The Politician Review: 5 Ups & 3 Downs

2. Lack Of River

The Politician's central narrative didn't really kick off until after the suicide of River Barkley in the first episode, but by the end of the season, you might still have trouble figuring out why it even had to happen.

David Corenswet radiated every time he was on-screen - to such an extent that you couldn't help but fall for River's charming smile whenever he flashed it and ache for him every time he teared up. Unfortunately, he just wasn't on-screen enough.

The fact of the matter is that Payton was more interesting when he was around River. Why? Well, because he was able to make him feel things that nobody else could - something the future president actually admitted on multiple occasions. And it's true: whenever they were together, he was in touch with feelings that just wouldn't show up for him in everyday life.

Furthermore, the fact that River kept showing up as a ghostly conscience proved that the writers were well aware of that. And it leaves us all asking the question: If they weren't ready to let go of him, why did they?