.

And oh boy, Sam Jaeger and his accent are terrible. The show has a really akward mix of really decent actors and very poor performances.

[QQQQ]

Although I binged this season in a day, it was because I couldn't find anything else to watch vs being really interested in the storylines. Honestly, all of the throuples and partner switches just got to be too much, and felt like a farce. For one episode, ok. But it went on way too long for no reason. And as far as political campaigns go, it felt like they couldn't decide whether it was a local race or something much bigger (I know it was state senate but it couldn't find that middle footing, IMO).

[DoubleUTeeEff]

No one pointed out that if Infinity hadn't stolen the ballot box, Payton would have won fair and square?!? Ack.

I think Dede was smart to concede rather than go through the spectacle of Rock Paper Scissors and losing. It's very ridiculous that she's choosing a Veep four years out though. I suppose she can always go back on it but why even offer it now anyway?

I wonder what wild stuff Georgina Hobart is going to do while in office. A throuple with Angela Merkel and Erna Solberg?

[SourK]

I really enjoyed this season up until the flash forward, which made me worried about season three. FWIW, this is probably my favorite Judith Light performance and I think it makes sense that the next step in this story is her and Payton running together (at which point Payton's scheming gets exposed) -- but I don't know why we needed the intermediary step where Payton's mom became president.

[Retired at last]

I agree with what has been said. Too much thruple nonsense and way too much Gwenyth and her stupid stories. Yes, she and her husband produced this, but this was too much - especially having her win the Presidential election.

And, I disagree with @DoubleUTeeEff. If Infinity had not stolen the ballot box, Hayden would have LOST. She took it from a senior district who were all, most likely, voting for DeeDee.

Is there supposed to be a third season? I don't think I would care if this was the end.

[AgentRXS]

2 hours ago, Retired at last said:

I agree with what has been said. Too much thruple nonsense and way too much Gwenyth and her stupid stories. Yes, she and her husband produced this, but this was too much - especially having her win the Presidential election.

And, I disagree with @DoubleUTeeEff. If Infinity had not stolen the ballot box, Hayden would have LOST. She took it from a senior district who were all, most likely, voting for DeeDee.

Is there supposed to be a third season? I don't think I would care if this was the end.

Payton's team counted the ballots from the stolen box--Payton officially won.

Judith Light was the only watchable part of this season for me. Even Bette became too over the top for me. Of course, I'd watch Judith read out of a phonebook. I'm good if this was the series finale. 

[DoubleUTeeEff]

2 hours ago, Retired at last said:

And, I disagree with @DoubleUTeeEff. If Infinity had not stolen the ballot box, Hayden would have LOST

Right before Payton went out on stage to make his acceptance speech, McAfee, James and Skye tell Payton that they opened the ballot box and counted the votes. They explicitly say that he won the election. It's a "yay, you won the election, you earned and deserve this" moment! They totally gloss over that all stuff they went through with the tie, etc. would have been avoided if Infinity hadn't tried to "help" him.

[iMonrey]

This show is just odd. I went back and read what I wrote at the end of the first season and my opinion is unchanged. It's just sort of a weird little show that can't decide if it's a comedy or a drama. Parts of it feel like typical Ryan Murphy camp, while other parts seem to aspire to be more highbrow. There's a rhythm to it that makes it very watchable but when it's over it leaves me feeling empty.  

As for Ben Platt . . . apparently he was in a Broadway show that garnered him lots of fans and attention, but having no familiarity with that, I find him rather unappealing as an actor. I also felt like the singing was cheesy fan service and out of place.

Strange that the first couple of episodes were almost an hour long and then the rest of them clocked in closer to 30 minutes.

Overall . . . just weird, weird, weird.

[Retired at last]

Thanks for the correction, and apologies to @DoubleUTeeEff! 

[Oosala]

Finished watching last night.  I agree with iMonrey in that I ff'd thru the stupid, unnecessary singing bits.  I don't like watching someone sing on TV and yet I love going to concerts.  Well, I USED to love going to concerts.  All the ridiculous ping-ponging sexual partners configurations were irritating.  And maybe it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek funny but the idea of the Gwenyth character becoming California governor on a pledge to secede from the United States was just cringe-worthy.  When I see the Gwenyth Paltrow character on this show, I see Gwenyth Paltrow, and I'm a) struck by her beauty and b) reminded of why I don't like her.

[Stats Queen]

This season was just ridiculous.  You have to suspend all understanding of how the electorate and humans work to make any of the outcomes make any sense whatsoever. Even putting this aside, it just lacked for me (not sure what, but it lacked).

Some scenes/subplots were well done but only some.

Some of the acting was amazing, especially Judith Light and Bette Midler.

I thought the writers interjected their personal political viewpoints at the expense of the story.

But it was mostly just blah.

Also, at the end of the season:

Spoiler

Dede asks Payton to be her Vice-Presidential running mate in three years, since she is now the vice-president. 
1. Your has to be 35 years or older to be vice-president and he wouldn’t be that old by then.

