S07.E02: Discovery Weekend

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

At an Aspen retreat for rich donors, Selina deals with potential adversaries and allies. Amy'sbehavior raises Gary's suspicions.

Promo - apparently HBO is still being lame and not allowing any of their videos to embed so here's the link:
https://youtu.be/1wrvrYKhdHQ

Original air date: 4/7/19

[revbfc]

#notme 

[The Solution]

moister than an oyster

[revbfc]

I got serious whiplash from the line about Selina picking her VP before Iowa.  If Biden’s people were still unaware that their Abrams idea was a bomb, they know now.

[meowmommy]

8 minutes ago, revbfc said:

I got serious whiplash from the line about Selina picking her VP before Iowa.

I got serious whiplash from Jonah being brought in to address a sexual harassment case only to have Heidi Gardner beg Jonah never to admit he ever dated her.  The start of the #notme movement.  And Teddy's off-hand line about how chemical castration can be faked and nobody ever checks...priceless.  Bless you, Richard...our approval rating is skyrocketing...wait, it's upside down.

Dan's cruised through life on his good looks, so he deserved to be cut down just this once.  Of course it didn't last long.

And Selina being outmaneuvered by Hugh Laurie who was busy maneuvering into Rhea Seehorn, and both undone by Mike.  It's so Veep.

[pivot]

Man the idea of Amy having an abortion makes me sad. I think there is significantly more comedy potential with a pregnant Amy.

Richard remains a joy on this show. So clueless. Him along with Ben are the highlight of every episode 

[meowmommy]

8 minutes ago, pivot said:

Him along with Ben are the highlight of every episode 

My absolute favorites on this show are Sam Richardson, Gary Cole, and Kevin Dunn.  It's such a wonderful ensemble cast that there just aren't enough great lines to go around.

[CaliCheeseSucks]

Holy cow, the creative collapse of this show is unreal. There's barely any plot anymore, just excuses for endless insults (whereas the insults used to be part of overriding storylines, and thus more satisfying). Everyone has been Congressman Furlong'd. None of the pacing of the plot points in the first two episodes makes a lick of sense and everyone - everyone - acts 100% stupider than they did in the Iannucci Era. 

Thank goodness there's only five more episodes. It's just cringeworthy-awful.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Of course Mike still has an AOL account.

I loved that even perennially loyal Richard recognized the anonymous description of a dead-eyed lantern-jawed one and done congresstard being sexually inappropriate was Jonah ("Sounds like you").

To get serious for half a second, one of the reasons that sexual harassment/battery/assault is so rampant is that there really are people like Jonah who think they haven't done anything wrong and when confronted with the specifics of it, they respond like Jonah - that wasn't harassment! I was just [insert description of harassment].

But I loved that all of these women came forward to say that they'd never dated Jonah - HA! And Beth is turning into a better candidate than Jonah with every appearance. Her statement to the reporters was great (as was her "no comment" when Jonah told them that she and Ezra only got to third base).

How long before Tom leaks the news about Selina having a heart attack? Was he lying about having one as part of his story or did he really have one too?

I loved that Selina's reaction to finding out that Amy had sex with Dan was to ask if she was wearing a full length mirror at the time.

Edited April 8, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Blakeston]

3 hours ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

Everyone has been Congressman Furlong'd.

You hit the nail on the head with this.

I still find the show enjoyable and entertaining, but damn if this episode didn't confirm a lot of its recent criticism. Selina has lost any redeeming qualities she ever had, and the writers are mostly just looking to jam as many filthy, inappropriate insults as possible into each episode.

The show's always been cynical, but there used to be more to it than just "look at how awful these people are."

[Midnight Cheese]

5 hours ago, CaliCheeseSucks said:

Holy cow, the creative collapse of this show is unreal. There's barely any plot anymore, just excuses for endless insults (whereas the insults used to be part of overriding storylines, and thus more satisfying). Everyone has been Congressman Furlong'd. None of the pacing of the plot points in the first two episodes makes a lick of sense and everyone - everyone - acts 100% stupider than they did in the Iannucci Era. 

