S07.E03: Pledge

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

In the run-up to the first debate, Selina makes a novel campaign proposal. Comments by Jonah create blowback. Dan and Amy take a road trip.

Promo (still no embedding thanks to HBO so you'll have to click on the link to view the video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj3_C24mwbQ

Original air date: 4/14/19

[scrb]

Would an older woman candidate telling a younger black woman to “man up” play that well?

[TwoBitUsherette]

Every time someone makes a fat joke about Amy I get flames on the side of my face.

I mean, Selina referring to her as "Fatty McFatterson"... how is that even supposed to be funny?!

[CaliCheeseSucks]

That was... not good. 

[mattie0808]

Did I miss something? (Easily might have since I watched on my phone on the train this morning...) Why is Amy so super-excited to go work for Jonah? Why is she even available to work for Jonah?

Edited April 15, 2019 by mattie0808

[jcin617]

7 hours ago, scrb said:

Would an older woman candidate telling a younger black woman to “man up” play that well?

Normally I would say no, but we live in a real world where "Grab 'em by the -----" meant nothing to voters, so... *shrug*

42 minutes ago, mattie0808 said:

Did I miss something? (Easily might have since I watched on my phone on the train this morning...) Why is Amy so super-excited to go work for Jonah? Why is she even available to work for Jonah?

Yeah, I didn't get that either.   Jonah's a sinking ship - why jump to work for him?

[zengirl1215]

Amy telling off the protesters out front of the pseudo planned parenthood place was golden.  But I have to say I was hoping she'd keep the baby...would have given her and Dan more material to work with.  And speaking of Dan, though it was refreshing to see him actually being NICE to Amy after the abortion, him hooking up with her sister (again) before it, seemed a low blow even by Dan's standards.  

I too was confused on Amy jumping camp to work for Jonah.  The only thing I could think of was maybe she got tired of being underappreciated by Selina and treated like crap.

[Aulty]

Guys, I think I only liked the first episode of this season because the show has been off the air for so long and now its going back to being slightly annoying and the same as the past couple of seasons.

The only surprise was Amy actually having the abortion and running off to work with Jonah of all people (although if his wife ends up being the candidate she may be luckier than she thinks).

[teddysmom]

22 minutes ago, jcin617 said:

Yeah, I didn't get that either.   Jonah's a sinking ship - why jump to work for him?

If you worked for someone who called you fat all the time, you'd go to work for the easily manipulated idiot who used to have a crush on you.  She has so much dirt on Selena it's not even funny. 

Don't get mad, get even. 

[Midnight Cheese]

The only saving grace is of course Richard.   “Asbestos was the name of his pit bull...”

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Every week I think Jonah can't get any worse and then he gleefully demonstrates that he is, in fact, the worst. I did love that his solution to not saying offensive things at the debate was to write down all the things he wasn't supposed to say on his hand, which inevitably ended up being photographed. I can't believe that Teddy didn't take a Handiwipe to Jonah as soon as he saw that.

Amy's entire trip to the abortion clinic was so Amy, from yelling at the protesters to telling the doctor, "Less talk, more abortion!" Dan has been shown to have brief moments of kindness and consideration, but it was strange to see him be nice to Amy for several hours in a row. The bemused look on his face when the medication took effect and she finally relaxed, probably for the first time in her life, was hilarious.

Dan sleeping with Sophie again seemed like the show reiterating that Dan and Amy are not going to fall in love and live happily ever after. Heh, at least Sophie had some practical advice for Amy before she left: don't wear white pants!

Damn it, I want Richard to stay on both campaigns instead of becoming the non-dog mayor of Lurlene! What will I do without all of his ridiculous anecdotes?

Tom has proven once again that he will fuck Selina over every chance he gets, Somehow Selina keeps hoping that he won't screw her over again (similar to the way she is with Andrew). I knew it was just a matter of time before he spilled her heart attack news.

Every time Kemi said "as a woman of color," I had a flash back to Mindy Lahiri prefacing half of her statements with that.

I can believe Amy eagerly taking another job to escape Selina, but moving to Jonah's campaign is such a downgrade. Selina may be a lot of things but she when she's in public she's usually polished (last week's fumble at the retreat notwithstanding). Jonah, on the other hand, is a loose cannon, and a really stupid one at that. Maybe Amy will enjoy the challenge of putting out his fires left and right, but then she has to live with knowing she got him elected president if he actually wins.

[CaliCheeseSucks]

2 hours ago, mattie0808 said:

Did I miss something? (Easily might have since I watched on my phone on the train this morning...) Why is Amy so super-excited to go work for Jonah? Why is she even available to work for Jonah?

