| 1 | '''Some unmarked spoilers below.''' |
| 2 | ---- |
| 3 | |
| 4 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 5 | |
| 6 | !Main Characters |
| 7 | [[folder: Payton Hobart]] |
| 8 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/BenPlatt |
| 9 | [[quoteright:236:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/payton_hobart_season_1_portrait_1.jpg]] |
| 10 | [[caption-width-right:236:"I'm not about enjoyment. I'm about winning."]] |
| 11 | TheProtagonist of the series, an ambitious high school student adopted into a rich family. He aspires to become President of the United States and runs for student body president in order to achieve this goal. In Season 2, he is running for State Senate. |
| 12 | ---- |
| 13 | %%* AcademicAlphaBitch: A rare male example. |
| 14 | * AdventuresInComaland: [[spoiler: Payton falls into a coma after developing sepsis and dreams of River while under.]] |
| 15 | * AdoptionDiss: His brothers frequently point out that Payton isn't biologically related to the rest of the family. |
| 16 | * TheAlcoholic: Payton develops this after the TimeSkip and his BreakTheHaughty moment. |
| 17 | * AmbitionIsEvil: Discussed. In his more vulnerable moments; he fears this about himself as ambition leads to some hard failures; but ultimately he's a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold good person.]] |
| 18 | * AntiHero: More or less a Type III: he's cunning and [[PragmaticHero pragmatic]] but he doesn't go as far as to cheat in his quest for office as there are lines he won't cross. |
| 19 | * BreakTheHaughty: Throughout the season, Payton goes from a viable presidential candidate to [[spoiler:the student body president]] to [[spoiler:a disgraced president who loses his position after his supposed involvement in an attempted murder comes out. He also nearly dies from sepsis as the result of a shooting (from a BB gun), gets cut out of his adoptive father's will (along with his mother), loses his Harvard admittance, leaves school, and moves to New York, broken and alone. He develops alcoholism as a coping mechanism.]] |
| 20 | * BrokenAce: Payton possesses a 4.3 GPA and is politically and academically savvy, though he is also an AcademicAlphaBitch who is deeply affected by River's suicide. |
| 21 | * TheChessmaster: Starting at a young age, everything Payton does is part of a lifelong plan to get him in the Oval Office. He even [[SmartPeoplePlayChess plays chess!]] |
| 22 | * DisqualificationInducedVictory: [[spoiler:Astrid withdraws from the race, causing Payton to become the student body president by default.]] |
| 23 | * FatalFlaw: |
| 24 | ** Ambition, but more deeply it's his need for validation. |
| 25 | ** Interestingly, ''he'' thinks his fatal flaw is that, while he wants to do good ''things'', he's not really a good person, something that causes him genuine pain. |
| 26 | * ForcedOutOfTheCloset: An aborted attempt by one of Payton's rivals, in which he retaliates by calling them a bigot. |
| 27 | * GenderBlenderName: "Payton" (and its variants) can be a girl's name. |
| 28 | * GuileHero: Uses his incredible intelligence to reach his goals. Were he more villainous, he'd be a straight up MagnificentBastard. |
| 29 | * HappilyAdopted: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. He's ostracized by his older brothers and initially is TheUnfavorite to his father. His mother, however, loves him and Payton has no desire to look for his birth mother. |
| 30 | * HeroicBSOD: Massively for 3 years following [[spoiler:his resignation.]] |
| 31 | * HesBack: In the last moments of Season 1, after his friends tells him YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre, he declares his campaign for State Senate. |
| 32 | * IAmWhatIAm: A large part of his arc is him grappling with his own moral failings, and eventually deciding to accept himself for what he is: a not-good person who aspires to greatness. |
| 33 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Payton can be ambitious with little regard to others' feelings, but he can be remorseful and kindhearted. |
| 34 | * TheLeader: Of his devoted band of political operatives. |
| 35 | * MamasBoy: Payton is openly adored by his mother, to whom he is [[ParentalFavouritism the clear favorite.]] |
| 36 | * PreppyName: Payton Hobart (and really, his whole family). |
| 37 | * SmartPeoplePlayChess: Has a chessboard in his room and in the season 1 finale is seen playing chess in Central Park. |
| 38 | * SmartPeopleWearGlasses: Has a sharp-looking pair. |
| 39 | * TookALevelInKindness: Payton's never really a ''good'' person, but he's much more bearable in the second season, having been severely humbled by the events of the first. |
