S04.E06: Storms and Pancakes

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On the campaign trail, Selina is annoyed by press reaction to her running mate’s effortless charm and decides to attend a pancake-brunch fundraiser without any of her team on hand to help. When news arrives that a major hurricane is about to hit North Carolina, it looks like it could be good news for her image. In D.C., Amy tries to adjust to her new post-White House life, and Jonah gets bizarrely ambushed at what he thinks is a job interview.

 

Promo:

Edited May 11, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Clip:

[bmoore4026]

Oh, poor Jonah.  Poor dear sweet tall unisex haircut Jonah.  Never thought I'd say that.

 

And Tom is totally going to hijack Selina's campaign, isn't he?

 

Politicians jumping on disasters and tragedy like vultures.  Comes with the territory.  Less unethical than celebrities holding telethons, I believe.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I hope after this, Selina realizes how much she needs Gary and the rest of her team. Some people are like Tom - they remember people's names/faces/factoids, they're charming, and people like them. Selina is not one of those people so she really needs her team.

 

It was frustrating to see Amy still so bitter, but I can understand it since it just happened. Hopefully now that she is working with Dan again, she can let go of that stuff a little and start kicking some ass (instead of scaring people off). I love that Dan hooked her up at his new job. That was uncharacteristically nice of him, so of course it came back to bite him in the ass.

[Happytobehere]

Selina is totally going to be pushed aside in favor of her running mate. He is everything she is not in terms of interacting with the public. We already see her floundering making stupid decisions in order to keep up with James.

Only in Selina's might would making a campaign stop as a part of the country is being slammed with bad whether seem like a good idea. The smart move would have been to find someway to get her behind to Florida and claim she dropped everything when she heard there was a problem on the horizon.

[sugarbaker design]

Some people are like Tom - they remember people's names/faces/factoids, they're charming, and people like them. 

 

 

Or some people make an effort to remember people's names/faces/factoids, some people turn on the charm, some people make it easy for people to like them.  These things just don't happen.

 

Selina is not one of those people

 

 

Nor does she make an effort to do any of those things, she just couldn't be bothered.

[iMonrey]

I about died when I saw the campaign slogan on the side of her bus: "Continuity with Change." Literally - I was taking a sip of beer and almost choked on it because I was laughing so hard.

 

I feel sad that Dan and Amy are so disconnected from the main action now. And having them work for this lobbying firm introduces a much seedier side to Washington politics. The idea that all these companies would pay lobbying firms because they have contacts in the White House or in Congress. Ugh. Depressing. I felt bad for Ben, he was so desperate to talk with someone.

 

So I can see that Tom's going to be the "fun fact" guy and they're getting tired of that really fast.

[candall]

I had a crush on Gregory House. . .and then he'd go too far over the asshole line and I'd have to renounce our secret relationship.  It's great to see him be all charm, all day.  We're back on again.

 

The distaff lobbyist story is boring (and as noted above, depressing.)  Gather those rosebuds back into the fold, please.

[Traveller519]

From a purely charisma perspective, Tom seems to be representing the early days of the Palin selection, where her mere presence completely monopolized the McCain campaign. At least in the early stages he seems to have a good enough head on his shoulders that he wouldn't be caught in a Couric interview scenario, but I wonder what if there's going to be some reveal as to what happened during that time off.

 

A little surprised that they showed, Selina to be uncomfortable with the bike, her primary interest outside of power has always seemed to be fitness and her appearance. I mean she ran 10K with little to no issue after walking through a plate glass door. Most fitness fans I know are big fans of bikes.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Richard is adorable.  It makes sense that he's the one character who seems to actually enjoy spending time with Jonah.

[cattykit]

I couldn't believe how much I disliked Selina in the first five minutes, when she was trying to one-up her running mate.  Selina doesn't give a shit about anything other than her own public image, to include manipulating a natural disaster to her benefit.

 

I never feel sorry for Jonah, and I felt sorry for him being ambushed in that interview.

[ganesh]

I'm really pleased and surprised Jonah's plot is still going. It's different and interesting.