Thank goodness there's only five more episodes. It's just cringeworthy-awful.

Straight truth.   I’m so disappointed.

I guessed at the end of season 4, I think, that the writers might try and wrap up the series with Selina as Tom James’s wife, as he ascends to POTUS and creates the world’s most unhappy FLOTUS (heh).  My hand to all deities, that would have been much more satisfying than this, and I think Mandel and the writers have aced themselves out of better things, are wasting the surprising JLD and Hugh Laurie chemistry, and are burying this beautiful show.

[patty1h]

I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one who has been feeling beaten down by the barrage of snark and put downs.  It became obvious to me that we were hearing the writers compete in a game of who could write the filthiest, crudest lines and work them into the script. 

I was considering dropping the show because the last 2 seasons were not very amusing, and tuned in to see if the last season would be more of the same.   So far, it's not too bad.  It could be better but I'm not internally cringing as much as the last few years.  I'll see it to the end.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Selina has lost any redeeming qualities she ever had,

Did Selina ever have any redeeming qualities? What were they?

The best thing about this episode was the formation of the #notMe movement. "More women are coming forward to claim they never dated Jonah Ryan." Heh.

[Enigma X]

I do think that Selina has always been vile but do hear what some are saying that all redeeming qualities of Selina (and cohorts) being lost as the seasons go on. I still enjoy the show a lot, but many of the characters make me cringe at times. Also, not that any of the characters ever had a "normal" side, but they were not Selina or Jonah level of vile. Now, they all seem that way. 

[Blakeston]

25 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Did Selina ever have any redeeming qualities? What were they?

In the earlier seasons, she wasn't always antagonistic to the people around her, and sometimes we'd see that she actually cared about a political issue.

Her cruel treatment of her daughter stood out in the early seasons, because she wasn't like that to everyone. Now that's just her standard way of talking to the people in her life.

I hated that she let Tom throw her off so easily in this episode, and couldn't get out an intelligible sentence. She's a seasoned politician, and I'm sure she could launch into one of her standard stump speeches easily enough.

[Caseysgirl]

I’m glad other people noticed what I thought was just me - this show seems to have gone even darker than before. Other than Gary’s undying love for Selena, it seems as though not one of these people like or respect each other. Maybe this is what politics is really like in the Trump era.

[Joimiaroxeu]

So was Felix supposed to be David Geffen? I didn't realize Geffen had that much political clout. Or was such an entitled dick, apparently.

Bulemic. What idiots. Who would assume bulemia before pregnancy? Oh yeah, Gary.

Stone cold neck down hottie. That's a lot of wasted syllables just call someone a butterface, Jonah.

#notme. Brilliant. And Jonah's wife is still looking way more politically savvy than he is, at least with the press. I'm still thinking she'll end up replacing him as the candidate when he finally effs up too much to recover from.

I liked Selena's peplum denim top.

Tri-racial twat. OMG. Guess that one was aimed at Kamala.

Guess I'll offer the the UO: I'm loving this season. Why pull any punches now?

[teddysmom]

6 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Of course Mike still has an AOL account.

So does my sister.  God love her. 

I knew Tom James was bullshitting Selena. I hope they use Rhea Seehorn more than just that one episode. 

Please, everyone is entitled to their choice, but for the love of God, Amy, get to the OB/GYN!!! 

I think Felix was supposed to be a Geffen type. They even had Bob Balaban play someone like Geffen on West Wing years ago.  

15 minutes ago, Caseysgirl said:

this show seems to have gone even darker than before.

I think it's always been pretty dark. I don't get everyone giving Amy such a hard time, it's like she's the new Jonah of the group.  I don't think Selena has ever insulted her just for the heck of it, usually it was because she made a huge mistake.  