| 40 | * TheSociopath: Discussed. One of his biggest fears is that he can't feel anything. Especially when he struggles to cry over River's death, but successfully does so to manipulate Infinity onto his campaign. However, it gradually becomes clear that, while he does have problems with empathy and a skewed moral compass, he's not a sociopath, and is in fact capable of very genuine compassion. |
| 41 | * TheUnfavorite: He implicitly was this to his father Keaton [[spoiler: before his brothers tried to suffocate him]]. His mother, however, is [[ParentalFavoritism the inversion]]. |
| 42 | [[/folder]] |
| 43 | |
| 44 | [[folder: Infinity Jackson]] |
| 45 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/ZoeyDeutch |
| 46 | [[quoteright:243:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/infinity_jackson_season_1_portrait.jpg]] |
| 47 | [[caption-width-right:243:"I think that every day is a gift."]] |
| 48 | Payton's initial running mate, a cheerful student who is suffering from cancer. |
| 49 | ---- |
| 50 | * AbusiveParents: Abusive Grandparent, PlayedForLaughs. It seems like Dusty is just milking her for her cancer – getting free things like front-row tickets to a Rascal Flatts concert because of it, but it turns out [[spoiler:Dusty has actually been poisoning her her entire life. Infinity has no traces of cancer whatsoever.]] |
| 51 | * AmbiguousDisorder: She sometimes acts childish and naïve for a 17-year-old. Some examples include her grandmother describing her as having the IQ of a five-year-old and her believing that the restaurant in ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'' is run by actual rats. While these instances could be the result of being seriously sheltered by Dusty, it could probably also be the result of [[spoiler: the amount of (unspecified) poison forced into her system since she was a young child stunting her cognitive development.]] |
| 52 | * BaldnessMeansSickness: Not a sci-fi version. Infinity has no hair due to her illness, [[spoiler:or so it appears. She actually has MunchausensByProxy and her head is being shaved by Dusty.]] |
| 53 | * {{Blackmail}}: [[spoiler: Infinity accuses her grandmother Dusty of poisoning her deceased mother, and uses this as blackmail in order to get away from her.]] |
| 54 | * GenkiGirl: Despite her tough life, she's an extremely positive and bubbly person. |
| 55 | * GranolaGirl: Becomes this during the time skip from season one to two, aiming for a close to zero waste lifestyle. |
| 56 | * GrewASpine: She's ''much'' more self-sufficient and willing to stand up for herself in the second season. |
| 57 | * MunchausenSyndrome: [[spoiler: Infinity is at the receiving end of this.]] |
| 58 | * NiceGirl: Infinity is a soft-spoken girl who appears to be genuinely kind in a sea of [[AlphaBitch alpha bitches]] and [[BitchInSheepsClothing bitches in sheep's clothing]]. However, she can be manipulative when she needs to be. |
| 59 | * ObfuscatingDisability: [[spoiler: Andrew tells Payton that Infinity doesn't really have cancer, which is confirmed at the end of Episode 2. Played with in that Infinity didn't know, and is horrified when she finds out.]] |
| 60 | * ParentalAbandonment: Infinity lives with her grandmother, after her mother died of kidney failure [[spoiler: due to lead poisoning]]. Her father's fate is unknown. |
| 61 | * RaisedByGrandparents: Infinity was raised by her grandmother Dusty. |
| 62 | * SpeechImpediment: Has a slight lisp and a soft voice. |
| 63 | * TeenPregnancy: She is the result of one. |
| 64 | [[/folder]] |
| 65 | |
| 66 | [[folder: Astrid Sloan]] |
| 67 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/LucyBoynton |
| 68 | [[quoteright:221:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/astrid_season_1_portrait.jpg]] |
| 69 | [[caption-width-right:221:"I'm gonna tell them everything. And then I'm gonna win."]] |
| 70 | Payton's rival and River's girlfriend. She becomes Payton's opponent after River's death. |
| 71 | ---- |
| 72 | * AlphaBitch: Astrid is this in spades, being the pretty and most popular girl at school who acts as she's teen royalty. |
| 73 | * BigBadEnsemble: She's Payton's main opponent in Season 1, along with Dusty. Though she pulls a HazyFeelTurn in the back half of the season and becomes less interested in the race meanwhile Dusty proves a much more despicable character. |
| 74 | * CallingTheOldManOut: She calls out her father Theo's superficiality and lack of attention towards her. However, he doesn't care and views her in disgust. [[spoiler: Astrid later calls the police on him for crimes he committed.]] |
| 75 | * DaughterOfAWhore: Her mother is a former escort. |
| 76 | * FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:She briefly disappears to New York with the help of Ricardo, but not without leaving a bloody scene behind.]] |
| 77 | * GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: [[spoiler:{{Averted|Trope}}. She has one, since she knows she doesn't want kids, and no one shames her for it. Alice even goes with her to support her emotionally.]] |
