S04.E02: East Wing

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The president's staff gets ready for a state visit she is having with the Israeli prime minister.

 

Promo:

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Clip:

[dcalley]

I loved Gary hiding. You can always tell a Milford man.

[bunnyblue]

Wow, that Selina/Gary blowup was intense. I felt sorry for him, even if he stepped way over the line with the painting and the state dinner. What did they mean by what he did for her on "Labor Day". Was that a reference to her S2 miscarriage? 

 

LOL Kent. "Catherine, America doesn't like you".  Good job breaking the news to her gently. I was howling during his whole exchange with Catherine but then she cried and I felt bad. 

 

Poor Richard being pawned off on Jonah. Between Jonah and Teddy, they are going to break him.

 

"Gary, you look whiter than a Georgia country club".

 

"Who do you think you are, Gary Antoinette?"

 

"Have you seen Mike's mustache? It's like he ate a volcano". 

[peeayebee]

Yeah, I loved the scene with Kent and Catherine. Equally funny was when he told Selina previously that he was the best one to talk to Catherine. And nobody batted an eye! Of course, no one else wanted to do it.

 

I love Michaela Watkins. Hilarious when she actually said "Beep boop beep," to pretend to get a phone call.

[BeatLA24]

I think the part that had me cracking up the most was Amy trying to face time the meeting while stuck in traffic.

[iMonrey]

OK, so now we all want to know what the hell happened on Labor Day! Whatever it was, it was big enough to shut Selina up. That whole scene was great though. And yes, I did feel bad for Katherine. 

 

What is Kent's position in this administration? I have such a hard time keeping track of who does what. Even the show seems to be playing with that fact - like the girl nobody knows or knows what she does. 

[Latverian Diplomat]

Wow, that Selina/Gary blowup was intense. I felt sorry for him, even if he stepped way over the line with the painting and the state dinner. What did they mean by what he did for her on "Labor Day". Was that a reference to her S2 miscarriage? 

 

 

The Labor Day thing is supposed to be a mystery, at least for a while:

 

TVLINE | The argument is diffused when she is reminded of what he did for her on Labor Day. What exactly happened on Labor Day?

[Tony Hale] I don’t know. That’s what’s kind of fun. It might be revealed down the road. Something serious must’ve went down to silence Selina like that.

 

From: http://tvline.com/2015/04/19/veep-season-4-selina-gary-fight-labor-day/

 

While it cleared the emotional air, it didn't really resolve anything. I see further conflict ahead.

[Traveller519]

The political commentary aspect of "I just brokered a peace deal with Israel and all anyone wants to talk about are Art and Centerpieces" was great and really shows how ridiculous political coverage has become. I find it ridiculous that living "extravagantly" is the greatest sin politicians can perform in this day in age. Between that and the blow-up are why I love the show. As great as it is at delivering the laughs with the quick wit and asides, it brings much more to the table.

 

The Facetime Joke seemed a little played out to me. In 2015 are we still doing technical difficulties jokes?

 

The Jonah/Richard combination is going to make me want to rip out my own eyeballs and ear drums this season... I LOVE IT!

[hoodooznoodooz]

Gary's fear and anxiety were painful for me to watch. He worships Selina. He only wanted to please her. So funny the way he touched the ice sculpture.

Yosemite Sam... Without the credibility.

I'm, like, the opposite of Mel Gibson.

Triangles and "art", another Seinfeld reference.

... so pretty..

It's called "Massacre."

I actually do do have to do that.

It's filtering out, like, every other word.

I usually just do that myself.

Richard is so cute, thinking Jonah is the coolest.

Edited April 20, 2015 by hoodooznoodooz

[Ms Blue Jay]

The Selina/Gary scene was incredible.  What a nice way for the writers/directors to sneak in an incredibly powerful dramatic scene.  This show amazes me.  

 

I find Gary Cole as Kent so attractive in this role, and then not again in any other role.  Even though he was fumbling through this entire episode.  Anyone else?  It's like a mixture of vulnerability with competence.  Remember back when he was wooing Sue?  Swoon.  

Edited April 20, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[ganesh]

Milford man. Good one. 

 

JLD looked great in those two dresses though. 