[Enigma X]

Just now, teddysmom said:

I don't get everyone giving Amy such a hard time, it's like she's the new Jonah of the group.  I don't think Selena has ever insulted her just for the heck of it, usually it was because she made a huge mistake.  

This confused me too. I guess with Mike "gone," Amy is the new Mike. Although Mike was pretty bad at his job. 

[patty1h]

It was funny watching Gary standing next to Selina, telling her the square dance moves.  Is it me or does Gary look different - I think he colored his hair a darker shade.  Also, I never figured out if Gary is supposed to be gay or not.  He loves Selina but did you notice how he perked up and looked around when it was announced that Gayle King was in the room?  I got a vibe he loves GK like certain gay men love Liza, Judy, Mariah, etc.

I also am confused on the Amy/Dan thing.  She was so disdainful of Dan for the first 5 seasons, but now that she's pregnant, she's chasing him.  Like last week, that scene with her laying on the bed in shorts, apparently waiting for him to bust in and see her looking seductive.  She seemed to almost be serving herself up on a platter.   She seemed smart and self-sufficient in the past, but the pregnancy has turned her into a needy teenage girl.   I must have glossed over the episode(s) where it became apparent that Amy had real feelings for DAN, of all people.   She should know better.

[Roaster]

31 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Tri-racial twat. OMG.

That struck me a really mean put-down, even by Veep standards.

I think this season's been fine so far. 

[teddysmom]

11 minutes ago, Roaster said:

That struck me a really mean put-down, even by Veep standards.

It does seem like they're going out guns blazing. 

I did like the comment about Felix being older than the men he had hanging around him, and Ben said something about it won't be so obvious when they switch blood. 
 

William Fichter (?) was great in that role. 

I've always thought of Gary as asexual, but in the first season he did have a girlfriend. 

Even Jonah is doubling down on the insults. 

[Blakeston]

58 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

So was Felix supposed to be David Geffen? I didn't realize Geffen had that much political clout. Or was such an entitled dick, apparently.

Geffen's also been out of the closet for about a billion years. But I guess a poorly-closeted gay music executive is better for jokes than an out one.

[lovinbob]

The team square-dancing absolutely slayed me. I laughed so hard I didn't hear the next two minutes of dialogue. 

I love Richard so hard. He is so clueless, but his observations are always spot on. "That's gonna stick." Love him.

[SHD]

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

In the earlier seasons, she wasn't always antagonistic to the people around her, and sometimes we'd see that she actually cared about a political issue.

Her cruel treatment of her daughter stood out in the early seasons, because she wasn't like that to everyone. Now that's just her standard way of talking to the people in her life.

That's fair, but also when you start at the level she did and then add years of dealing with politics at the level she was at and with the people she was around, I think it's a fair progression that someone would become almost totally cynical and mean.

28 minutes ago, lovinbob said:

The team square-dancing absolutely slayed me. I laughed so hard I didn't hear the next two minutes of dialogue. 

Between Gary just repeating the square dance steps that were just called and Amy putting the hand holding her phone in the middle as they all spun around, it was fantastic.

[lovinbob]

And honestly, just the sight of Ben and Kent participating! I am laughing just thinking about it.

[tennisgurl]

Everyone square dancing, with Gary repeating the moves to Selina, just cracked me up so much. My favorite part though was Dan telling Selina to just repeat the last two things the guy said, Selina laughing the advice off, and then Gary doing the exact same thing to her. Such an obvious joke, but still  hilarious. 

Countless women coming to forward to announce that they did NOT date Jonah Ryan! Its a goddamn movement! I am pretty convinced that his fake wife/step sister is going to be the real candidate, she is already clearly better at all of this.

Selina putting in tons of work to get on somebody's good side, only to get it all ruined by a random comment she made to freaking Mike, is so typical.

[teddysmom]

2 hours ago, SHD said:

The team square-dancing absolutely slayed me. I laughed so hard I didn't hear the next two minutes of dialogue. 

I've had to put on closed captioning because I'm laughing so hard I don't hear what they say. Also they talk over each other  alot. 