| 78 | * HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: The first season finale has her work with Payton in his campaign against the State Senate Majority Leader of New York.]] |
| 79 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Season 2 sees her turn on Payton [[spoiler: and begin passing information about his campaign to Senator Standish]] until she later returns to his side, only to [[spoiler: threaten to use her pregnancy to derail his career, and convince Alice to leave him to run away.]] After [[spoiler:getting an abortion]], she returns to Payton and the team with Alice in tow. |
| 80 | * LadyMacbeth: Lampshaded by Payton when she gets River to run for office. |
| 81 | * LonelyRichKid: Astrid despises her life and doesn't have many friends. [[spoiler: This leads to her faking her disappearance in order to skip out of town and stay in New York for several days.]] |
| 82 | * ManipulativeBitch: Just like Payton, Astrid isn't above using devious means to try and win the election. |
| 83 | * OohMeAccentsSlipping: Lucy Boynton's British accent occasionally shines through. |
| 84 | * RichBoredom: She comes to resent her life of privilege, as she feels has given her no challenge or room to grow. |
| 85 | -->'''Astrid:''' Money just makes the important stuff easy, so that we try to make the unimportant stuff hard just to make it feel like we're not coasting. |
| 86 | * TheRival: To Payton, as his main opponent for the school presidency. |
| 87 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: At least in second grade, when she called Payton a "fag". Otherwise, Astrid appears to be a subversion of this trope. |
| 88 | * TwoFirstNames: Sloan can also be a first name. |
| 89 | * YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Has this when her dad expresses pride at her [[spoiler: calling the cops on him.]] |
| 90 | [[/folder]] |
| 91 | |
| 92 | [[folder: River Barkley]] |
| 93 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/DavidCorenswet |
| 94 | [[quoteright:236:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/river_barkley_season_1_portrait.jpg]] |
| 95 | [[caption-width-right:236:"You don't have to be a good person, you just have to do good things."]] |
| 96 | Payton's tutor, ex-lover, and opponent in the presidential race. He is dating Astrid. |
| 97 | ---- |
| 98 | * AmbiguouslyBi: River appears to have romantic feelings for both Astrid and Payton. Like most of the show's characters, his sexuality is never mentioned. |
| 99 | * AmbiguousDisorder: River felt down about his life and many of his good moments were outweighed by the bad, which suggests he suffered from depression. [[spoiler:However, much of these details come from what River tells Payton during his coma dream, so it may just be how Payton imagined his mental state.]] |
| 100 | * DrivenToSuicide: In the first episode, River fatally shoots himself in front of Payton. He attempted suicide unsuccessfully a year prior to this. |
| 101 | * HiddenDepths: He can speak Mandarin, the result of living in China until age 10. |
| 102 | * TheLostLenore: Payton insists he does not have romantic feelings for River, but River's death was deeply traumatic for him, and he [[spoiler:still feels his presence years later]]. He's also this to Astrid, though her grief isn't explored in depth until Season 2. |
| 103 | * NiceGuy: River is a sweet and kindhearted guy, making him a desirable student body president. |
| 104 | * PlotTriggeringDeath: Somewhat. His girlfriend Astrid replaces him as Payton's rival in the student body president election, and his ghost appears to Payton periodically after episode 1. |
| 105 | * PosthumousCharacter: He only appears in flashbacks and dream sequences after his death in the first episode. |
| 106 | * PrivateTutor: River was a tutor in Mandarin to Payton. |
| 107 | * WalkingSpoiler: Despite being set up to be one of the main characters, he dies by suicide halfway through the pilot episode. |
| 108 | [[/folder]] |
| 109 | |
| 110 | [[folder: Alice Charles]] |
| 111 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/JuliaSchalepfer |
| 112 | [[quoteright:213:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alice_season_1_portrait.jpg]] |
| 113 | [[caption-width-right:213:"I am your first lady today and always."]] |
| 114 | Payton's girlfriend [[spoiler:and later wife]], an integral member of his political team. |
| 115 | ---- |
| 116 | * GirlFriday: She's Payton's most dutiful political ally, and works behind the scenes to further his career. |
| 117 | * MoralityPet: Even at his worst, Payton obviously genuinely cares about her. One of the best examples was when he was fuming over being put on the waitlist for Harvard, but showed no envy or anger when he found out Alice got in on her first try. When she tries to comment that it might be because Harvard has to admit a certain number of women, he immediately shuts that down, telling her not to downplay what an amazing accomplishment this is. |