None of what they're doing with Jonah makes sense. It doesn't make sense he's running for President, it certainly doesn't make sense anyone who wasn't a bottom-dwelling desperado would go work for him, and turning him into an endless geyser of horrific vile insults doesn't make a lick of sense. As I said last week, in the Iannucci Era, the insults were part of a larger story being told; with Jonah, insults *are* the story. It's as if David Mandel thought it was enough to channel every terrible thing Trump has done/said through Jonah and have that suffice as an excuse to keep him around. But the context for why Trump 'got away with it' isn't at play with Jonah's character, and someone like that could *never* get away with it. 

Insults are not plot. 

I did like Richard and Selina's outburst at Catherine but a few good lines does not a good episode make.

Edited April 15, 2019 by CaliCheeseSucks

[Joimiaroxeu]

OMG, Jonah with those corn dogs. And one of them was huge and dark brown. Not too subtle stereotype there. Why do candidates let themselves be photographed eating anything vaguely phallic-looking?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

20 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

OMG, Jonah with those corn dogs. And one of them was huge and dark brown. Not too subtle stereotype there. Why do candidates let themselves be photographed eating anything vaguely phallic-looking?

That was a perfect example of the difference between Selina and Jonah as candidates. Selina is savvy enough to know that is a terrible idea. She knows what the pictures will look like and she could probably write the captions/headlines. Jonah, on the other hand, is still a 10 year old so he thinks it's hilarious and doesn't consider that anyone would take a picture of him while he's fellating giant corndogs in public. And that's why even though Selina has been terrible to Amy (especially this season), if I were her I would not leave Selina's campaign to defect to Jonah's.

Then again, I guess since Amy and Dan worked on Jonah's congressional campaign, he's just another devil they know. I wish they would remember that moment they had after Jonah won ("You got Jonah elected!") and just stay with Selina. At least if Selina, Tom, or Kemi win, Amy and Dan probably won't have to worry about things like Jonah blowing up a country out of spite.

I kind of loved that Calhoun couldn't get a word in during the debate.

[SHD]

I’m on board with all the posters here who didn’t understand why Amy would jump ship to Jonah, but didn’t she say she would have to be campaign manager, so it would be a move up for her? I mean, Jonah and Selina are both sinking ships at this point. 

I don’t mind the constant “Amy is fat” jokes because, like on Will and Grace when Jack says Will is fat, the point is it illustrates the insecurity of the insulter and can’t hurt the target because it’s clearly not true.

Selina trying to get her meager audience to chant what she wanted them to was pretty funny.

Richard is comedy gold every time.

[EdnasEdibles]

I love Richard too. I love everything having to do with the dog mayor of Lurlene. “Novelty mayors are Iowa’s No. 1 source for tourism, after tornado chasing and coming into town to buy Sudafed.” -- and his total amusement that someone would think a cat could be a mayor. 

I also loved these quotes from Selina (from Vulture.com)

“Oh, you have chocolate all over your face like a child, but you’re an adult! That’s adorable.” And, to a woman with four kids, “That’s one busy beaver!”

With Jonah, I kind of hate what they're doing with him. In years past he was an idiot but he was an idiot that spoke to a huge portion of idiots in the U.S. When his big issue was ending daylight saving, you could really imagine how a huge number of people who don't really follow politics would be like "Yeah, it is stupid. Vote for Jonah!" and even the R-word - I could see how some people could be like "I'm so tired of PC culture - vote for Jonah!" so I hate that they made him so far down in the polls. If they made him just a teensy bit less idiotic - just a teensy bit - I could see where he could win. 

[scartact]

As I keep watching this season, the more I realize, in the context of these last three seasons, that I just don't fundamentally agree with Mandel's interpretation of the show and the characters. I feel like he took all their worst possible traits and then overemphasized them to the nth degree. His cast is better than the writing he gives them, and that's what makes this so frustrating because there used to be nuance to these characters, and maybe the point underlying this show is that everyone is ultimately on a downward trajectory and arc in politics, but meh.

[mattie0808]

1 hour ago, SHD said:

I’m on board with all the posters here who didn’t understand why Amy would jump ship to Jonah, but didn’t she say she would have to be campaign manager, so it would be a move up for her? I mean, Jonah and Selina are both sinking ships at this point.

But wasn’t Amy (briefly) already a presidential campaign manager for Selina? How could being one for Jonah be any kind of upgrade? Especially with Selina actually doing kind of well lately, if in fits and starts (with her pulling off the campaign announcement and winning the debate)? She just seemed so excited that she even temporarily forgot how much pain she was in, Dan seemed psyched too, and I just don’t understand, lol.

On another note, I truly hope Richard quitting both campaigns doesn’t mean we’re going to see less of him!

[teddysmom]

32 minutes ago, mattie0808 said:

ut wasn’t Amy (briefly) already a presidential campaign manager for Selina? How could being one for Jonah be any kind of upgrade? Especially with Selina actually doing kind of well lately, if in fits and starts (with her pulling off the campaign announcement and winning the debate)? She just seemed so excited that she even temporarily forgot how much pain she was in, Dan seemed psyched too, and I just don’t understand, lol.