[zengirl1215]

18 hours ago, pivot said:

Man the idea of Amy having an abortion makes me sad. I think there is significantly more comedy potential with a pregnant Amy.

 

Are we sure she will actually go through with it?  Her reasoning is driven by Dan's lack of interest in her and lack of acknowledgment of a baby that doesn't even register on his radar.  But I could see her changing her mind and feeling she could do it alone.  

[ganesh]

The whole square dancing was an incredible sight gag. 

Kent's casual sidebar clarifying the devil's threesome was excellent timing. 

Isn't Tom James in the same party? Because Selina said she was going to "kick his ass all over the electoral map."

6 hours ago, SHD said:

That's fair, but also when you start at the level she did and then add years of dealing with politics at the level she was at and with the people she was around, I think it's a fair progression that someone would become almost totally cynical and mean.

I feel like she'd be getting criticized if she stayed the same too. She was actually president and blew it. Some of it not her fault, a lot of it self-inflicted. That's going to affect anyone.

[Roaster]

It will be interesting to see how they handle Amy's motherhood (OF COURSE, she is going to have the baby.)

There are only 5 episodes left.  If they end on the November election night, that baby will have been delivered several months prior.  Maybe Richard will agree to marry Amy if Dan won't.

[driver18]

8 hours ago, Enigma X said:

This confused me too. I guess with Mike "gone," Amy is the new Mike. Although Mike was pretty bad at his job. 

I think the reason that Selina (and thus the others following along) is much more harsher with Amy than she was in the past is because of that big blow-up that Amy laid on Selina a few seasons ago before she left her. She did wind up coming back and they smoothed things over, but it makes sense that Selina never really forgot that, nor did Amy. Thus, Amy gets more of the brunt of Selina's caustic nature than she ever did before.

[ganesh]

I was thinking about that earlier when I was reading the comments. While Amy delivered one of the best monologues I've ever seen on tv, she eviscerated Selina, her boss, the *president*. I'll give Amy credit for being competent, but that's not something Selina is going to forget. 

[peeayebee]

I loved the subtitles of the names for all the areas of Felix's property.

I have no complaints about the show. Makes me laugh. That's enuf.

[Corgi-ears]

22 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

So was Felix supposed to be David Geffen? I didn't realize Geffen had that much political clout. Or was such an entitled dick, apparently.

I think Felix's more likely meant to be a Peter Thiel type.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

I think Felix's more likely meant to be a Peter Thiel type.

But Thiel's not in the music business and they made a point of having Felix mention that. I guess Felix might be an amalgam of Geffen and Thiel.

[ganesh]

He's a dude with a lot of money to burn who thinks he's far smarter than he is. There's plenty of people like that. It doesn't matter who specifically to me. 

[Blakeston]

2 hours ago, Corgi-ears said:

I think Felix's more likely meant to be a Peter Thiel type.

Peter Thiel's a conservative with a very different style - he'd never in a million years be charmed by a ticket with two women on it. And he isn't in the closet, either.

[ganesh]

I think the whole point of having Felix in the closet was because Mike was the only one who didn't know, so when he heard Selina say it, he ran with the article that torpedoed her. So it's not meant to represent anyone exactly irl. 

[txhorns79]

8 hours ago, ganesh said:

So it's not meant to represent anyone exactly irl. 

I was thinking Thiel, not because of his politics, but rather my understanding was that he was in a situation where everyone in his life knew he was gay, but he was not publicly out until Gawker outed him. 

On 4/8/2019 at 7:25 PM, zengirl1215 said:

But I could see her changing her mind and feeling she could do it alone.  

Yeah, I think if Amy surrounded herself with people who saw her pregnancy in a less self-centered fashion, Amy probably would be more willing to consider parenthood. 

[Ottis]

On 4/8/2019 at 11:44 AM, SHD said:

That's fair, but also when you start at the level she did and then add years of dealing with politics at the level she was at and with the people she was around, I think it's a fair progression that someone would become almost totally cynical and mean.

