Matt Smith reviews the seventh episode of Veep season two…
There’s a thing about being forced to not work. That feeling of relaxation, along with the almost claustrophobic closing off of the outside world that creates a sense of disconnection with the everyone else. Things are being done, but not of your own accord and certainly not by you.
This is where we find the American government recently. With governmental shutdown in the States, Veep once again shows its ability to involve situations grounded in reality. Members of Selina Meyer’s staff are given time off, whilst rubbish covers the streets and the public complain said staff can’t get anything done. Some of these staff appreciate the time off, some don’t. The ones that do are, strangely enough, the ones who end up doing more work. Dan, happily absconding the Vice President’s office, tries to get into bed with an opposing political group. He’s taken the chance to be a funny character, but will he take his chance to move up in the world? The knee-jerk response would be to say he couldn’t have one with the other.
Taking over the reins when it comes to funny, though, is Jonah. His funniest entrance yet, an overly long impression of a Londoner you think will end but doesn’t, sets up his story of needing a passport. And like all good farces, most of the stories come together to create a whirlpool of minimization, public involvement and bad press (an alternative Veep line would be ‘a whirlpool of f***’).
Characters along with actors are making appearances everywhere. Along with Gary Cole’s political powerhouse walking round the West Wing looking for his headphones, David Rasche makes a delightful one-scene appearance as the Speaker of the House. Many actors who’ve made appearances in Iannucci’s other projects pop up here and there (both main and supporting cast), making it clear that when he’s found the right actor, Iannucci really thinks he’s found the right actor.
And again, his message regarding politics seems to be that it’s a sad world that doesn’t realise it’s sad given its power. Whatever Selina Meyer had in her black bags in the dump would’ve been something incredibly small and pointless. But in her defence, the press would run with it to take her down a notch. And that’s the sad state these characters find themselves in, when there’s commotion about something that’s literally rubbish.
Along with the obvious message of politics not being about what you actually do (nothing, in this episode’s case), but about your image, there’s the great tales of the mediocre that surely dominate politicians’ lives. Not all politicians are the same, of course. Where The Thick of It would’ve featured one or two Tucker rants, Veep instead decides to just give the hilarious responses to quiet reprimands. This, along with the quick put downs and interchanges, are what give the show such a fast pace. It’s leaner storytelling, which includes the set ups at the beginning each episode for both the audience and Meyer.
It’s in the smaller details that Veep revels. So despite the governmental shutdown, the fun never stops. The shutdown actually gives Veep a chance to show how petty and disconnected these characters are, even when it comes to their own personal relationships. And that’s the thing about the characters not working this week. This episode gets to detail how, even when it comes to the small stuff, things can go pear-shaped in an instant. Even when given nothing to do, this set of political incompetents and the way this government is set up simply doesn’t work. And it’s hilarious every step of the way.
Matt Smith – follow me on Twitter.
Originally published November 29, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
