HBO
I’ve been saying to people for a while that Veep is one of the purest human comedies on television. It has a madcap energy that it’s all about words bouncing between supremely talented comedic performers. When it started, there was Anna Chlumsky as the uber-neurotic campaign manager Amy, Reid Scott as the ultimate Washington smarm man Dan Egan, Tony Hale as the most awkward and needy assistant around, Matt Walsh as the classic loser, and it just kept coming. Kevin Dunn. Gary Cole. Sufe Bradshaw. And Timothy Simons as Jonah, the target of every joke.
The concept of Veep was a simple one at first; Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Selina Meyer, a vice president without any real power who craves it. Her attempts (mostly failed) to get it was what drove the comedy in the first seasons. But then last season, there was a new twist — the old president had stepped down, leaving Selina the president, at least temporarily. So this season has been all about her attempts to run the country and a campaign to become president.
Not every episode was perfect, but they tended to be funny, sometimes extremely so. The second to last episode had a different style, all about the testimony the team had to give to Congress — it worked but it was unusual for the show. Now at the finale, it all hinges once again to get to that new cliffhanger. Selina is facing off against challenger O’Brien, who basically was a nonentity until now, essentially just waiting for the end. Through it, we see the return of Amy back to the Meyer camp, or so it seems, because she can’t stay away. Dan Egan continues to slime his way forward, which makes him a compelling character.
And the Meyer team is now all about that waiting game, which in some ways is not exactly the most exciting of story. But what works (and still works) is that rapid fire dialogue and maintaining excellent, hilarious continuity. And one thing the season has been building up is Selina’s running mate Tom James, played by Hugh Laurie with a believable American accent (unlike House). Tom is more charismatic and more politically savvy, and Selina continues to say about him, “Can I pick ’em or what?” because she is understandably insecure.
Thus the season seems to be building to a new take on things, where perhaps Selina is back to being a Veep again. That would indeed be pretty damn hilarious. Veep has been renewed for another season, and I can’t wait for it to come back.
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