To build on this, I feel like the show is dancing faster and faster as all the characters, who now have much experience with the ridiculousness of campaigning, practically act and speak in short hand because they have seen it before and my god, how dumb it all is. So there are fewer stops for any kindness and real interest in issues, and more machine-gunned insults. 

23 hours ago, ganesh said:

He's a dude with a lot of money to burn who thinks he's far smarter than he is. There's plenty of people like that. It doesn't matter who specifically to me. 

Yep. And the show's point in featuring them is to underscore the ridiculousness of the whole system. Selina and Tom have to court people like *this* to have enough money/endorsements to become president? No wonder we have shitty candidates with inconsistent platforms.

On 4/8/2019 at 6:50 PM, driver18 said:

I think the reason that Selina (and thus the others following along) is much more harsher with Amy than she was in the past is because of that big blow-up that Amy laid on Selina a few seasons ago before she left her. She did wind up coming back and they smoothed things over, but it makes sense that Selina never really forgot that, nor did Amy. Thus, Amy gets more of the brunt of Selina's caustic nature than she ever did before.

I think that's right. And also, for some reason I find Amy's aloneness with her pregnancy sad - even on a show where I chortle at the crass insults. When she tells others she is pregnant, no one cares and the only comment is to address it. I'm not a pro-lifer. I just think Amy seems like she could be a decent person and she really is on her own with a huge decision/life event.

Jonah, on the other hand, is maybe the best complete dick I have ever seen portrayed on television, and he makes me laugh several times an episode.

1 minute ago, Ottis said:

Edited April 10, 2019 by Ottis

[iMonrey]

Quote

Are we sure she will actually go through with it?  Her reasoning is driven by Dan's lack of interest in her and lack of acknowledgment of a baby that doesn't even register on his radar.

I got the impression her decision was based on the realization of just how awful Dan really is, and didn't want to pass those genes down to a child. 

Quote

Isn't Tom James in the same party? Because Selina said she was going to "kick his ass all over the electoral map."

He must be, he was her running mate. They are both vying for the nomination in the primaries. I think the electoral line speaks to the above mentioned grievance that the writers are trying too hard to be clever and profane with every line of dialogue, sometimes at the expense of clarity and reason. It's just joke, joke, joke, and the integrity of the writing suffers.

I did notice a drop in the quality of the writing once Iannucci left the show, it seemed more like someone trying to copy his style than the genuine article. I'm used to it now, and it's still a funny show, but it is sloppier than it used to be.

Edited April 10, 2019 by iMonrey

[ganesh]

I figured it was just a turn of phrase, but when one hears electoral, it's typically 'electroral college' that is evoked. 

[scartact]

Been trying to follow Veep weekly now that this is the final season and moving from season 6 to season 7, I definitely miss Iannucci's Veep. I was jumping around in watching episodes and the overt Furlong-ing of the characters does kinda suck.

It just feels more caricature-ish than before. Maybe that's the point, but I miss the subtlety the show used to have surrounding the characters' relationships to one another, and I even find the way the use Gary as a little overestimated. Tony Hale is excellent, but Gary is such a weird character that I need in slightly smaller doses.

I'm also not too keen on how all the characters have been shitting on Amy, the only character I find the closest to redeemable. It isn't all that great to watch her trying to make things work with Dan, even though she knows that historically he's been and still is a shithead. I also miss Sue.

That being said, JLD and Hugh Laurie are fantastic scene partners and so enjoyable to watch together. And the square dancing was hilarious.

[Midnight Cheese]

I miss Sue, too.  I hope Sufe Bradshaw makes some kind of appearance- she’s just amazing.

[ganesh]

I have no knowledge of spoilers but it seems fitting that Selina will end up as VP at the end of the show. The last scene should be 'Sue, did the president call?'

[biakbiak]

Julia’s real life son was the bigger of the two young paramours of Felix.