Matt Smith reviews the first episode of Veep season two…
Armando Iannucci is seen in some circles as the godfather of TV comedy. And, like a lot of comedy performers and producers who make it big in comedy, he’s started looking elsewhere.
He’s been reported as wanting to perhaps add more drama to proceedings. He’s not going the way of the archetypal comedian who desperately wants to be taken seriously (Iannucci seems too self assured for that), but it certainly seems like the new season of Veep is focusing more on story than the laugh-a-minute first season.
There’s still the laughs, the lines at the expense of those saying them (in particular, the political phrase used to get everyone to work together is pronounced ‘We-Dumb!’). And a nice montage at the beginning is amusing, as snippets of Vice-President Selina Meyer’s (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) speeches from round the country are cut into one confounding sentence.
And there’s still the satirical edge, obviously, as this is Iannucci and a TV series about politicians. But this series is different, in that it could be the most realistic TV show ever made. A bunch of people, all self-interested, try and make deals to better themselves while simultaneously being hilarious but in a depressing sort of way.
While this might very well be realistic, it means the sharpness of previous Iannucci produced series (The Thick of It, The Day Today) has been lost somewhat. While the aforementioned series were witty and commented on the situations playing out, but was subtle enough not to just be attacking for the sake of it, Veep just seems to be observing, with a few comedic bits thrown in.
But fortunately, other elements of the previous series have stayed. As before, everyone is a bastard out for themselves. All too distracted by their own lives to see the big problems affecting everyone. And like before, the series is more than accessible to those not in the know when it comes to politics, even idiots like me. Some words are bandied about (like Meyer, I’m not entirely sure what an integer is) but the performances carry the ideas across to the audience. Louis-Dreyfus in particular is a delight to watch. Selina Meyer looks like a bobble head made it onto a puppet. Having the main arc and having such an unlikeable character to play gives her a chance to show off why she’s one of the funniest performers on the small or big screen today. It’s just a shame that the writing isn’t quite up there with the performances.
Matt Smith – follow me on Twitter.
Originally published October 22, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