| 118 | * RunawayBride: [[spoiler:When Alice learns that Payton is running for New York State Senate, she runs away from the altar to look for him.]] |
| 119 | * TheStoic: Alice rarely shows a lot of emotions. She even manages to pass a polygraph test by staying stoic. |
| 120 | * SugarAndIcePersonality: She's normally ''very'' coldhearted and emotionless, but she is capable of deep empathy. |
| 121 | * TrophyWife: Initially dreams of being this to Payton. [[spoiler:She has a breakdown in the second season that gets resolved when she realizes she ''can't'' be this. She decides to follow her dream of attending medical school, and gains Payton's support.]] |
| 122 | * TwoFirstNames: Alice Charles. |
| 123 | [[/folder]] |
| 124 | |
| 125 | [[folder: [=McAfee=] Westbrook]] |
| 126 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/LauraDreyfuss |
| 127 | [[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mcafee_season_1_portrait.jpg]] |
| 128 | [[caption-width-right:234:"You're the pilot. James and I are your navigators."]] |
| 129 | One of the members of Payton's political team, a ChildhoodFriend of Payton and James. |
| 130 | ---- |
| 131 | %%* BrainyBrunette |
| 132 | * {{Cincinnatus}}: [[spoiler: She is offered the student body vice-presidency by Skye, but she refuses and turns Skye in, as she still believes in Payton.]] |
| 133 | %%* DeadpanSnarker: In spades. |
| 134 | * LadyInAPowerSuit: Almost all of [=McAfee=]'s clothes are trouser suits, but she also fits the character archetype to a tee, being a largely calm, aloof woman. |
| 135 | * TheLancer: Serves as this to Payton along with James. |
| 136 | * NiceGirl: Is arguably the kindest of Payton's political team. A downplayed moment of this is that, unlike James, she has the sense of referring to the exchange student Pierre by his first name rather than simply "the Haitian vote". |
| 137 | * TheOnlyBeliever: She believes in Payton's vision even when Alice and James don't later on. |
| 138 | * TheSmartGirl: She shares this role as well with James on Payton's campaign. She later graduates from Columbia with a double major in only three years. |
| 139 | * TheStoic: Not to the extent of Alice, but [=McAfee=] is pretty impassive much of the time. |
| 140 | * TwoFirstNames: Inverted, both her first and last name are traditionally surnames as {{lampshaded}} by Hadassah. |
| 141 | %%* UndyingLoyalty: To Payton. |
| 142 | [[/folder]] |
| 143 | |
| 144 | [[folder: James Sullivan]] |
| 145 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/TheoGermaine |
| 146 | [[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_season_1_portrait.jpg]] |
| 147 | [[caption-width-right:230:"For the record, this is insane."]] |
| 148 | Payton's BestFriend, and another member of his political team. |
| 149 | ---- |
| 150 | * BackstabbingTheAlphaBitch: |
| 151 | ** [[spoiler: He pulls this on Payton after the latter finds out about his affair with Alice.]] Subverted when it's revealed this was all an elaborate BatmanGambit to damage Astrid's campaign. |
| 152 | ** Does this again in Season 2 when Payton isn't willing to get his hands dirty by releasing juicy information that could destroy the opposition. |
| 153 | * DeadpanSnarker: Frequently. For example, when Payton chastises him for being late (though technically he was on time - James just wasn't ten minutes early as per usual), James tells him that he will be looking for a catheter to use in order to stop his occasional wanting to go to the bathroom. |
| 154 | * {{Jerkass}}: James is blunt and rude and often dismisses other students as lesser. |
| 155 | * IToldYouSo: To Payton after the fallout from [[spoiler: fake cancer-gate]]. Not that he's particularly happy about it. |
| 156 | * TheLancer: Serves as this to Payton along with [=McAfee=]. |
| 157 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Pulls this after Payton is [[spoiler:forced to resign as student body president.]] But he does become roommates with Payton after the TimeSkip. |
| 158 | * TheSmartGuy: He and [=McAfee=] are the brains of Payton's campaign, though the candidate is no slouch himself. |
| 159 | * SourSupporter: James can be a pretty cynical guy, but he certainly shows his loyalty to Payton. |
| 160 | * WhatTheHellHero: Is fond of giving these to Payton. |
| 161 | [[/folder]] |
| 162 | |
| 163 | [[folder: Skye Leighton]] |
| 164 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/RahneJones |
| 165 | [[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skye_season_1_portrait.jpg]] |
| 166 | River's, and later Astrid's [[spoiler: and even later Payton's]] running mate, a gender-nonconforming student. |
| 167 | ---- |
| 168 | * BackstabbingTheAlphaBitch: [[spoiler: Skye joins Payton's ticket after Astrid's running off to New York costs them valuable time]]. |