I was surprised Selina was so shallow on the campaign trail. She's shown to have been better at it.

I never watched House so I really only know Laurie from his comedy roles. It doesn't look like he's trying to steal the spotlight to me. I mean, that's weekday you want a VP to do, right?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Deleted scenes:

[Nancybeth]

I figured Dan was being written out, because I could have sworn Reid Scott had another show, but IMDB says I'm wrong.  (Also according to IMDB, Reid and I are just a week apart in age, but that's neither here nor there.)

 

Anyway, I really hope that this whole Amy and Dan as lobbyists storyline doesn't last long, because I'm not a fan of the split dynamic.  It reminds me of Season 7 of West Wing.  

[iMonrey]

 

Selina doesn't give a shit about anything other than her own public image, to include manipulating a natural disaster to her benefit.

 

Sadly, that's what makes the most successful politicians. 

[CMH1981]

I think what is so amusing to me is that Selina was vehemently opposed to Amy and her Tom James suggestion as VP b/c of her "encounter" w/him and now she has him in her corner and he doesn't recall or is being polite and not recalling the encounter.  It's just a typical scenario for Selena, she looses one of her top staff due to something that she quite possibly recalls differently.  This woman just can't win at all, lol

 

So how would the party go about switching Selina and Tom James positions on the ticket?  Is that something that is even possible?  It seems like that is the way it is going to go down for Selina, being relegated back to the position of VP.

 

I love seeing Tom James as this laid back charismatic person who just completely shines with his genuineness(?) compared to Selina.

 

I understand Amy being pissed that she was labeled as unstable after leaving the team last week, but she seems like now she is more pissed that they haven't come crawling back to beg her to rejoin the team...just wait Amy, they will come.

[scarynikki12]

I don't think it's possible. The convention has already happened, which is the formal nomination by the party. Maybe it could switch if enough people do write in voting but people just don't care enough to do that. If she hadn't gotten the nomination then it could work (there are confresspeople who have been elected due to write in campaigns), but I just don't see it happening.

[Latverian Diplomat]

I don't think it's possible. The convention has already happened, which is the formal nomination by the party. 

 

Yes, it would be completely unprecedented. And to be fair, Tom is a great campaigner, but he is also very understanding of his role, so all the policy points are coming from Selina and her team. 

 

The only thing that might happen is that Selina could do something truly disastrous and the party bigwigs could ask her to step aside (and then Tom would probably only be one possible replacement). But I can't see even that happening, since Selina is an incumbent President. It would be a huge stretch for the show to go there. 

I never feel sorry for Jonah, and I felt sorry for him being ambushed in that interview.

I wouldn't say ambushed, it was just a misunderstanding. Someone failed to inform him of the meeting's purpose; the mistake could even have been on Jonah's end. 

 

I did like how Richard stood up for Jonah when that other guy was fake groping him.

[radishcake]

Best user name ever Latverian Diplomat! <3

[peeayebee]

The revelation that everyone Teddy has harassed looks the same was hilarious. I guess he has a type.

 

I didn't really care for Richard last season, but I love him now. Everything he says is funny. I was cracking up at how he squeezed inbetween the two women during that meeting and then was eyeing one up and down as we all learned about the sexual harassment. 

 

Tom James' charisma makes me curious as to why he hasn't sought higher office. Maybe he is just a people person but doesn't have much smarts in the way of policy-making.

 

What was it Ben said to Sue? "It was nice struggling to talk to you." Was that it? I love him.

 

Amy's craziness was pretty funny. I wonder how she'll get back with Selena.

[ganesh]

Not everyone wants to be president. Maybe James just likes being where he is. I mean, I can't imagine Biden actually being president. And he sure seems to like being VP. 

 

We've already had the primaries, right? So there's no way the ticket would flip. The only way would be if they went into the party convention and the delegates didn't vote for Selina. 

[sugarbaker design]

I didn't really care for Richard last season

 

I thought the character of Richard was a new addition to this season, so I must agree, because last season he was totally forgettable.

