Pilot

**"Pilot"** is the first episode and season premiere of the first season of The Politician.

## Summary

Payton Hobart, a student from Santa Barbara, has known since age seven that he's going to be President of the United States. But first he'll have to navigate the most treacherous political landscape of all: Saint Sebastian High School.

## Plot

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

The episode begins with Payton speaking to an admissions officer at Harvard. He explains that he has one goal in life: to become president. Every single thing that he does is in order to achieve that dream, which he believes he is destined to accomplish.

But before he can lead the U.S., he will start by being student body president at his Santa Barbara high school. The problem? Standing in his way is River Barkley, whose girlfriend, Astrid Sloan, has convinced him to run again Payton.

When Payton learns that River is running, he confronts him and shows that there is some kind of history between them. River goes on to give an incredibly moving speech at their first debate that earns him a leg up in the race. He also brings in a running mate, Skye Leighton, who represents the seemingly very small diverse population of the school.

Once again, Payton goes to talk to River. He doesn’t know why someone who seemingly cares about him would do this. River apologizes, tells Payton that he loves him — and then shoots and kills himself with a gun we saw him retrieve earlier. Payton is in shock and goes home to wash away the blood.

In a flashback, we learn that Payton is the adopted son of the wealthy Hobart family, and the apple of his mother Georgina’s eye. His older brothers, Luther and Martin, are "bros" who use their money to get women. Payton, meanwhile, is singularly focused on his goal, so Georgina gets him a Mandarin tutor to help him out at school.

Enter River, in a scene from 18 months before the election (still the flashback). He has a gentleness about him, and encourages the always-buttoned-up Payton to open up a bit. Then, the two share a kiss. Not long after, Astrid confronts Payton in the library, saying that she knows what happened between them and suggesting a threesome.

Back in the present, Payton performs a beautiful rendition of the song “River” at a school memorial for River. Then, Astrid announces that she will be taking over the campaign and running in River’s place. Payton is furious.

He has a lavish dinner with his own girlfriend, Alice Charles. She proposes that they break up, earning him sympathy from the public, and he agrees to the plan. However, he fails to follow the guidelines she put into place to assure her that the break up isn’t real.

Throughout all of this, Payton's advisors McAfee and James, have been helping him. They advise that he picks a running mate who is a part of a disenfranchised community, such as someone with a disability. They find the perfect candidate in Infinity Jackson, a cancer-ridden yet cheerfully optimistic student.

It takes Payton some time to win Infinity over. But with the help of her opportunistic grandmother, Dusty Jackson, she decides to enter. However, as soon as she takes the stage to announce her candidacy, Payton learns that she’s not who she says she is. Infinity might be faking her illness.

## 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
* Gwyneth Paltrow as Georgina Hobart

### Guest

* Ryan J. Haddad as Andrew Cashman
* Trevor Eason as Martin Hobart
* Trey Eason as Luther Hobart
* Natasha Ofili as Principal Vaughn

### 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

## References

1. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BlVW7dIHsZ8/