| 169 | * BrutalHonesty: As she mentions in her first scene (and demonstrated in later episodes), Skye isn't afraid to give her honest opinion, no matter how blunt it is. |
| 170 | * ButchLesbian: Skye's dress style leans towards this. |
| 171 | * DeadpanSnarker: Skye is a fan of throwing around snarky barbs, especially towards [[AlphaBitch Astrid]]. |
| 172 | * TheDragon: As Astrid's running mate. |
| 173 | ** DragonAscendant: [[spoiler: First when she takes Astrid's spot at the top of the ticket after her disappearance. Second when she succeeds Payton after his resignation. Neither last long.]] |
| 174 | ** DragonWithAnAgenda: Like many [=VPs=], she's clearly running for her own purposes and has little love for Astrid. No surprise when she [[spoiler: changes sides and later tries to kill Payton.]] |
| 175 | * EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler: Serves minimal jail-time for trying to ''kill'' Payton, who actually seems happy about her light sentence and becomes friends with her.]] |
| 176 | * HeelFaceTurn: She goes from being against Payton (even calling him a sociopath) to being a friend of his [[spoiler: after several-months-in-jail-and-a-TimeSkip-later]]. |
| 177 | * HiddenDepths: Skye is a fan of ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls''. |
| 178 | * HyperCompetentSideKick: She is much better at playing the political game than Astrid and gets quite frustrated by this. |
| 179 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Skye can be sharp in her opinions and isn't afraid to call out people for their behavior. But she genuinely cares about trying to help the high school's marginalized students. |
| 180 | * SixthRanger: [[spoiler:Joins Team Payton after jumping ship from Astrid's failing campaign. She [[SixthRangerTraitor betrays them]] not long after trying to assassinate Payton, but by the Season 1 finale she is EasilyForgiven and joins the team for good.]] |
| 181 | * TheStarscream: [[spoiler: She tries to assassinate and replace Payton.]] |
| 182 | * StrawFeminist: Of the SoapboxSadie variety. She refuses to identify with any gender, is a lesbian, and often makes speeches regarding women's issues. |
| 183 | * TookALevelInKindness: Skye is a lot kinder in Season 2 after the TimeSkip. |
| 184 | [[/folder]] |
| 185 | |
| 186 | [[folder: Ricardo]] |
| 187 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/BenjaminBarrett |
| 188 | [[quoteright:211:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ricardo_season_1_portrait.jpg]] |
| 189 | Infinity's slow-witted boyfriend. |
| 190 | ---- |
| 191 | * BadBadActing: His audition for the school musical. He discovers a passion for musical theatre, though. |
| 192 | * CrazyJealousGuy: He is obsessed with Infinity, and his [[spoiler: attempted assassination of Payton]] is based in this trope. |
| 193 | * TheDitz: Ricardo isn't the smartest tool in the shed. He admits to this. |
| 194 | * HiddenDepths: Twice in the same episode. |
| 195 | ** First he shows immediate familiarity with Sondheim's ''Theatre/{{Assassins}}'' when Infinity tells him about her casting. Then he auditions himself and treats it as SeriousBusiness. |
| 196 | ** While doing research for his role (which somehow includes learning about The Iliad), he gets the idea for [[spoiler: Payton's assassination]] from Philoctetes' death. This would have worked perfectly and cleared him of any suspicion had he not [[NiceJobFixingItVillain told Infinity]]. |
| 197 | * HollywoodToneDeaf: He's ''not'' a good singer. |
| 198 | * {{Manchild}}: Ricardo has shades of this. |
| 199 | * PutOnABus: [[spoiler: Goes to jail after he tries to kill Payton.]] |
| 200 | * SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler: Ricardo's attempt to get back at Astrid for destroying his relationship with Infinity leads to the two of them running off to New York in the middle of the presidential election. This causes Astrid to fall behind in the polls.]] |
| 201 | * TheBusCameBack: Makes an appearance [[spoiler:(albeit behind prison walls)]] in 2x06, when Payton and the team seek him out for help. |
| 202 | [[/folder]] |
| 203 | |
| 204 | [[folder: Dusty Jackson]] |
| 205 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/JessicaLange |
| 206 | [[quoteright:239:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dusty_jackson_season_1_portrait.jpg]] |
| 207 | [[caption-width-right:239:"I'm no saint. I'm just a little old country girl."]] |
| 208 | Infinity's grandmother. |
| 209 | ---- |
| 210 | * BigBadEnsemble: She serves as this for Payton in Season 1 along with Astrid, and is by far the evilest character on the show. |
| 211 | * DeepSouth: Originally from West Virginia. |
| 212 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: In episode 1, she uses her granddaughter's disability in order to get a table at a restaurant. |
| 213 | * EvilMatriarch: Of the Jackson family, and a ManipulativeBitch to boot. [[spoiler: She poisoned Infinity and caused the death of Infinity's mother (''her own daughter'').]] |
