Ukrainian series “Servant of the People” moves in for the Presidency

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Christopher Molina, Staff Writer

A Netflix TV series is gaining a lot of attention, but not for what one may typically expect from a Netflix series.

“Servant of the People,” a Ukranian series that launched in 2015, talks about Vasiliy Petrovitch Holoborodko. It discusses his career as a high school history teacher who then won the presidency for Ukraine after a video of him lashing out against the growing corruption in his country went viral.

Since being elected into office, he has taken the role of a selfless and hardworking leader.

Not only did the show find popularity on the screen, but also in the political arena. With the real presidential election coming up this March, many candidates are trying to become the next president.

One of those candidates is comedian and actor from “Servant of the People,” Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky, who portrays the character of President Holoborodko, is running to be the actual president of Ukraine in a newly registered political party that takes its name from the title of the show.

In the show, Zelensky portrays a president who is fair and honest with his people, which is something that many real voters are looking for in a leader this election. Many people view him as an outsider of the establishment, and recent polls from Kiev International Institute of Sociology show that Zelensky is ahead in the race. This has led many to speculate that another country could have a celebrity as its president.

The show expresses the Ukrainian peoples’ frustration with their government through humor, with each character in the show displaying humor in their own unique way. Each character is given a comedic role to play, in their own way.

The show felt quite fresh, especially compared with all of the heroic films coming out of Hollywood.

It shows many parts of Ukraine outside its capital of Kyiv, including places such as Kharkiv, Odessa, and Lviv. The series also includes sites in Ukraine that were actually affected by corruption, such as the unfinished bridges seen throughout the show. This is no surprise for a country that has remained in an oligarchy since its independence.

From watching the series, viewers learn of shadowy oligarchs who, throughout the season, don’t show their faces. This gives the impression of a dark and evil group working behind the scenes to retain control of the country and to resist the progressive reforms set by President Holoborodko.

At just over 20 minutes in length per episode, “Servant of the People” provides a lot of entertainment value in a rather light and easygoing format. It contains car chases, arguments, and yacht rides, not to mention an incisive undercurrent of political commentary on the country’s economic and political situation.

Even if one is not interested in politics, “Servant of the People” is worth the watch and an overall enjoyable series for a wide variety of viewers.