Veep: Convention
May 11, 2015 9:28 PM - Season 4, Episode 5 - Subscribe
It's the convention, and Selina's in a jam: she wants to ditch Doyle, but how? And replace him with who? Chung? Maddox? Pierce? The team circles the drain like that guy on death row. Meanwhile, Dan tries to use his huge rolodex to get the Zucchini King some serious facetime. Oh, and a resignation and two firings.
Is that Hugh Laurie's actual bald patch or did they have to glue a bald patch on? I was so fascinated by that hair I got distracted and had to rewind the scene.
I <3 Amy.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 7:10 AM on May 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
I <3 Amy.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 7:10 AM on May 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
So many great lines.
"He's been halfacuted."
“It’s like Christmas, except happy!” says so much about these characters personal lives.
"He's been fondlling Jonah's balls like he's trying to find a prize inside."
"You've accomplished nothing, except one thing: The fact that you are a woman means that we will have no more women presidents because we tried one and she fucking sucked.”
I too would like an eggnog latte ... if it's in season.
Which it is not.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:33 AM on May 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
"He's been halfacuted."
“It’s like Christmas, except happy!” says so much about these characters personal lives.
"He's been fondlling Jonah's balls like he's trying to find a prize inside."
"You've accomplished nothing, except one thing: The fact that you are a woman means that we will have no more women presidents because we tried one and she fucking sucked.”
I too would like an eggnog latte ... if it's in season.
Which it is not.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:33 AM on May 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
I too would like an eggnog latte
I'm kind of amazed that with his entire character description being "has no idea what he's doing*, but is so happy to be there," it still yields such great dividends.
*or apparently even WHAT TIME OF YEAR IT IS
posted by psoas at 9:45 AM on May 12, 2015 [4 favorites]
I'm kind of amazed that with his entire character description being "has no idea what he's doing*, but is so happy to be there," it still yields such great dividends.
*or apparently even WHAT TIME OF YEAR IT IS
posted by psoas at 9:45 AM on May 12, 2015 [4 favorites]
“None of the ball-grabbing I did to @timothycsimons on @VeepHBO was scripted. It's impossible NOT to grab his junk. They went with it.”— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) May 11, 2015
posted by ob1quixote at 4:38 PM on May 12, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by ob1quixote at 4:38 PM on May 12, 2015 [9 favorites]
Anna Chlumsky has just *killed* it these last two episodes. That scene was epic.
Mrs dry white toast and I sat slack jawed for about two minutes when Hugh Laurie appeared.
posted by dry white toast at 4:39 PM on May 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
Mrs dry white toast and I sat slack jawed for about two minutes when Hugh Laurie appeared.
posted by dry white toast at 4:39 PM on May 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
Selena really is the worst. Just a terrible, terrible person. Like most people like that, she also doesn't learn anything from her well deserved dressing down.
posted by ob1quixote at 4:46 PM on May 12, 2015
posted by ob1quixote at 4:46 PM on May 12, 2015
Also, I love how dysfunctionally symbiotic Dan and Jonah's relationship is. They keep using each other but they're each so desperate to appear plugged in that the other always plays along.
posted by dry white toast at 4:46 PM on May 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by dry white toast at 4:46 PM on May 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
Like most people like that, she also doesn't learn anything from her well deserved dressing down.
Not true! Well... not exactly. She figured out she needed to fire Karen ...which she achieved in the most weaselly, mealy-mouthed, conflict-avoidant... OK, point taken.
But the main takeaway my partner and I had was that Anna Chlumsky's wide-eyed rage-stare is the most terrifying of all things.
posted by psoas at 4:50 PM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not true! Well... not exactly. She figured out she needed to fire Karen ...which she achieved in the most weaselly, mealy-mouthed, conflict-avoidant... OK, point taken.
But the main takeaway my partner and I had was that Anna Chlumsky's wide-eyed rage-stare is the most terrifying of all things.
posted by psoas at 4:50 PM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
And she went with Amy's. VP recommendation.
posted by dry white toast at 4:56 PM on May 12, 2015
posted by dry white toast at 4:56 PM on May 12, 2015
I just have to say that this episode had me laughing a lot. I was so happy to see Hugh Laurie again.
Selena really is the worst. Just a terrible, terrible person. Like most people like that, she also doesn't learn anything from her well deserved dressing down.
Actually the fact that she did fire Karen and take Amy's advice in the end made me feel like she's not actually the terrible, stupid person she seems like. Part of what got me to start watching this show regularly was the little glimmers of three dimensionality underneath the way the show presents itself as "yet another bunch of standard awful Washington people being awful show".
posted by bleep at 7:51 PM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Selena really is the worst. Just a terrible, terrible person. Like most people like that, she also doesn't learn anything from her well deserved dressing down.