| 214 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Dusty originally appears like an old-fashioned SouthernBelle who cares for her granddaughter. However, as the first season unfolds, the viewers learn that [[spoiler: she has been poisoning Infinity to keep her at arm's length (while passing it off as cancer) and killed her own daughter by slowly poisoning her into kidney failure. Additionally, she's homophobic and attempts to have Payton assassinated.]] |
| 215 | * GruesomeGrandparent: Raised Infinity Jackson and was a terrible grandmother with MunchausenSyndrome. [[spoiler:[[OffingTheOffspring She's even an even worse mother]]].]] |
| 216 | * HateSink: She's an elitist, homophobic RichBitch [[spoiler: who killed her daughter and poisoned her granddaughter into illness.]] |
| 217 | * MunchausenSyndrome: [[spoiler: Pulls this on her granddaughter.]] |
| 218 | * OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler:She killed her daughter by poisoning her until her kidneys failed.]] |
| 219 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: In the series trailer, she describes gay people as only "munching on butts and celebrating Halloween." |
| 220 | * SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: |
| 221 | -> '''Dusty''': What are you saying? [[spoiler:That I went down into the basement and peeled paint chips off the wall and fed them to your mother?]] |
| 222 | * TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: [[spoiler: Her main modus operandi.]] |
| 223 | [[/folder]] |
| 224 | |
| 225 | [[folder: Georgina Hobart]] |
| 226 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/GwynethPaltrow |
| 227 | [[quoteright:235:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/georgina_hobart_season_1_portrait.jpg]] |
| 228 | [[caption-width-right:235:"Life isn't a train. It's a shit tornado full of gold."]] |
| 229 | Payton's adoptive mother. |
| 230 | ---- |
| 231 | * AwfulWeddedLife: Her marriage to Keaton is this. She married him when she gave up on love altogether and continuously has affairs with other people. Keaton is aware of all of this, but still wants her to "pretend" for him. |
| 232 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Has shades of this, shows it off far more in season two. |
| 233 | * GoldDigger: She certainly loves to reap the benefits of Keaton's wealth. Allison's too. |
| 234 | * GoodParents: Due to her own neglectul upbringing, she devoted herself to being an attentive and loving parent to her children. |
| 235 | * GoodStepmother: She loves Payton (her adopted son) more than she does her own biological children, and Payton himself says his relationship with her is one of the main reasons he never sought out his real mother, as that role was fulfilled. |
| 236 | * JourneyToFindOneself: [[spoiler: After getting forced out of Keaton's will, she escapes to Bhutan in the penultimate episode of season 1.]] |
| 237 | * MayDecemberRomance: She married to Keaton, who is significantly older than she is. However, the romance part has long died out. |
| 238 | * ParentalFavoritism: It's clear that Georgina is closer to Payton than to Martin and Luther - the both of whom she calls "borderline psychopathic". She herself says her love for Payton 'goes on and on' while her love for the twins 'has edges'. |
| 239 | * ParentalNeglect: Georgina was subjected to this during her childhood to the point where she barely knew her mother and had to learn details about her from her nanny. |
| 240 | * ProudBeauty: She's quite good-looking and is proud to point it out. |
| 241 | * SexGoddess: She calls herself "spectacular in bed" in a ''press conference''. |
| 242 | * StacysMom: She is a mother of three and stunningly beautiful, leaving some students tongue-tied. |
| 243 | * SympatheticAdulterer: She constantly had affairs while married to Keaton, but since she's a TrophyWife and they have an AwfulWeddedLife, she's portrayed as sympathetic. |
| 244 | * TrophyWife: She's this to Keaton, having married him purely for money and they both don't feel any romantic feelings towards each other |
| 245 | * UglyGuyHotWife: The young hot TrophyWife to the older Keaton's Ugly Guy. |
| 246 | [[/folder]] |
| 247 | |
| 248 | [[folder: Dede Standish]] |
| 249 | !!! '''Played by:''' Creator/JudithLight |
| 250 | [[quoteright:207:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dede.PNG]] |
| 251 | Incumbent State Senator for New York, and Payton’s political rival for season 2. |
| 252 | ---- |
| 253 | * CoolOldLady: Dede is an older woman who has tirelessly worked for the state of New York, accomplished real, lasting change in the state's infrastructure and fought for progressive liberal rights for over three decades. |
| 254 | * {{Foil}}: |
