Vice President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is now President of the United States of America, though for a short stint. Her and her fellow colleagues are intent on keeping it that way in the next election, while trying to fight off scandals and internal implosion. From having to replace the vice president and having to cover up data breach scandals, there is a lot here to show you the ugly side of politics, even if it’s a bit over-the-top.
Anyway, let’s get right into season four of VEEP.
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The season starts out on a kicker, the first major speech of President Meyer’s career turns into a cluster-bleep before she even utters a word, as she soon finds out her teleprompted words have been deleted. The first episode backtracks to the moments that lead up to that and get into a deal where the president is about to inject $50 billion dollars from a military budget cut that will not only help the citizens of the U.S., but also her campaign for another term. Sadly, things don’t go as planned and al fingers point to someone within her staff that messes it all up.
If you were going to start a season off on the right foot, this is the way to do it. The entire first episode not only sets the tone for the rest of the season, but it sets in motion several storylines that carry over through multiple episodes. For example, the first episode shows the dividing line that Selina creates between her decision-making staff and the staff of her vice president, Andrew Doyle (Phil Reeves). Doyle’s staff is lead by testicle fondler, Tedd Sykes (Patton Oswalt) and two up and comers in Dan Egan (Reid Scott) and Richard Splett (Sam Richardson). Basically, you have two separate stories that are in motion at the same time and that intertwine when they need to, or when the story calls for it. This first episode creates such a beautiful dichotomy establishes the chaos in the overall story arc that is fast and furious. In short, it makes the underlying story deeper and gives writers/directors more options to show off their creative instincts with the comedy.
Speaking of comedy, the show is mostly dry as a bone with comedy delivery. It kind of has the same delivery and intelligence as Frasier, without the laugh track to tell people when to laugh. That makes the comedy unexpected in some areas, as well as unpredictable in others. This type of comedy let’s the viewers discover it, which makes re-watching it an adventure rather than a chore. I adore that element of the show and think this is the real backbone to its entertainment.
Anyway, as the story moves along, the president starts flexing her muscle and tries to set some sort of memorable moments in her presidency, which includes trying to put together a peace treaty with Israel and its ongoing war with Palestine. There is plenty of comedy in the brokering of the peace treaty, while other things are going on underneath the situation. After this storyline, everything shifts to a more vicious political side, which I can only imagine isn’t too far off from the truth. A medical data s discovered during a presidential speech. The president announces the bravery of a girl with HIV in Alabama, which is something the girl (and her parents) hadn’t announced to anyone. The breach equals out to one of Selina’s staff members having to take the fall for it, which equals out to beautiful comedy-driven back-stabbing. It’s brutal, though tamed with humor and, of course, no character is left out of the story because of it – even the ones who take the fall. This storyline spreads throughout the rest of season four and acts as a crossroads to certain characters. It also expands the VEEP universe a bit by adding a lobbyist element to the overall story (that gets vicious and interesting quick), driven by revenge from said fallen presidential staff member.
The middle of the season starts picking up steam when Selina has to choose a running mate for her campaign (after the current VP drops out — great story, but won’t reveal why), which helps to introduce a well-spoken man named Tom James (Hugh Laurie). James and Selina are complete opposites, as James knows his people and his politics really well, as opposed to Selina, who cares only about herself and her career. Bringing in an actor like Laurie, who thrives with dry comedy (thank you, Black Adder and Fry and Laurie), to play a character like Tom James only ups the value of the entertainment in VEEP. The creators of the show did a wonderful job selecting him for the role of Tom James.
By the end of the season, all bets are off and Selina is waiting to see her fate. I can’t tell you much more, but I will say the season ends quite well.
Much like Frasier, the dry comedy is only as good as the actors delivering it. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was/is a perfect choice to lead the charge. In her Seinfeld days she certainly showed how she could deliver the goods in a mean/funny way and it translates well here. All the other moving parts in VEEP do what they are asked and they work well together. Gary Cole as the stats driven Kent Davison is perfect, never breaking rank. Matt Walsh’s Mike McLintock as the bumbling idiot press guy under Selina delivers without a hitch. And even Anna Chlumsky’s Amy Brookheimer, Selina’s campaign manager, is brilliantly presented in gorgeous, neurotic fashion that adds an entirely unique character to the group. Everyone seems to have bought in to their characters in VEEP and it shows.
Overall, season four of VEEP is well worth the time and money. Much like everything else that HBO does these days, it’s gold and it will more than likely send you spending for more seasons of the show.
If the show wasn’t enough for you, digital delivery offers up some special features (via VUDU). Here’s what you’re getting:
– Great Debates
– Invitation to the set
– Trailer
– Deleted Scenes
While there isn’t a lot of substance here, it’s nice to see some efforts were put into adding a little extra to the digital experience. The Great Debates featurette is probably the most valuable piece in the set, though the Invitation to the Set featurette is added value as well. Again, it’s nice to see a little extra in the overall package.
