This week the President is on the hunt for a new running mate, as current VP Andrew Doyle informs Selina he’ll be stepping down in response to the data mining scandal that has been building throughout this season. Luckily for Selina, she was already looking for a new partner, and she can barely constrain her joy as Doyle offers his resignation, laughing out the lines ‘I’m furious!’
Doyle’s last-minute withdrawal also means that Teddy gets his comeuppance for his continued sexual abuse of Jonah, though Doyle (somewhat understandably) originally assumes Jonah is the perpetrator rather than the victim, muttering ‘those poor interns…’ before getting the story straight and sacking Teddy. This dismissal was an odd point in the episode, as Jonah isn’t present at all for his abuser’s downfall, and Patton Oswalt’s character is instead simply shuffled off in an underwhelming resolution. Hopefully we’ll see more of Teddy despite his firing, as Oswalt is talented enough to flesh out his role more than he’s been able to so far.
‘I wouldn’t let you run a bath without having the coast guard and the fire department standing by.’
With her convention speech just hours away, Selina races through candidates looking for the perfect match. This develops into a pair of impromptu interviews with Danny Chung and George Maddox, two characters we haven’t seen in a while. After Chung’s rejection and Maddox’s too-eager acceptance, Selina is still at a loss for a proper running mate, despite the repeated proposal of Senator Tom James by an increasingly exasperated Amy.
Amy’s rage has been building steadily this episode as sycophantic newcomer Karen attempts to box her out of the President’s inner circle. (Lennon Parham is hysterical as Karen, her body language in every scene is definitely worth a rewatch as she times her facial expressions to match Selina’s and positions her body in front of Amy’s at every opportunity, all of which makes her own rejection from the group at the end of the episode even more rewarding.) Being ignored, parroted and disregarded has Amy ultimately lose it as she rips into Selina with a caustic diatribe that’s been a long time coming. Despite Amy’s tirade ending in her quitting, Selina seems to have seen the truth of her campaign manager’s words, as she loses her enthusiasm for Karen and decides to go with Tom as a running mate.
‘What a cool guy, you shit ice cubes you piss snowflakes.’
Hugh Laurie didn’t have much to do this episode as new potential VP Tom James, though that may become the running gag with his character. James’ competence and straightforward demeanor stands in stark contrast to Selina previous potential running mates: Doyle is angry and biting, Chung is a pompous blowhard and Maddox is grossly inept. Honestly, James so far seems unique from almost any other character in the show, who are all either bitter, paranoid, or incompetent (and most are all three). This disparity is shown best when Selina and her entourage continue to overreact to Tom’s fake-out acceptance of the VP position. As the laughs continue and he’s made to tell the joke again and again, his puzzled reaction shows how much of a different world he operates in compared to the insanity that Selina has surrounded herself with. Hugh Laurie will doubtlessly find plenty of moments to show his comic skills, but his character may find himself regretting his regretful acceptance.
Tune in next week for Game of Thrones and more Veep!
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