| 255 | ** To Astrid from season one. Both are popular candidates whose path pits them against Payton and co. Both are ruthless competitors who will look for the way to win. Where Astrid [[spoiler: withdrew to delegitimise and demoralise Payton’s win]] Dede [[spoiler: does so]] out of what appears to be her constituents' best interest. |
| 256 | ** Her relationship with her husband and William, to Payton’s with Alice and [[spoiler: Astrid]]. Where Dede's relationship is borne from love and genuine care, Payton’s relationship is all about power, control and mistrust. [[spoiler:At the end of the second season, however, their relationships flip in opposite directions. Payton learns to respect Alice and support her as much she does him, starting a family with her while she attends medical school. Dede, on the other hand, discovers her husband Marcus was involved in an illegal scheme where he ghost-writes papers for his university students and their relationship falls apart]]. |
| 257 | * HollywoodOld: Lampshades this in her campaign video addressing her polyamorous relationship, pointing out people don't expect a woman over fifty to be sexually active. |
| 258 | * {{Polyamory}}: Is in a throuple (a three-way relationship) with her husband and a lover, William, where all three love each other equally. |
| 259 | * SilverFox: An attractive older woman who owns her sexuality and not only has a loving husband, but a younger lover who is also very infatuated with her. |
| 260 | * WorthyOpponent: Dede initially despises Payton, and sees him as nothing more as a conniving, impertinent fetus who would lie and cheat his way to victory. As the election progresses, they come to see each other's value and end up as respectful rivals. [[spoiler:This is enough to convince Dede to concede the State Senate election to Payton]]. |
| 261 | [[/folder]] |
| 262 | |
| 263 | [[folder: Hadassah Gold]] |
| 264 | !!! '''Played by:''' Creator/BetteMidler |
| 265 | [[quoteright:255:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hadassah.PNG]] |
| 266 | The chief of Dede Standish's campaign staff, and her right hand woman. |
| 267 | ---- |
| 268 | * BecomingTheMask: Hadassah pretends to be William's secret lover to deflect any potential rumors about Dede's polyamory. [[spoiler:But they end up becoming genuinely attracted to one another, so much so that William dumps both Dede and Marcus to be with Hadassah.]] |
| 269 | * TheChessmaster: She is just as clever as Dede and Payton in her ability to spin events and situations in her favor. |
| 270 | * MarriedToTheJob: She mentions to Dede that she's never had a stable love life, her love is being Dede's Chief of Staff. |
| 271 | * NumberTwo: Hadassah is this to Dede. |
| 272 | * OldMaid: Begins Season 2 as this, being over fifty and single. |
| 273 | * TechnicolorNinja: Is absolutely horrible at tailing people or being discreet in general because of her loud and colorful outfits and conspicuous behavior. |
| 274 | |
| 275 | [[/folder]] |
| 276 | |
| 277 | !Recurring Characters |
| 278 | |
| 279 | [[folder: Keaton Hobart]] |
| 280 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/BobBalaban |
| 281 | Payton's adoptive father, Georgina's husband. |
| 282 | ---- |
| 283 | * AbusiveParents: He's cold to Payton on a good day and while he does like him for a while, it seems only because [[spoiler: he's ''not'' the son(s) who attempted to kill him when he was in a coma.]] He also plays favorites with his three sons, though Payton typically has the short end of the stick. |
| 284 | * AwfulWeddedLife: Keaton is aware he's in a bad marriage to Georgina, but doesn't want her to divorce him. |
| 285 | * ConvenientComa: He throws himself out of a window after learning that Georgina wants a divorce, which leaves him in this state. |
| 286 | * DrivenToSuicide: After learning his wife wants to leave him, he throws himself out of a window. He survives, however. |
| 287 | * EmasculatedCuckold: Once he learns his wife is [[CheatingWithTheMilkman cheating on him with the horse trainer]], he has her written out of his will. |
| 288 | * {{Jerkass}}: [[spoiler: He forces Georgina to stay in their failing marriage by threatening to cut her and their son Payton out of the will if she cheats again and eventually makes good on this promise. Additionally, he plays favorites with his three sons regularly.]] |
| 289 | * MayDecemberRomance: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. He's decades older than his wife, though the romance part has long died out (if there was ever any romance to begin with, that is).[[note]]Bob Balaban is 27 years older than Gwyneth Paltrow in real life.[[/note]] |
| 290 | * UglyGuyHotWife: He's very old and unattractive compared to his TrophyWife Georgina. |
| 291 | [[/folder]] |
| 292 | |
| 293 | [[folder: Andrew Cashman]] |
| 294 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/RyanJHaddad |
| 295 | A guy who has a crush on Infinity. |
| 296 | ---- |
