THE lEFT IS THE rIGHT:

The week began with a quick trailer that showed former vice president Dick Cheney signing a "waterboarding kit" and ended with a series of news reports and furious statements from politicians like Roy Moore, Sarah Palin, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio admitting they'd been duped by Baron Cohen's "evil," "exploitive" and "truly sick" interview tactics. By Sunday morning, a bootlegged clip of the first episode, in which Baron Cohen convinces former and current members of Congress to back a program that would arm kindergartners with guns ("Kinderguardians"), ricocheted around Twitter. In a matter of days, Baron Cohen didn't just break into an impenetrable news cycle, he upended it, disorienting an untold number of bullshit artists, lawmakers, and anyone too quick to accept an interview request. The trolls, it seems, were not prepared for Baron Cohen.

This is far from Baron Cohen's first attempt at this style of subversive comedy. Over the last 15 years, Baron Cohen has duped celebrities, racist frat bros, and Donald Trump. The shtick might be old, but Baron Cohen's new interviews -- particularly his "Kinderguardians" segment -- feel perfect for both our current moment and many of the interview subjects he's picked. Despite the awkwardness and ethical ambiguity, there's a grim catharsis at play while watching Baron Cohen bait a gun rights advocate into making an infomercial to sell firearms to toddlers. Around the time Baron Cohen's character tricks a former congressman to advocate on camera for 4-year-olds to familiarize themselves with the "rudimentary use of mortars," it becomes clear that Baron Cohen -- a consummate troll himself -- is a perfect foil to the current political climate of grift and trolling.

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