'The Politician' works in parts due to the bonding between Georgina and Payton Hobart played by Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Platt
'The Politician', created by Ryan Murphy was not the best of high-school tv-shows that I have watched, but one thing to look out for is the interesting portrayal of a relationship between a mother and her adopted child. Georgina Hobart (Gwyneth Paltrow) adopted Payton (Ben Platt) when he was a child. Everything that she failed to teach her biological kid, she finds herself trying to teach Payton and instill in him values that are absent in his brothers Martin Hobart (Trevor Mahlon Eason) and Luther Hobart (Trey Eason). From the first moment we see this family together, we know where they stand. Which is when Georgina is painting, Martin and Luther are enjoying themselves at the target range nearby and Payton is curled up with a book.
They are quite different from one another. When Martin and Luther compare scores about the girls that they have been with, Georgina is painting a portrait of a Syrian man to raise money for one of her charities. Payton, who is ambitious, is interested in nothing but gaining more knowledge to find the best possible route to achieve his ambitions. While Martin and Luther get along really well, Payton has always been an outsider. The fact that he has been adopted and that he is smart enough to get into Harvard on his own merits rather than with the family money and has always stuck in the two brothers' craw. Now, how does Georgina react to all of this?
She confesses to Payton that she tried to teach a lot of Martin and Luther, however, there was not much that they could learn. She even confessed that her love for her biological kids had edges. Her for Payton, on the other hand, goes on and on she said. Her sons, she is aware are bullies, borderline psychopaths who have small hearts.
And how does Payton feel about that? Georgina is the source of Payton's strength. During his interview at Harvard regarding his admissions, Payton tries to score points by confessing that he is adopted. However, when asked if he had ever tried to reach out to his real mother, Payton responds that his real mother has always been with him, supporting his dreams and ambitions since the beginning.
The mother and son have this interesting relationship where they each understand what is of utmost importance for the other. Georgina, for instance, is sick and tired of faking love that she never had for her husband, Keaton Hobart (Bob Balaban) and so she asks him for a divorce to lead a life with the woman that she had fallen in love with. However, when she does realize that her husband is thinking of holding back his support for Payton, she gives up her own life. Payton also offers her the chance at love and tells her that she shouldn't think too much about the things that he would lose. He wants his mother to do what she wants. While Georgina tells him that she will be there for him throughout his choices, she also confesses that his ambitions do scare her.
Throughout 'The Politician', this relationship of understanding and love that we see between Payton and Georgina is one of the two things that worked really well for the show. The other being Ben Platt's rendition of 'River.'