| 297 | * CassandraTruth: [[spoiler: He tells the school principal and staff that Infinity is faking her disability, but is sent to detention for it.]] |
| 298 | * DisabledSnarker: Andrew's no less snarky than everyone else. |
| 299 | * DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery: Subverted. While he has cerebral palsy, he never seems to use his disability as an excuse. He's just generally a jerk to everyone but Infinity. |
| 300 | * StalkerWithACrush: On Infinity. |
| 301 | * TheStoner: Andrew smokes marijuana. |
| 302 | [[/folder]] |
| 303 | |
| 304 | [[folder: Martin Hobart]] |
| 305 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/TrevorMahlonEason |
| 306 | Payton's adoptive older twin brother. |
| 307 | ---- |
| 308 | * AdoptionDiss: Does this to Payton. |
| 309 | * AlwaysIdenticalTwins: With his brother Luther. |
| 310 | * BigBrotherBully: To Payton. |
| 311 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Less of a jackass than Luther not that that's saying much. |
| 312 | * {{Jerkass}}: Between treating their younger brother as lesser because he was adopted, treating their mother like crap, and [[spoiler: attempting to suffocate their comatose father to keep their brother and mother out of the will]], Martin and Luther are pieces of work. |
| 313 | * SingleMindedTwins: Subverted. Martin appears to have more of a conscience than Luther does. |
| 314 | * ThemeTwinNaming: ''Martin'' and ''Luther''. |
| 315 | [[/folder]] |
| 316 | [[folder: Luther Hobart]] |
| 317 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/TreyEason |
| 318 | Payton's other adoptive older twin brother. |
| 319 | ---- |
| 320 | * AdoptionDiss: Not above doing this to Payton. |
| 321 | * AlwaysIdenticalTwins: With his brother Martin. |
| 322 | * BigBrotherBully: To Payton. |
| 323 | * {{Jerkass}}: Between treating their younger brother as lesser because he was adopted, treating their mother like crap, and [[spoiler: attempting to suffocate their comatose father to keep their brother and mother out of the will]], Martin and Luther are pieces of work. |
| 324 | * ThemeTwinNaming: ''Martin'' and ''Luther''. |
| 325 | [[/folder]] |
| 326 | [[folder: Brigitte]] |
| 327 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/MartinaNavratilova |
| 328 | Georgina's ex-lover. |
| 329 | ---- |
| 330 | [[/folder]] |
| 331 | [[folder: Theo Sloan]] |
| 332 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/DylanMcDermott |
| 333 | Astrid's father. |
| 334 | ---- |
| 335 | * AbusiveParents: Of the emotional/verbal variety to Astrid. |
| 336 | * AwfulWeddedLife: Theo is terrible to his wife, whom he nonchalantly mentions to the police officer tasked with searching for their daughter is an addicted former escort. |
| 337 | * EducationPapa: He views his daughter Astrid as a disappointment because she didn't care about winning or losing the election (and subsequently dropped out), thinking that she isn't conforming to the image that Theo wants her to conform to. |
| 338 | * FreudianExcuse: His crushingly high expectations for his daughter shape her craving for power. He in turn has a FreudianExcuse in his own [[AbusiveParents abusive father.]] |
| 339 | * RichBastard: Is loaded and also an extreme douchebag. |
| 340 | * YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: His last words to his daughter after [[spoiler: she called the FBI on him]] are how proud he is of her. Given his ManipulativeBastard tendencies, he could either be genuine, getting under Astrid's skin one last time, or possibly both. |
| 341 | [[/folder]] |
| 342 | [[folder: Lizbeth Sloan]] |
| 343 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/JanuaryJones |
| 344 | Astrid's mother. |
| 345 | ---- |
| 346 | * AddledAddict: Lizbeth is apparently on numerous drugs. |
| 347 | * AwfulWeddedLife: Has a strained relationship with her husband. |
| 348 | * ParentalNeglect: Ignores her daughter's loneliness and believes that her [[spoiler: running away]] was inappropriate. |
| 349 | [[/folder]] |
| 350 | [[folder: Marcus Standish]] |
| 351 | !!! '''Played By:'''Creator/JoeMorton |
| 352 | Dede Standish's husband, and one third of her throuple. |
| 353 | ---- |
| 354 | * AmbiguouslyGay: It's implied by Hadassah that Dede may have been TheBeard all along. |
| 355 | * {{Polyamory}}: Is in a throuple (a three way relationship) with his wife and a lover, William. |
| 356 | [[/folder]] |
| 357 | [[folder: William Ward]] |
| 358 | !!! '''Played By:''' Creator/TeddySears |
| 359 | The third person in the Standishs's throuple. |
| 360 | ---- |
| 361 | * BecomingTheMask: When forced to pretend to be secret lovers with Hadassah, [[spoiler:ends up falling in love with her]]. |
| 362 | * JourneyToFindOneself: Found working on a lobster boat after his breakup with the Standishs. |
| 363 | * {{Polyamory}}: Is in a throuple (a three way relationship) with Dede and Marcus. |
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