Ryan Murphy’s latest hyper-mannered, hyper-articulate look at the lives of the rich and disgraceful isn’t always as biting as it should be, but when it works it’s glorious. This is a reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue with regards to’concerning’with respect to the odd’peculiar emptiness of politics, and the ways that we possess’own’nurse all become politicians in an age of social media overexposure and crippling self-awareness. But it’s also a pleasingly ridiculous soap opera and a chance in/with regard to’concerning’regarding Gwyneth Paltrow to send herself up. If it becomes a little chaotic in the third act, at least it promises great things in/with regard to’concerning’regarding an almost-but-not-quite-anthology reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue to come.###Our hero(ish) is Ben Platt’s open-faced, angel-voiced and absolutely ambitious Payton Hobart. He has known, definitively, since childhood that he will one day be US President; all that remains is to actually win the election. He has a loyal campaign team and a picture-perfect girlfriend (Julia Schlaepfer), but the first step is to find a running mate in his campaign in/with regard to’concerning’regarding high school senior class president. Enter sympathetic Infinity (Zoey Deutch), a peppy cancer patient with terrible judgment and a mercenary streak. Payton’s up against resolute’resolved opposition too, first from likeable sports star River (David Corenswet) and the more in/with regard to’concerning’regarding midable Astrid (Boynton).###Funny, sharp and extremely quotable.###All, it’s fair to say, does not go to plan. There are outrageous betrayals, abuse, self-harm, political gaffes, poison, secret investigations and far more polling than any high school should be subjected to (one episode, focusing on an apathetic voter being propel n approximately to madness by the campaign, is an inspired look at how little ordinary individual want to claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate with regards to’concerning’with respect to this stuff). None of that is dull’tedious’frayed’monotonous , but it’s a lot soapier than we maybe need. The political satire is rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent as far as it goes, in examining the tightrope that eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully candidate must cover’budge to shun offending in a liberal, intersectional environment like this ritzy Caliin/with regard to’concerning’regarding nia school, and there’s a timely swipe at the US college admissions scandal. Yet there’s little to no attempt to deal with the rise of populism or the existential challenges posed to liberal democracy by that attack. Maybe in Season 2, set up in the final episode here.###Even as the tight, Election-style premise falls apart and Boynton and Deutch are somewhat sidelined, there’s still lots to love. Paltrow is in full Wes Anderson in/with regard to’concerning’regarding m as Payton’s sullen mother, sending up her own love of alternative medicine but injecting humour too (“That’s the fourth time someone has jumped out a window when I tried to break up with them,” she sighs). Platt is deeply engaging, shifting smoothly from likeably sincere to horrifically image-conscious. But e grossly one around him is just as self-aware. All our heroes are trying to make meaningful connections while examining their eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully word in/with regard to’concerning’regarding possible mistakes. It’s no way to live, says the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue : being a politician, or even trying to be, will fatally skew your values away from reality and towards disaster. And that rings awfully true right now.