 

Wow, were those centerpiences garish. That whole dinner was *awful* 

 

I can absolutely buy that the painting would make a ton of news. I mean, just look at Clinton just going to Chipotle. It was a typical, run of the mill photo op. I can see why the staff wouldn't even think of that. I would hope that Gary would learn to make himself knowledgeable of things like that. I mean, it was an ugly painting the former president liked. That must happen all the time. 

 

I really felt bad for the daughter not being liked. I figure it's nearly impossible to be the president's kids. The end of Star Wars line was awesome. 

 

I thought the blow out between Selina and Gary was good. He's such a sad sack, so I'm glad he put his foot down. 

 

Kent's job has always been polling. So whatever that position is. He was doing that for both Hughes and Selina, so it must be an executive office position. Kent and Sue are still my favorites and I hope they get back together. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Selina looked amazing in the red dress.

 

Sure it sucks for Catherine, but she's obviously really bad with people.  Isn't she an Ivy Leaguer?  Can't she be a bit smarter and learn basic people skills to get her through those short interactions?  She finds out that she's not liked and then she cries about it, but the closing tag of the show showed her unwillingness to do anything about it, I guess or her just plain obliviousness as to why she's not likeable.

 

I feel like this is a strange rewrite of the character from earlier seasons.  She had some sexy boyfriend a little while back, since when is she unlikeable?

Edited April 20, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[hoodooznoodooz]

It was only painted four years ago. How did it get so dirty?

Hee, hee.

Then:

It was preemptive. Like a juice cleanse.

(Sorry for paraphrasing so often. I'm just trying to capture the gist of everything.)

[ganesh]

She finds out that she's not liked and then she cries about it, but the closing tag of the show showed her unwillingness to do anything about it, I guess or her just plain obliviousness as to why she's not likeable.

 

She's always been kind of abrasive. The thing is, with the closing quote, she's exactly like Selina. That is totally something she'd would have whispered to Gary.

 

The problem with Gary is that his role has changed, while everyone else's is the same. Knowing all those details is rather important and useful to Selina, but he hasn't been allowed to be near her at all. 

 

Spending too much money was a mistake, but he clearly has the logistical skills to organize a state dinner, etc. It would be interesting, since no one really notices him anyway, if she used him as a back channel guy. Not anything policy related, but gossip with other staff, etc., so Selina knows all these middling details. 

[Irlandesa]

The Facetime Joke seemed a little played out to me. In 2015 are we still doing technical difficulties jokes?

I think as long as there are technical difficulties, there will be technical difficulty jokes.  My only issue with it is that I had just watched something with a very similar joke.  It's funny once in a while but twice in a few days is a bit too much.

 

  I find Gary Cole as Kent so attractive in this role, and then not again in any other role.  Even though he was fumbling through this entire episode.  Anyone else? 

I find Gary Cole attractive in this role but I've also found him attractive in other roles.  He was handsome in Midnight Caller.  And was slammin' smokin' sexy as the evil sheriff in American Gothic.  It was the kind of sexy that I could not put back in the bottle so my default is to find him attractive over not finding him attractive.

 

And their is more than you wanted to know about the sexiness of Gary Cole.

 

I feel like this is a strange rewrite of the character from earlier seasons.  She had some sexy boyfriend a little while back, since when is she unlikeable?

I think there's unlikeable in real life and unlikeable in public life.  Public life "unlikeable" can be based on something as shallow as a "resting bitch face" in every photograph.  It's unfair but that's how people judge and that's all the public may see of her.  In real life, she's a more well rounded person who might smile or get to show her personality.    That allows for as exy boyfriend.

[Uncle Benzene]

I find Gary Cole attractive in this role but I've also found him attractive in other roles.  He was handsome in Midnight Caller.  And was slammin' smokin' sexy as the evil sheriff in American Gothic.  It was the kind of sexy that I could not put back in the bottle so my default is to find him attractive over not finding him attractive.

 

That's Buck ..... with a B.

 

Hell, I'm a straight guy, and Gary Cole has never failed to make me just a little weak in the knees. Dude is made of charisma.

[Ankai]

Did I miss the reason why Ben was not wearing a shirt?

