Series 1: https://youtu.be/6-kdBlzCG7w
Series 2: https://youtu.be/e-wH7hD9Liw
I have found this an enormously entertaining series so far - and the second better than the first. The central character around whom all and everything revolves, Peyton Hobart is preternaturally ambitious with the White House in his final sights. The first series focuses on his attempts to be student body President and the group of acolytes that he has gathered around him.
There is a certain cartoonish feel at times about the central characters and their personae but this is never overly exaggerated and provided, for me, a nicely blackly comic riff on the situation - the extent to which Payton and group mimic professional politicians in their techniques is sparklingly sharp and the fact that at times it becomes somewhat ridiculous - this is only a school election after all - was something that I found a strength of the series although for some, apparently, this was a weakness. We are able to take the characters seriously for the most part - but never as seriously as they take themselves.
All the characters were vividly drawn, not least Payton’s mother (G. Paltrow) who really comes into her own in the second series and the plotting is admirably developed. An original aspect that I much enjoyed was the role of River Barclay, an ex-boyfriend of Payton and initially his rival for student President. He (spoiler alert!) commits suicide in front of Payton in Episode 1 and certainly for this first series, Payton’s feelings for him are important in humanising him and making him more sympathetic. I liked the device of his spirit appearing and communicating with him too and felt that the fact that this only happened once (I think) in the second series was disappointing; although I suppose it could show that Payton has moved on and needs him less – but this I found a little surprising given his centrality in the first series.
In the second series (just released) Payton is at NYC, and standing as a State Senate candidate against aa very-long-serving member, who has been unopposed for many years. This character Dede and her campaign manager, Hadassah were, for me, the main and most uproariously enjoyable characters in the series – not least because of the wonderful performances by Judith Light and Bette Midler who make a glorious comic twosome who totally dominate the screen and scene whenever they are on. Here, as we are on an adult political campaign, the professional politician techniques of approach and campaigning are wholly appropriate while remaining smartly satirical. The ending is actually very satisfying but the final scene, two years into the future less so. While significant for the focus of the next (final?) series, it seemed to me to be rushed and some plotting points seemed to have been changed or ignored which was irritating.
Anyway, good fun and looking forward to Series 3.