Veep (TV Series) Groundbreaking (2017) User Reviews

Season 6 Finale

[bobcobb301 · 8/10 · 26 June 2017]

I am fine with flashbacks. Even though this show doesn't do them often, they were amusing for the most part. It just didn't seem necessary here. They didn't really advance the story at all, it felt like a way to kill time.

We knew the ending from a mile away and it had to happen for the show to continue. It already looks like they're going to have plenty of material to borrow from real life in Selina's campaign speeches next season.

Good episode. Some of the sub-story lines were a little weak, but this was a strong season finale overall.

To Restore Me To Power

[matthewjmiles · 9/10 · 31 January 2019]

The conclusion of this (at this point) sixth and last season of Veep feels more appropriate as a finale than any other episodes of the show at this point. This season, though featuring most of the characters separated from one another and working in various settings, has to me emphasized the theme of repetition innate to the story and the message that the writers use as a reflection of our present world. It is no surprise that though they seem disparate, all the main characters remain on the same path - uniting them all together again by the final scene for another - arguably unfounded - stab at the presidency. Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, and this episode through flashbacks dating from all points of Meyer's career especially lends to this theory. I can't say if I completely believe that Meyer would be a good president if given another chance, but I think that must have been a wise intentional decision on the part of the writers. Of course, she has also been served her share of injustices. The season ends on a positive, hopeful note, with the subtle implication that it is all just the coping mechanism of a deluded woman - as such I think if Season 6 was the final one it would be a good ending, suggesting a potentially infinite loop of the characters trying to achieve some inconceivable challenge.

But I must remind myself that this is a comedy, not a dark politically-driven commentary, and on that front Veep has never really slipped up. The Iannucci dialogue is as sharp and punchy as ever and the separation of the characters didn't weaken the chemistry of the cast - much the opposite as guest stars and secondary characters got as much of a chance to share the spotlight, I particularly liked Paul Scheer's morning show producer and Usman Ally's Mohammed Al Jaffar. The birth and unapproved naming of Catherine and Marjorie's child serves as a good catalyst to close the season on and top a great reoccurring joke. While some of the flashback scenes were admittedly unnecessary in advancing the story, it was very entertaining to see the first meetings between characters such as Gary and Selina and an ironic introduction of a fresh-faced intern Jonah.

It will be a difficult wait for Season 7 now - I devoured all of the show in under two months since discovering it and there will definitely be a bit of a void left in its place until it returns.

S6: The change in dynamics/setting breaks up the narratives a bit, but the cynicism and sharp writing keep it strong

[bob the moo · 30 July 2017]

Like with all political shows, Veep returned to television in the early days of Trump being president, meaning that all interviews or media about the show mentioned this. The writers always pointed out that they did not know this of course when the show was being made, but it is interesting how much Meyer's situation has overlap with what one imagines Clinton's might be. A life-long politician, looking for legacy, cast adrift from the only game she knows, and now hawking around with her foundation, an awkward daughter she is not close to, and a husband chasing everything in a skirt. That is not to say that the show goes after Clinton or even just makes it about them, but it is interesting that the cynical, inept, selfish caricature of a politician comes out looking a lot like Clinton (and I say that as someone who would have voted Democrat were I an American).

The lack of a White House setting for this season is a change, and it does throw the various characters and story lines into an odd place that took me a minute to adjust to. However despite some unease in this, the season mostly has a strong core of cynicism and commentary to drive it forward. The pessimism with which it views all its characters is grounding and convincing – from the money- chasing deals through to the closed loop of politics. With that though, the characters are given great dialogue and interactions which carry as much comedy as they do darkness – it is a well crafted script from start to finish, with plenty of great lines that always give me a bigger laugh by virtue of how suddenly and quickly some great word-play comes out.

Performances remain good throughout, everyone is just as good at the dialogue as they are at moments of physical comedy or other demands of the writing. Veep continues to be a very funny ensemble comedy, with writing, performances, pacing, cynicism, and laughs.