Wait, Gwyneth Paltrow Is the President!? ‘The Politician’ Season 2’s Ending Explained

If you thought The Politician Season 1’s finale was crazy, get ready for Season 2’s wild ending. Filled with throuples and electoral betrayals, The Politician Season 2’s ending may be one of the craziest of summer. And it’s all teasing one big, future move.

Each season of Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, and Brad Falchuk’s The Politician follows a different election in the life of Payton Hobart (Ben Platt). Last season was all about Payton proving himself to his high school student body. But Season 2 saw Payton dipping his toes into the real world of politics. You better believe things got messy fast. If you need a breakdown of The Politician‘s Season 2 ending, we have you covered.

How Did The Politician Season 2 End?

With one big fake-out. This season followed the thrilling race between Payton Hobart (Ben Platt) and Dede Standish (Judith Light) for state senator of New York. It was a campaign filled with throuples, owning one’s sexuality, cold showers in the middle of Madison Square Garden, and culturally inappropriate pictures. But at the end of this scandal-filled race the votes finally poured in: 45,626 votes a piece.

According to New York law either the candidates could have another election or they could flip a coin to decide who won. Payton’s campaign was terrified that its young voters wouldn’t come out again, and Dede’s was scared Payton’s approval would continue to skyrocket. So the pair reached a compromise. Instead of flipping a coin the pair would play rock, paper, scissors for the office, one of the few games of chance you can sort of cheat.

As Payton and Dede trained for roshambo, Alice (Julia Schlaepfer) and Astrid (Lucy Boynton) trained to be mothers. Earlier this season Alice invited Astrid into her and Payton’s bedroom, hoping that increased intimacy would deter Astrid from betraying the campaign. It worked. But just like Payton himself, his sperm worked just a bit too well. Both women were impregnated by Payton.

Realizing that she would always be second fiddle to Payton’s career, Alice left her boyfriend once again. But this time instead of going for The Graduate she went for more of a Midsommar mixed with a fertility clinic vibe. Alice and Astrid fled to a holistic fertility camp where Astrid realized an important truth about herself: she didn’t want to be a mother. Alice, her once friend turned sister, accompanied Astrid to get an abortion.

Back with Payton, it was the moment of truth between him and State Senator Standish. That’s when Dede made an unexpected move that nearly gave her Chief of Staff Hadassah Gold (Bette Midler) a heart attack. Dede conceded the election to Payton.

As Dede explained, the race between herself and Payton should have never been as close as it was. She was an experienced politician with a proven track record and he was a no-name student. But the fact that Payton and his eco-friendly policies were making him a real threat to Dede proved to her that she didn’t understand her voters quite as well as she thought she did. In the end Dede handed Payton the seat with the warning that the hard work was just beginning.

Did Payton Actually Win the Election?

It’s not like high school. This time Payton actually won. In a misguided effort to help Payton win and thereby help the environment, Infinity (Zoey Deutch) stole a ballot box from a retirement home in New York that had a concentrated number of Dede Standish voters. Payton chose to keep the box concealed to save Infinity from prison time but vowed not to open it. His staff, on the other hand, wasn’t so ethical.

McAfee (Laura Dreyfuss), James (Theo Germaine), and Skye (Rahne Jones) broke into the stolen ballot box and counted the votes. It turns out that Payton won fair and square by 23 votes. Though this was a messy race, it’s a true victory.

So Wait, Georgina Is President Now?

Yes. “Election Day” jumps ahead a few years into the future to show how much Payton has achieved during his time as state senator. That’s when it’s revealed his mother didn’t just win the election for the governor of California. Georgina (Gwyneth Paltrow) was elected President of the United States.

After being betrayed by the slimy Junior Senator-Elect from Texas, Tino (Sam Jaeger), Georgina broke things off with a text that read “Loser bye.” But that didn’t stop her from stealing Tino’s plan. Georgina recruited Dede Standish to run as her Vice President, and they won on their all-women ticket.

But The Politician Season 2 ended with one fun, final twist. As Dede tells Payton, Georgina only plans on being a single term president, meaning the spot is wide open for Dede to run in the future. And she’s going to need a Vice President. The final scene of The Politician Season 2 watches Payton react as Dede asks him to be her future VP.

Are Alice and Payton Back Together?

They are, and they’re in a much happier, healthier relationship. After Payton won the state senator election, Alice returned to Payton once again. This time he promised to put her first. And it seems he stayed true to his word.

The time jump in “Election Day” sees Payton taking his son while Alice excitedly tells him about medical school. Finally Alice isn’t just the partner of a politician. She’s her own person.

What Happened to Astrid?

That’s unclear. After her abortion, Astrid said that she was going to leave the clinic on her own path, a path that she’s chosen. No matter what Astrid chooses she’ll be OK. For once she’s in charge of her own destiny instead of letting life happen to her.

Watch The Politician on Netflix