Veep: East Wing
April 20, 2015 1:35 PM - Season 4, Episode 2 - Subscribe
Selena is saving the world. Mike experiments with color. Gary buys some flowers. Teddy reaches out to Jonah again. Amy listens to her notes. Catherine smiles. Jonah gets some help. Bill Ericsson stops by. Selena and Gary reconnect.
I went to Grouseland, William Henry Harrison's home in Vincennes, IN on Saturday. More than a little creeped out to hear his name come up again last night.
posted by DigDoug at 6:49 PM on April 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by DigDoug at 6:49 PM on April 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oh, and more ambigiousness about the sexual orientation of Patton Oswalt's character. He could just be fucking with Jonah's macho bravado. I hardily approve.
The VP saying that Mike looked like Yosemite Sam got the biggest laugh of the night for me.
posted by dry white toast at 7:29 PM on April 20, 2015
The VP saying that Mike looked like Yosemite Sam got the biggest laugh of the night for me.
posted by dry white toast at 7:29 PM on April 20, 2015
Despite being a comedy, I think this show is really insightful as to how someone starts believing their own press releases. Selena can't help but be terrible. We'll see if she's truly chastened by Gary's rebuke.
posted by ob1quixote at 1:55 AM on April 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ob1quixote at 1:55 AM on April 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
I loved Gary peering around the corner when she was giving her speech in a little Arrested Development callback. You can always tell a Milford man!
posted by something something at 7:57 AM on April 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by something something at 7:57 AM on April 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
Selena can't help but be terrible.
I disagree! One of the things I like about the show is the Peter Principle aspect of it: Selina's actually really good at many (but not all) of the skills necessary to get to that level of high office. She can glad-handle, she can--like in last week's episode--BS her way through an empty TelePrompTer, she can negotiate and prioritize. There are plentiful humiliations, but she's not a complete incompetent.
One of my favorite parts of this ep was when she coached Catherine in how to smile and effortlessly flipped from a pained grimace to a dazzling JLD grin and I thought, Oh, right. That's charisma.
posted by psoas at 8:48 AM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
I disagree! One of the things I like about the show is the Peter Principle aspect of it: Selina's actually really good at many (but not all) of the skills necessary to get to that level of high office. She can glad-handle, she can--like in last week's episode--BS her way through an empty TelePrompTer, she can negotiate and prioritize. There are plentiful humiliations, but she's not a complete incompetent.
One of my favorite parts of this ep was when she coached Catherine in how to smile and effortlessly flipped from a pained grimace to a dazzling JLD grin and I thought, Oh, right. That's charisma.
posted by psoas at 8:48 AM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also: what a strong opener to the season. Lots of great lines, like 'grey Elvis', 'Dobby the house elf', 'Jonah had some fantastic lines as always, and Richard (Sam Richardson - almond croissant guy) is shaping up to be a great stooge.
Dan: "Mike trying to be healthy. It's like a potato trying to whistle."
Mike: (excitedly) "Wendy and I made a deal. If I make it to 50, I can quit fruit for good!"
Gary (Tony Hale): "Nobody hates me as much as I hate myself."
Sue had great lines, too.
thumbcock, of course...
Lots of Amy (Anna Chlumsky), but not much Dan (Reid Scott), alas (who can pull funny faces and is very good at reaction shots).
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 4:24 PM on April 27, 2015
Dan: "Mike trying to be healthy. It's like a potato trying to whistle."
Mike: (excitedly) "Wendy and I made a deal. If I make it to 50, I can quit fruit for good!"
Gary (Tony Hale): "Nobody hates me as much as I hate myself."
Sue had great lines, too.
thumbcock, of course...
Lots of Amy (Anna Chlumsky), but not much Dan (Reid Scott), alas (who can pull funny faces and is very good at reaction shots).
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 4:24 PM on April 27, 2015
(dammit, meant to post that comment in the other thread - very much my own personal Veep moment, apologies.)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 4:26 PM on April 27, 2015
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 4:26 PM on April 27, 2015
So. MANY. Great. Lines.
"The VP saying that Mike looked like Yosemite Sam got the biggest laugh of the night for me."
He looks like Yosemite Sam... without the credibility.
"Could be anything accident up ahead, active shooter.."
"I have a specific title, but a wide brief: eliminate weaknesses." / "That's a little Nazi doctor..."
"You have sharp shoulders."
"What the hell is wrong, Gary? I mean currently - we don't have time for the whole tapestry."
"Gary, your inner child needs to grow an outer man."
Jonah: "Well, you have an entire team briefing you, Dan. You got all your Danettes and your Dangelinas.
I'm flying solo. I'm fucking Amelia Earhart and I'm _still_ doing a better job than you."
Selena: "You think you're some sort of a big shot here? Oh, my God, you are not a big shot, Gary. You're a middle-aged man who sanitizes my tweezers."
That whole awful speech by Selena Myers - so bad, and yet so believable (sadly).
"Have you ever seen 'Star Wars'? This is a little bit like the end of 'Star Wars.'"
Question: are we supposed to know what happened on Labor Day, or is it just a wonderfully oblique comedy moment that's better if we DON'T know?
Armando Iannucci wrote the season premiere and this episode - which is why it's so great. Fingers crossed that he has writing credits on them all.
Surely time to unveil the 'TangerineDream' tag. If not now - when?
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:02 PM on April 27, 2015
"The VP saying that Mike looked like Yosemite Sam got the biggest laugh of the night for me."
He looks like Yosemite Sam... without the credibility.
"Could be anything accident up ahead, active shooter.."
"I have a specific title, but a wide brief: eliminate weaknesses." / "That's a little Nazi doctor..."
"You have sharp shoulders."
"What the hell is wrong, Gary? I mean currently - we don't have time for the whole tapestry."
"Gary, your inner child needs to grow an outer man."
Jonah: "Well, you have an entire team briefing you, Dan. You got all your Danettes and your Dangelinas.
I'm flying solo. I'm fucking Amelia Earhart and I'm _still_ doing a better job than you."
Selena: "You think you're some sort of a big shot here? Oh, my God, you are not a big shot, Gary. You're a middle-aged man who sanitizes my tweezers."
That whole awful speech by Selena Myers - so bad, and yet so believable (sadly).
"Have you ever seen 'Star Wars'? This is a little bit like the end of 'Star Wars.'"
Question: are we supposed to know what happened on Labor Day, or is it just a wonderfully oblique comedy moment that's better if we DON'T know?
Armando Iannucci wrote the season premiere and this episode - which is why it's so great. Fingers crossed that he has writing credits on them all.
Surely time to unveil the 'TangerineDream' tag. If not now - when?
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:02 PM on April 27, 2015
(nevermind... already in force.)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:04 PM on April 27, 2015
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:04 PM on April 27, 2015
I had to do a search to figure out if I was supposed to remember what happened on Labor Day. No. The actors don't even know.
posted by mimo at 9:34 AM on April 28, 2015
posted by mimo at 9:34 AM on April 28, 2015
Diedrich Bader is really great in this. He's got the right posture and tone.
I like how we don't see that bill writing or negotiations with the Israelis (peace with whom? The US?) or really anything 'important' - it's all chaos and paintings, and faked smiles and dyed moustaches, and baby elephants.
No sausage, just grinder.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:53 PM on May 3, 2015
I like how we don't see that bill writing or negotiations with the Israelis (peace with whom? The US?) or really anything 'important' - it's all chaos and paintings, and faked smiles and dyed moustaches, and baby elephants.
No sausage, just grinder.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:53 PM on May 3, 2015
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by dry white toast at 6:43 PM on April 20, 2015 [2 favorites]