With the latest twist in the experimental Apprentice spin-off, three characters from prior seasons – Paul Manafort, Rick Gates,and George Papadopoulos – have been indicted on charges ranging from money laundering and conspiracy to treason regarding the ongoing Russia investigation. The storyline has certainly taken center stage in recent episodes. Although all three men were previous bit players, they’ve employed more prominent roles as of late in the high-concept performance art.
Donald Trump, the protagonist of the meta-production, has blurred the lines of reality in what has careened from low to high art. Critics agree that the inventive and ambitious melodrama has done well to muddy the lines between what’s real and what’s fake. The experimental theater, the very first of its kind on such large a scale, has delved into the metaphysical – reality vs. fake news, president vs. poser, challenging audience members to question if any of this is true at all.
The show had suffered from sagging ratings when the pairing of odd couple, Donald Trump and Mike Pence, didn’t generate the buzz the spin-off had hoped for, leading to the debut of antagonist and teenage heart throb, Robert Mueller. Now, Trump has seemed to have lost control of his own production with the recent indictments, calling into question if the show’s writers would go as far to write in an indictment of the show’s star, Mr. Trump himself.
Regardless, the show promises to go through a ratings bump with indictment trials up ahead. These predictable yet highly anticipated story points, combined with the show’s impending expansion into lucrative foreign markets such as Russia, should prove to secure a major portion of the global media market share.
Although reviews are mixed and the jury’s still out amongst critics, the entertainment value in the reality star turned performance artist’s theater debut are not. Donald Trump’s a hit.
