Matt Smith reviews the eighth episode of Veep season two…
Get togethers with the family over the dinner table. Something a lot of us can look forward to with Christmas coming up, but for some it can come with a lot of tension. ‘The turkey will be fine, don’t complain about it to mum, she spent all day on it’. ‘Join in, you’ll enjoy Pictionary even though you’re blind and have no hands’. ‘Just ignore racist Uncle Phil with his views on Chinese economical growth and stature.’ That sort of thing.
What’s really needed before some family get togethers is a strategy meeting. That’s what Selina Meyer would do, and isn’t that really the high mark everyone should aspire to?
This week’s episode of Veep sees the Vice-President of the United States of America having a big power meeting and prep time before heading into what is surely going to be a disaster: a casual interview and dinner with family. Of course, this isn’t all it seems, what with her relationship with her ex-husband and daughter being strained at best as well as the supposed puff piece bringing up hurdles for Meyer at every opportunity.
And that’s another commentary the series gives, this time on the relationship between media and politician. The two figures probably hate each other with a passion, but at the same time rely on each other and are in ways exactly the same. They both lie, manipulate and spread rumours to reach their respective finish lines. Whether the goal is votes or readers; power, money or status. And they use each other to get it. It’s just a shame for Meyer that, once again, media and politician can’t exactly work together.
The one time Selina tries to do something bold encapsulates what her character is all about. After being told by Dan (the reliably hilarious Reid Scott) to seize the interview, Meyer takes hold and gives a statement regarding spies and how much she truly knows about them. In the process, while once again trying to appear relaxed and, paradoxically, somehow under the radar, she only manages to seize the spotlight and reveal she does the same thing she accuses her ex-husband of doing. She over-reaches. Selina Meyer, we’re even told during the opening credits, is an over-reacher. Someone who tries to bite off more than they can chew, while also relishing the immediacy of bursting into the spotlight.
Is it the same for reporters? The host of the interview, played well enough by Allison Janney, uses the phrase ‘I’m not here’ multiple times before proceeding to ask questions to Meyer and her family. The confusion and pressure of a family meal and political questioning fuse together to create another quagmire for the Veep to get trapped in. All the while the director of communications sits in the corner eating a carrot. This episode works on the level of somehow blurring the line between these two ideas, news interview and dinner with family, and forcing Meyer to navigate with absolutely no help or hope.
And while previous episodes have been fun when it comes to literal rushing around and farce, this week was a great time to sit down at the table and just talk. Which gave the series an opportunity to display verbal back and forth and still have the quick pacing that came before. The rushing around was all in the communication between Meyer and reporter; Meyer and her staff; her staff and the news crew. This week showed that, even when it comes to sitting down with close friends and family, there is still the opportunity to trip up. Stressful times can be had with family, even when you’re a powerful politician. And it’s great that we can sit down and join in the fun too.
Matt Smith – follow me on Twitter.
Originally published December 5, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
