WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Twilight Zone, Episode 5: "The Wunderkind."
It's no secret media outlets around the world are fascinated by what transpired in the last United States presidential election. Donald Trump has been one of the world's most divisive leaders ever, leading to celebrities in Hollywood taking swipes at him due to disagreements with his philosophies, policies and general behavior.
As usual, art imitates life, and several movies and shows have also taken shots at Trump, with The Twilight Zone reboot now offering its take. But as much as the sci-fi series makes its own sociopolitical comparison, there's a very dark twist embedded, reminding the general public of a particularly harsh truth.
Trump's outlandish attitude, not to mention his decorum on social media, has left people considering him a spoiled brat unfit for presidency. And so, "The Wunderkind" places focus on John Cho's Raff Hanks, who actually gets his candidate into the Oval Office in the form of an 11-year-old boy, Oliver (Jacob Tremblay).
It's not subtle satire at all, as we see Oliver becoming a celebrity prior to Raff due to his vlogging career. Raff, a genius when it comes to campaign strategy, somehow lost his last race and decides to rebound using Oliver's innocence and aspiration, recognizing it's something he could mold to inspire Americans. However, despite concerns over Oliver's rising popularity due to his outrageous principles (such as America deserves free ice cream and video games), Raff thinks later on they'll refine this diamond in the rough.
Using the kid's potential like an opportunistic brand or uncouth advertising agency would, he's obsessed with capitalizing on the metrics -- likes, shares and views -- and tailors it to win America's hearts for the wrong reasons. He ignores the fact that the boy is neither mature nor competent, and simply heads out on a substanceless marketing and promotional campaign, similar to Trump's "Make America Great Again" being turned into a product.
Things don't go as planned, though, with Oliver getting roasted on air after botching discussions and rallies. In fact, it's such a massacre at one debate, his parents take the crying kid off national television, dealing Raff a career-ending loss. However, upon finding out the boy's dog was just diagnosed with cancer, as a true creative director would, Raff spins it into a sympathy campaign. Before you know it, America's favorite sweetheart and darling of the nation is Commander-in-Chief mere months later.
But with the psychological game over and public favor curried, one would assume it's time to buckle down and let the team behind the campaign fix the country, right? Well, that's quickly thrown out the window, as Oliver makes it clear he's in charge and it's his way or the highway. The White House is taken aback, as Oliver intends to make good on his superficial promises, similar to the "Build the Wall" plan Trump is so vehemently trying to enforce.
Oliver pulls no punches, making it clear if companies don't concede to his demands, he'll impose massive taxes on them. What horrifies Raff further is he thinks the boy's parents and cabinet are simply letting the little monster run loose, thinking they lost control.
But as Oliver works American minds, luring them in with all things decadent, Raff comes to the stark realization that the boy isn't a puppet or misdirected after all. When Cho's character confronts him, the dark twist unfolds in dramatic fashion, as we find out Oliver was faking everything.
His dog never had cancer. He constructed his own campaign of naivety and sorrow, challenging and tricking Raff's team to make his selfish dreams come true. Oliver knew playing stupid, but also being relatable and sad, would be a winning formula. He just needed to make Raff himself believe in the angle.
Oliver only pretended to be dumb because he knew Raff could spin it. Karma catches up with Raff in the finale, with the golf-playing Oliver faking an assassination attempt to get his bodyguards to shoot the campaign manager up. He survives, but with a teenage doctor now operating on him. Yeah, Oliver also passed a law that all doctors now have to be teens. Raff's tortured to pay for his treason.
The message this all builds toward is that, while we may think Trump -- or leaders in general -- are buffoons, they know what they're doing and, ultimately, we're actually fools for thinking they're the pawns.
New episodes of The Twilight Zone air every Thursday on CBS All Access.