Actually the fact that she did fire Karen and take Amy's advice in the end made me feel like she's not actually the terrible, stupid person she seems like. Part of what got me to start watching this show regularly was the little glimmers of three dimensionality underneath the way the show presents itself as "yet another bunch of standard awful Washington people being awful show".
posted by bleep at 7:51 PM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, what pushed Amy off the ledge wasn't that Selena is a terrible person; it was the fact that she's being a terrible President.
posted by dry white toast at 8:20 PM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by dry white toast at 8:20 PM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Selena described herself as being the Hugh Laurie character's secret. Can't wait to see how that adds to the dynamic.
posted by Lil Bit of Pepper at 8:37 PM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Lil Bit of Pepper at 8:37 PM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Really enjoyed the black humor in this one - from the hand-gun Selena put to her head (you could get lucky) to the death row inmate jokes (very, very dark humor). This is the episode I laughed out loud the most at (the previous episode was a slight lull for me).
No one does world-weariness like Kevin Dunn (Ben). And the guy that's playing Danny Chung has really grown on me and is killing it...
Is it funny or frightening that every send-up of American political speeches is so startlingly believable; this episode had several "at the podium" moments that made me absolutely cringe in recognition of American political rhetoric. Damn Iannucci, absolutely scathing.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:59 AM on May 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
No one does world-weariness like Kevin Dunn (Ben). And the guy that's playing Danny Chung has really grown on me and is killing it...
Is it funny or frightening that every send-up of American political speeches is so startlingly believable; this episode had several "at the podium" moments that made me absolutely cringe in recognition of American political rhetoric. Damn Iannucci, absolutely scathing.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:59 AM on May 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
("really grown on me" does not mean I *like* the character - his character is awful, as many are on this show. But the actor is able to balance caricature and verisimilitude in a way that is very effective at skewering that type of politician. Brilliant!)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 8:02 AM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 8:02 AM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
All of the Emmys for Anna Chlumsky, please.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 11:33 AM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by everybody had matching towels at 11:33 AM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
JCIFA- if you like Randall Park, you should try watching Fresh Off the Boat.
posted by General Malaise at 11:44 AM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by General Malaise at 11:44 AM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
My bet is that Amy wakes up the morning after the election with Dan in her bed. (though it's such a workplace comedy trope that I hope I'm wrong)
posted by dry white toast at 12:00 PM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by dry white toast at 12:00 PM on May 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
"Actually the fact that she did fire Karen and take Amy's advice in the end made me feel like she's not actually the terrible, stupid person she seems like."
She's absolutely not stupid. She's incredibly opportunistic and insincere (except when she's insulting someone), but that's true of almost everyone on the show. And although she's proven repeatedly to be only middle-of-the-pack in terms of playing politics, my sense is that this is because she's actually pretty sharp but her major flaw is that she is self-indulgent in pretty much exactly what Karen represented -- she likes people to flatter and pamper her, because she's insecure, and while they're doing that, she's sort of blinded.
Which is why Amy's rant did get through to her. Amy stopped flattering her and suddenly Selena was forced to use her brain again. And she immediately realized that Amy was right about both Tom and Karen. But, being the person she is, that didn't mean she would excuse Amy.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:10 PM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
She's absolutely not stupid. She's incredibly opportunistic and insincere (except when she's insulting someone), but that's true of almost everyone on the show. And although she's proven repeatedly to be only middle-of-the-pack in terms of playing politics, my sense is that this is because she's actually pretty sharp but her major flaw is that she is self-indulgent in pretty much exactly what Karen represented -- she likes people to flatter and pamper her, because she's insecure, and while they're doing that, she's sort of blinded.
Which is why Amy's rant did get through to her. Amy stopped flattering her and suddenly Selena was forced to use her brain again. And she immediately realized that Amy was right about both Tom and Karen. But, being the person she is, that didn't mean she would excuse Amy.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:10 PM on May 15, 2015 [3 favorites]
"My bet is that Amy wakes up the morning after the election with Dan in her bed. (though it's such a workplace comedy trope that I hope I'm wrong)"
Oh no - those two have to get together, if only for the great jokes that will arise from that situation. I can imagine a number of "I'm attracted to you but repulsed at the same time" gags. You know Iannucci and co. will deliver.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 5:21 PM on May 15, 2015
Oh no - those two have to get together, if only for the great jokes that will arise from that situation. I can imagine a number of "I'm attracted to you but repulsed at the same time" gags. You know Iannucci and co. will deliver.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 5:21 PM on May 15, 2015
Oh, yay for Hugh Laurie. I had no idea he was joining this show. For the last month or so, Veep and House have actually been my two not-gloomy shows to watch when I want to relax. Some nights I've actually sat down and thought "Hm, I kind of want to watch House, and I kind of want to watch Veep, which do I choose?" NO LONGER A PROBLEM.
posted by Secretariat at 8:44 PM on May 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Secretariat at 8:44 PM on May 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
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Dan and Jonah are really the same hapless shits! Kissing failure! Goodbye useless yes woman (and glad Selena realized it, even if it was a tick too late.)
So will Amy be back? She's the only one lately that seems to have a sense of how to keep the campaign from falling into complete chaos. But I'm not sure I see Selena forgiving her over the comments about being the last woman president.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 6:31 AM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]