It’s an ambitious task trying to make a reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue with regards to’concerning’with respect to American politics today. With media manipulation rife and policies upended in a single tweet, its chaotic nature is fascinating in a car crash sort of way, but also near-impossible to match with fiction. Season 1 of The Politician — the first of an onslaught of new reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue s in/with regard to’concerning’regarding Netflix from (mostly) Midas reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue runner Ryan Murphy — sidestepped this problem by choosing to focus mainly on campaign tactic’manoeuvre , using wax-like protagonist Payton Hobart (Ben Platt) and his race in/with regard to’concerning’regarding student body president as a condensed case study with bonus musical numbers (it helps that Platt is also a Tony-winning Broadway perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mer).###Season 2 sees Payton move to New York in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the next phase of his projected journey towards the Presidency, and this time Murphy and co-creators Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk seem to possess’own’nurse succumbed to the discourse. Packing the series to the gills with hot takes on e grossly thing from climate action to cultural appropriation, the writers possess’own’nurse used Payton and his Gen Z campaign strategists as a way of opening up a broader conversation around the power that young individual can wield today.###The highlight of the ensemble are Judith Light and a zesty, pantsuit-clad Bette Midler.###To some, this social commentary/call to arms will seem preachy — Zoey Deutch’s glamorous take on Greta Thunberg is especially heavy-handed — but it injects the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue with a much-needed dose of vim, pushing the material beyond the relentless soap opera dramatics of Season 1 into something more provocative. As Payton, Platt continues to channel the same meticulous, somewhat sociopathic persona that even behind closed doors stays mildly’faintly glassy. Acting as more of a attentive ly crafted political machine than a human being makes him no less intriguing to watch, however, and when the small shreds of humanity push through — usually in the in/with regard to’concerning’regarding m of a reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue tune — Platt deftly exercises his ability to command a room.###Around him, the cast bounce off each other like pinballs, and display the same romantic approach to politics that you might find in an Aaron Sorkin script. Payton’s strategists maintain their pacy rapport, discussing eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfullything from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the films of Nancy Meyers, while Gwyneth Paltrow as Payton’s mother — now herself a politician — continues to delight by having fun with what can merely’barely be a parody of her real-life ‘wellness’/lifestyle persona, convert’transform ing last season's kaftans and bohemian colour in/with regard to’concerning’regarding pastel suits and a campaign that includes tree-hugging.###Perhaps the highlight of the ensemble, however, are Judith Light as Dede and her Chief Of Staff Hadassah, played by a zesty, pantsuit-clad Bette Midler. In spite of the relationship undergoing a myriad complications — the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue ’s major flaw is a tendency towards melodrama — their combined reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue manship is dazzling when set against the straight-talking opposition.###With Murphy promising a season in/with regard to’concerning’regarding each stage of Payton’s career, it’s uneliminate’remove whether audiences already conditioned to the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue ’s in/with regard to’concerning’regarding mula of theatrical scandal and intricately devised power plays will remain entertained in/with regard to’concerning’regarding much longer. For this peculiar chapter, at this peculiar time, however, Murphy and co seem to be allowing a little more of the outside world in, transin/with regard to’concerning’regarding ming the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue into a more galvanised, reflective piece of storytelling.