Vienna

**"Vienna"** is the first season finale and the eighth episode of the *The Politician*.

## Summary

Payton reevaluates his life after a reckoning, but when a window of opportunity opens, he grapples with a big decision about his political aspirations.

## Plot

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

In a flashforward three years later in New York City, Payton is a student and sings in a bar, where we also see Skye and Infinity in the audience cheering him on. Afterwards, we catch up with the trio and find out what they’ve been up to. Skye didn’t go to jail and got away with community service; she now goes to Vassar. Infinity has published a successful book about her life and she tells them that Ricardo is in prison.

We then cut to State Senator Dede Standish, and her Chief of Staff Hadassah Gold, meeting with the junior senator from Texas. During the meeting, the senator explains that he had to lie on certain issues to make sure he was elected as he is the first democratic senator in Texas for 25 years. He also plans to run for President, and would like Dede to be his running mate. He thinks she would be perfect but also wants to know if she has any skeletons in her closet. Her chief of staff denies it and she accepts the proposition. However, as she heads home, we see that she is living in a ménage a trois.

McAfee is the new campaign staffer for Senator Standish but is only given mailing tasks. Not happy with her new assignment, she decides to speak to her boss, Hadassah. The chief of staff tells her that she will have to make do with what she has been given as the Senator is running unopposed. Payton receives an invitation to Alice’s wedding and he decides to travel to her campus to try winning her over. While they have coffee, Payton asks her not to marry Thad. He apologises for everything but she tells him she loves Thad and doesn’t think their relationship was healthy. She goes on to tell him she is getting married in one week and that even though she will always love him, it is now too late.

McAfee and James have an idea, which is for Payton to run against Senator Standish as her campaign is non-existent. He refuses to go ahead with it as he doesn’t believe in himself anymore. The two friends call Skye and Astrid to tell them that they want Payton to run for State senator and they immediately drop what they’re doing. They then call Alice as she is about to get married and just as she arrives at the altar, she changes her mind and runs out of the church.

Payton arrives in his dorm only to find his four friends, ready to be there for him. They all realized that something had been missing in their life and he goes on to tell them that he doesn’t think he could win. Suddenly, Astrid comes out of the toilet and tells him that she knows that Standish is in a three-way marriage. As River’s previous words of encouragement resonate in his mind, Payton finally agrees to do it.

The episode then ends with Standish and Hadassah shocked as they watch Payton giving a speech to the public about his upcoming campaign to run for senate.

## Cast

### Main

* Ben Platt as Payton Hobart
* Zoey Deutch as Infinity Jackson
* Lucy Boynton as Astrid Sloan
* Bob Balaban as Keaton Hobart (credit only)
* David Corenswet as River Barkley
* Julia Schlaepfer as Alice Charles
* Laura Dreyfuss as McAfee Westbrook
* Theo Germaine as James Sullivan
* Rahne Jones as Skye Leighton
* Benjamin Barrett as Ricardo (credit only)
* Jessica Lange as Dusty Jackson (credit only)
* Gwyneth Paltrow as Georgina Hobart (credit only)

### Guest

* Judith Light as Dede Standish
* Bette Midler as Hadassah Gold
* Ryan J. Haddad as Andrew Cashman
* Trevor Eason as Martin Hobart
* Trey Eason as Luther Hobart
* Natasha Ofili as Principal Vaughn
* Jackie Hoffman as Sherry Dougal
* Joe Morton as Marcus Standish
* Teddy Sears as William Ward
* Sam Jaeger as Tino McCutcheon

### Minor

* Alveraz Ricardez as Officer Kellen
* Tracy S. Lee as Vicki
* Karen Brundage as Olive Garden Woman
* Courtney Taylor Burness as Hostess (Karen)
* Adam Wang as Mr. Anselm
* Jordan Wall as Ivy
* Andrew Patrick Ralston as Dean Lawrence
* Nathan Howard as Damien
* Richard Wharton as Thomas
* Doreen Calderon as Librarian