While the horrible crass insults are usually reliable for a laugh, my favorite one-off lines from these two episodes were rather tame. The "Vladimir Drawattentiontomyself" from last week and the fake phone noises from one of the new characters in this episode made me laugh the most. Maybe because, with all of the raw jokes being tossed about, these two lines just threw me off.

Also, is Richard pretty much the only non-horrible human being in this show to last more than two episodes? Is he going to snap at some point or just be the exasperating nice guy for the entire run?

[ganesh]

One line I found funny was when Dan introduced Amy's lackey to Jonah as the "assistant's assistant." Jonah said, "Do you me the epitome of and assistant or an actual title?" It's rare when Jonah isn't being "Jonah" and showed genuine confusion. The timing of it with Dan "the first one" was impeccable. 

[LADreamr]

I loved the argument, although I think it actually could have gone on a little longer. Selina's attitude surprised me a little, though, because she's been shown in the past to actually acknowledge and appreciate him a lot.

So many great lines this episode, but my favorite: "Your inner child needs to grow an outer man!"

[dcalley]

The centerpieces made me think of this.

 

Who knew centerpieces could be the center of so much intrigue?

On Monday, we reported exclusively that Laura Dowling, the White House’s chief floral designer, had left her high-profile position in a bouquet of hearsay.

Was she fired? Had she quit?

[peeayebee]

I can absolutely buy that the painting would make a ton of news. I mean, just look at Clinton just going to Chipotle.

 

The thing with the painting reminded me of some kerfuffle -- maybe just on Fox, Drudge, and the like -- about Obama removing a bust of Washington from the White House. I'm not sure if it was Washington. Maybe it was Churchill. Anyway, IIRC the White House said that these pieces are regularly moved around. I assumed this is where the Veep story line came from.

 

I loved the scenes with Jonah and Dan, esp when Jonah spoke up in the Families First meeting and actually said something intelligent that caused Dan to look at him with surprise.

[tennisgurl]

Its interesting to see everyone actually being somewhat good at their jobs! Even Jonah had a few moments of actual intelligence in there! I like that Selena and the staff can occasionally show why they're in the White House, when they aren't all letting their quirks/ambition/neurosis/whatever to get in the way.

 

"I feel like I`m on trial in the future". " Were these flowers taken off a homeless mans grave? I feel like i`m being molested."I need to take notes during episodes so I can remember all the great lines, they come so fast. 

 

Gary has grown a whole lot since the first season. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Two deleted scenes:

[ganesh]

Good callback to FDOTUS.

 

I wish they could have kept in the Gary scene because he put his foot down with Mike and then with Selina. 

[Traveller519]

But what happened to Ben's Shirt!?!?!?!?!

[Bcharmer]

Missed this on first watch, but the dye dripping from Mike's Tangerine Dream moustache during the press conference was pretty funny.  

[iMonrey]

 

I can absolutely buy that the painting would make a ton of news. I mean, just look at Clinton just going to Chipotle.

 

But how did the press find out the painting had been taken down? Is there some spy in the White House that calls Fox News every time a President makes a decorating change? It's not like the thing with Hillary at Chipotle - she was out in public. The painting was in a conference room in the White House.

[radishcake]

 

But how did the press find out the painting had been taken down?

I chalk that up to some random person who had to take it back to storage. There are so many people working there I'm sure some of that stuff happens sometimes with just a comment here or there. "Oh I had to move this painting which is weird because it's like the only Native American painting IN the White House. Seems like they'd want to keep it." and then someone overhears etc...

[abcfsk]

Love that this show gets me laughing more when I repeat view the episode just a few days after I watched it the first time. 

[pivot]

Selina looked amazing in the red dress.

Sure it sucks for Catherine, but she's obviously really bad with people. Isn't she an Ivy Leaguer? Can't she be a bit smarter and learn basic people skills to get her through those short interactions? She finds out that she's not liked and then she cries about it, but the closing tag of the show showed her unwillingness to do anything about it, I guess or her just plain obliviousness as to why she's not likeable.

I feel like this is a strange rewrite of the character from earlier seasons. She had some sexy boyfriend a little while back, since when is she unlikeable?

I think Catherine is clearly modeled after Chelsea Clinton who unfortunately didn't get any of her father's charisma. She is someone who is clearly not meant for a role with the public no matter how much her parent's push her/she wants one. She is just off-putting.