2. A Peyton’s mother won the gubernatorial Election in California in a landslide based on her “let’s secede from the USA” platform and then won the presidency (by a landslide) in a country which she had very recently wanted her state of secede from. Now, that’s just stupid and my brain won’t allow me to suspend that much reality for a show.
My husband and I watched the season and if it wasn’t for COVID, we wouldn’t have finished.

 

 

[TV Diva Queen]

On 6/26/2020 at 11:27 AM, Oosala said:

Finished watching last night.  I agree with iMonrey in that I ff'd thru the stupid, unnecessary singing bits.  I don't like watching someone sing on TV and yet I love going to concerts.  Well, I USED to love going to concerts.  All the ridiculous ping-ponging sexual partners configurations were irritating.  And maybe it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek funny but the idea of the Gwenyth character becoming California governor on a pledge to secede from the United States was just cringe-worthy.  When I see the Gwenyth Paltrow character on this show, I see Gwenyth Paltrow, and I'm a) struck by her beauty and b) reminded of why I don't like her.

Right ?!For me, I think that's "a" is the reason for "b'"  lol.  She's just stunning in the most natural kind of way.  

[Whimsy]

16 hours ago, Stats Queen said:

This season was just ridiculous.  You have to suspend all understanding of how the electorate and humans work to make any of the outcomes make any sense whatsoever. Even putting this aside, it just lacked for me (not sure what, but it lacked).

Some scenes/subplots were well done but only some.

Some of the acting was amazing, especially Judith Light and Bette Midler.

I thought the writers interjected their personal political viewpoints at the expense of the story.

But it was mostly just blah.

Also, at the end of the season:

  Hide contents

Dede asks Payton to be her Vice-Presidential running mate in three years, since she is now the vice-president. 
1. Your has to be 35 years or older to be vice-president and he wouldn’t be that old by then.

2. A Peyton’s mother won the gubernatorial Election in California in a landslide based on her “let’s secede from the USA” platform and then won the presidency (by a landslide) in a country which she had very recently wanted her state of secede from. Now, that’s just stupid and my brain won’t allow me to suspend that much reality for a show.
My husband and I watched the season and if it wasn’t for COVID, we wouldn’t have finished.

 

 

No need for the spoiler box.  This is the thread for the last episode, so it was all revealed in this ep.  😉 

[SourK]

On 6/26/2020 at 12:27 PM, Oosala said:

Finished watching last night.  I agree with iMonrey in that I ff'd thru the stupid, unnecessary singing bits.  I don't like watching someone sing on TV and yet I love going to concerts. 

I think the worst part of watching someone sing in a TV show or movie is the reaction shot where the other actors have to watch that person sing and pretend it's really doing it for them. It's a pretty common fantasy to imagine having everybody listen with rapt attention and be moved and impressed while you sing -- that's why it's a joke in the second Austin Powers movie, when Dr. Evil makes his minions listen to him give a concert of contemporary pop songs. There's nothing wrong with imagining that, but we all understand that it's kind of narcissistic, so it feels embarrassing when a TV show doesn't seem to understand that.

[Paloma]

On 6/23/2020 at 1:12 PM, iMonrey said:

This show is just odd. I went back and read what I wrote at the end of the first season and my opinion is unchanged. It's just sort of a weird little show that can't decide if it's a comedy or a drama. Parts of it feel like typical Ryan Murphy camp, while other parts seem to aspire to be more highbrow. There's a rhythm to it that makes it very watchable but when it's over it leaves me feeling empty.  

As for Ben Platt . . . apparently he was in a Broadway show that garnered him lots of fans and attention, but having no familiarity with that, I find him rather unappealing as an actor. I also felt like the singing was cheesy fan service and out of place.

Generally agree with your first paragraph, although I thought the first season was better than the second. I actually do like shows that mix comedy and drama if they do it well, but this one did have trouble finding the balance.

As for the singing, it looks like I'm a minority of one here but I enjoyed it as a break from the sometimes dreary election and throuples plot lines. And hearing Ben Platt sing "Corner of the Sky"--one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite Broadway shows, and one that I have sung along with the cast album in the privacy of my living room many times--made the entire season and even the entire series worth it. BTW, the famous show he was in is Dear Evan Hansen, but I first discovered him in the wonderful movie Pitch Perfect. In both the show and the movie he plays a nerdy, socially awkward teenager, so his character in The Politician felt like an expansion of that type.

I also love the moving duet Ben he did with Lin-Manuel Miranda for March for Our Lives in Washington, DC, in 2018. Here is the studio version: 

 

[Lovecat]

On 6/29/2020 at 9:25 PM, Stats Queen said:

Also, at the end of the season:

Dede asks Payton to be her Vice-Presidential running mate in three years, since she is now the vice-president. 
1. You have to be 35 years or older to be vice-president and he wouldn’t be that old by then.

It's possible you were yelling at the teevee and missed this, but it's explicitly addressed--Payton says he won't be 35 by the next election and DeDe says that that's one thing Georgina intends on addressing in her first 100 days, as part of her "let's fix stupid stuff in the Constitution" initiative.

 

Put me on Team "Sing to me, Ben Platt--anywhere, anytime"  🙂  "Corner of the Sky" has been one of my favorite songs since I learned it at Girl Scout camp a million years ago, and his version was divine!