What I’m Watching: The Politician

The Politician: Season 1, Episode 4 “Gone Girl” (B+)

I keep coming back to the music on this show as an incredible driving force of its storylines, though I have to give credit to the exceptional casting as well. I didn’t mention the terrific selection of January Jones of “Mad Men” fame as Astrid’s mother in the last episode, and here she got to express anger at her husband and disapproval at her daughter for thinking that she could change who she was. Running away with the hapless Ricardo to enjoy New York was less sinister than what appeared to have happened, and only on this show and in this universe could she return to more favorable polls and then have the vice-presidential candidate who had held a vigil decrying her likely death try to switch to the other campaign on the day before the election. Skye’s romance with McAfee makes everything all the more complicated, but that should hardly come as a surprise on this show. After Payton got smuggled out of the police station in a trunk, Ben Platt showed why he’s the perfect person for the role when he reacted so intensely to everything Infinity said to him in the church in response to him firing her and lobbing the accusation that her grandmother was making her sick. We’re halfway through the season at this point, and I don’t feel like I have any idea what’s going to happen next. That’s a good thing, since this show is so completely watchable and wildly creative in the best way.