Edited May 20, 2015 by sugarbaker design

[candall]

I just started watching this season, but I thought Selina was supposed to be pretty sharp and all the comedy came from something goofy she did/said in private or else some huge screwup from her staff.  (Every time they mention market targeting the parents of dead children, I wince, then laugh.)

 

At this point, though, I have to agree with Amy's assessment that Selina couldn't be trusted to run a warm bath and her legacy will be another century without a woman being elected.  Selina doesn't seem like a competent person who occasionally can't get out of her own way--she seems like an idiot.

 

What's the deal with her?

[sugarbaker design]

What's the deal with her?

 

You pretty much answered your own question.  I grew up watching Fawlty Towers, Keeping Up Appearances and AbFab so I'm prone to sitcoms that feature a thoroughly unlikable protagonist.  Selina is pretty much everything you mention, she's also vain, self-serving, judgmental, cynical, petty, egotistical and shallow, yet she's also comedy gold.  Selina Meyer is an awesome character in the grand tradition of Basil Fawlty, Hyacinth Bucket and Eddie Monsoon

Edited May 20, 2015 by sugarbaker design

[Pallas]

t doesn't look like he's trying to steal the spotlight to me. I mean, that's weekday you want a VP to do, right?

 

For the public, that's his charm: he's not perceived to be trying too hard, to be pummeling people with his own appeal.  And for Selina, that's the problem.  Up close and personal, she's about as subtle as a professional body-builder.  She can push her "He makes me look good because he's my choice!" as hard as she wants, and that's still the same problem.  She's not at ease with his popularity anymore than she's at ease with the populace.  All her effort always shows.  

[peeayebee]

I loved when Selina was getting briefed by Gary on people she was going to meet, and she identified one guy has having a big right ear. When Gary corrected her by saying it was his left ear, Selina says she was going by HER right. What a perfect way to demonstrate her egotism.

[Traveller519]

Selina seems to me to have been a very shrewd Big Picture politician. They've shown her as handling the middle east talks very successfully, and in the past she has spearheaded initiatives that seem good, only to have to deal with the ineffectual legislative process.

 

Her personality served her well as a Northeastern politician, but she can't quite reconcile how to approach the rest of America, even though she thinks she does. Ironically, she's probably what you'd want a politician to be, a champion of good legislation and foreign policy that couldn't give two shits about stroking egos or pandering to the public or other politicians. The problem with modern politics is that is what drives successful candidates. 

 

I think Tom and her would be ideal running mates for that reason if they both understood their own strengths/weaknesses/ and roles.

[Trillian]

I adore the massive, stylized, "M" on Selina's campaign bus. Reminiscent of Madonna's M on the Immaculate Collection album, (which itself is a massive ripoff of a traditional symbol for the Virgin Mary). Very subtle. Very brilliant

[Irlandesa]

Tom James' charisma makes me curious as to why he hasn't sought higher office. Maybe he is just a people person but doesn't have much smarts in the way of policy-making.

When Tom first appeared, Selina asked him about his son.  From the brief intro, it sounds like he may stepped out of the public life to take care of his son.

 

I could be wrong but I think there was even a reference to him in past seasons when they were discussing who potential opponents could be. 

 

It may not be that he didn't want to be president, just that the timing wasn't right for him to run for president. 

[abcfsk]

Richard was an instant hit last season and his character hasn't changed. So funny in his first scenes at the book store with Selina. But obviously he was just barely introduced then and has been a regular now so he's grown more on us. 

[jeremyman]

i have watched every show of veep   and each season gets better and better   i  like the sharp wit and writing    

[DanaMB]

On 5/19/2015 at 8:36 PM, Latverian Diplomat said:

The only thing that might happen is that Selina could do something truly disastrous and the party bigwigs could ask her to step aside (and then Tom would probably only be one possible replacement). But I can't see even that happening, since Selina is an incumbent President. It would be a huge stretch for the show to go there. 

Looking at this comment from 2015 in 2024 is amazing. 

On 5/19/2015 at 10:28 PM, ganesh said:

I can't imagine Biden actually being president

And this one.