I think Kevin Dunn continues to be one of the funniest people on this show. His dry comments every episode just kill me. I wish he got more kudos for the job he is doing. Gary Cole is good but I prefer Kevin.

In the Gary/Selena scene, for a brief moment I thought they were going to kiss.

Selena really does need someone to do the tradition roles of First Lady. I'd love to see Gary and Catherine team up to do that.

I like that they finally showed the staff and Selena (minus Amy and Gary) being competent. Even though there is tons of humor in showing their incompetence it is nice to occasionally see why they got their jobs in the first place.

Edited April 22, 2015 by pivot

[funkopop]

I think Catherine is clearly modeled after Chelsea Clinton who unfortunately didn't get any of her father's charisma. She is someone who is clearly not meant for a role with the public no matter how much her parent's push her/she wants one. She is just off-putting.

I think Kevin Dunn continues to be one of the funniest people on this show. His dry comments every episode just kill me. I wish he got more kudos for the job he is doing. Gary Cole is good but I prefer Kevin.

In the Gary/Selena scene, for a brief moment I thought they were going to kiss.

Selena really does need someone to do the tradition roles of First Lady. I'd love to see Gary and Catherine team up to do that.

I like that they finally showed the staff and Selena (minus Amy and Gary) being competent. Even though there is tons of humor in showing their incompetence it is nice to occasionally see why they got their jobs in the first place.

 

Catherine is horrible with people and the way the actress holds her shoulders when she's playing her, you can feel the tension radiating off of her.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I remember that Catherine is a miserable sulky person.

 

I really like Chelsea Clinton though.  I find her very likeable.  I barely remember Clinton's term though.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[pivot]

Chelsea gives me secondhand embarassment. So much awkwardness and everyone pretending that she has anything worth listening to. The actress who plays Catherine seems like she is channeling Chelsea's weird tenseness in public situations.

[funkopop]

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I remember that Catherine is a miserable sulky person.

 

I really like Chelsea Clinton though.  I find her very likeable.  I barely remember Clinton's term though.

She is a bit of an Eeyore. I was so irritated with her in that Baltimore episode during the scene at the gun show. Selina is joking that she would not have let Catherine play with guns because she was a angry baby and Catherine tries to interrupt and say she wasn't. I was Amy for a second and was like just let her have this, God! Sometimes her righteous indignation feels like just a killjoy. She has her moments though. I liked the scene when she and Selina end up wearing the same red dress and Catherine is actually playful about it.

[Happytobehere]

Kent's job has always been polling. So whatever that position is. He was doing that for both Hughes and Selina, so it must be an executive office position. Kent and Sue are still my favorites and I hope they get back together.

Funny you said this, ever since I started watching, I was struck by Kent's obvious attraction to Sue, who seems to blow him off for the most part. I thought they would work as a couple. I missed Season One and part of Season Two, so I guess their pairing must have been during this period.

I find Gary Cole attractive in this role but I've also found him attractive in other roles. He was handsome in Midnight Caller. And was slammin' smokin' sexy as the evil sheriff in American Gothic. It was the kind of sexy that I could not put back in the bottle so my default is to find him attractive over not finding him attractive.

And their is more than you wanted to know about the sexiness of Gary Cole..

I love Gary Cole. Not only is he very attractive with incredible hair, I've always thought he was a solid actor. He just never seemed to have the best of luck with his shows. I really liked Midnight Caller and loved American Gothic -- CBS did that show dirty.

I agree that there is something off-putting about Katherine.

I just love this cast, they are amazing. Naturally, excellent writing serves them well.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Happytobehere

[Ms Blue Jay]

Gary Cole has been on The Good Wife (very on and off) for years, though, I believe.  Not a bad gig.  He's also got a great movie career going.

[peeayebee]

Bill Lumbergh!

[ganesh]

Gary Cole also does some VO work too. He's extremely versatile and believable in every role I've seen him in. 

[M.CoatesworthHay]

On 4/21/2015 at 12:08 PM, Bcharmer said:

Missed this on first watch, but the dye dripping from Mike's Tangerine Dream moustache during the press conference was pretty funny.  

I binge-watched Veep for the first time over the past couple of weeks and it's spooky how many things from the Trump years they predicted...