I'm wondering if it's to give the characters something to do. There are so many characters around Selena, Ben & Ken are so great together, then you have Gary.  If Amy & Dan are off with Jonah, the actors have a better show case.  Plus God knows what stupid thing Amy will do with Dan again. 

Also, let's not forget how political operatives jump from one campaign to another, with no allegiance for anything or anyone. It's very realistic. 

[peeayebee]

3 hours ago, SHD said:

I’m on board with all the posters here who didn’t understand why Amy would jump ship to Jonah, but didn’t she say she would have to be campaign manager, so it would be a move up for her?

I think that's it. She's only concerned about her job. She has no allegiances, no principles. She'll work for anyone as long as she has a good job title and responsibilities.

Oh my god. Jonah is the worst. Every week I end up saying this.

I, too, am surprised that Selina's line about manning up get such big applause. However, it's an exaggeration of the times we're living in, so there's the explanation.

I loved this line from Selina: "It sounds like Dr Seuss fucked Maya Angelou in the yuzmahtuz."

And also this from Ben: "When I say shit, you say show."

Marjorie: Clearly I have a thing for strong women.
Selina: Strong women? My god. Pick a lane.

Selina: And this must be Mrs. Ryan. Or do you go by your maiden name, Mrs. Ryan?

[PrincessPurrsALot]

I really hope that Dan and Amy joining Jonah's campaign does not lead to a Jon⭐h Ryan win.  They are the team that got him elected to Congress after all.  

The two best lines for me last night were Marjorie's dead pan, "I was an agricultural advisor".  So perfect.  From her shooting skills, anyone betting agricultural advisor is code for sniper?  And Amy's rant to the protestors at the clinic.  Think f how hot Buddy Calhoun would have been had he heard that.  

I also loved everyone completing disregarding Buddy.  He's such a non-entity, yet he's still polling better than Jonah and Magician guy.  

[iMonrey]

I'm tempted to think this season is leading up to Jonah winning not only the nomination but the presidency, because there's an obvious parallel to him and Donald Trump. On the other hand I wouldn't have expected to see him grouped with the debate candidates who were polling at 5% to "statistically insignificant" if that was the direction they were going in with him.

And I'm just as baffled as everyone else why Amy would want to jump to Jonah's campaign, regardless of how awful she's treated by Selina. 

Quote

But wasn’t Amy (briefly) already a presidential campaign manager for Selina?

Ben is the shadow campaign manager currently (secretly, behind that guy they hired by mistake), so I don't know what Amy's position is. Still, I can't see how it's a step up for her even if she's campaign manager considering it's Jonah. 

[BryroseA]

Jesus Hashtag Christ. 😂

[ganesh]

10 hours ago, zengirl1215 said:

The only thing I could think of was maybe she got tired of being underappreciated by Selina and treated like crap.

That's a good enough reason. She's also not Selina's campaign manager, so it is a promotion of a sort. 

4 hours ago, teddysmom said:

Also, let's not forget how political operatives jump from one campaign to another, with no allegiance for anything or anyone. It's very realistic. 

That too. Dan quit and was a pundit for a while. They all move around as it goes. 

Amy's rant was sensational. Not as good as the one telling off Selina, but up there. I liked as soon as those eyes flared, Dan knew what was coming. 

I actually liked Selina popping off to Catherine. I can totally see how people would get behind "man up." I like when they show Selina actually being a good politician so we know why she was elected in the first place. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

I really hope that Dan and Amy joining Jonah's campaign does not lead to a Jon⭐h Ryan win.

I'm thinking they'll be the ones to realize that Jonah's wife is a better candidate and they'll finagle a way either to replace him or have her be his VP candidate. As far as who eventually wins the election, I'm kind of hoping we don't find out.

[tennisgurl]

It was actually kind of nice seeing Amy and Dan getting, and Dan being kind of nice to her. I mean, for Dan anyway, he did just bone her sister who was supposed to be her abortion buddy. 

Not a great episode, but I loved Selina trying to get her meager crowd to chant her long ass campaign slogan. "Lets finish the job we started four years ago!"

[Ottis]

Jonah continues to be comedy gold. I don’t care whether he makes sense in our real world. He is worth multiple laughs an episode because he is such a child dick. 

Why was Mike smart all of a sudden?

So many good lines in this episode. 

[peeayebee]

30 minutes ago, Ottis said:

Why was Mike smart all of a sudden?

Drugs.

[Blakeston]

21 hours ago, zengirl1215 said:

I too was confused on Amy jumping camp to work for Jonah.  The only thing I could think of was maybe she got tired of being underappreciated by Selina and treated like crap.

I think this is what they were going for, but IMO it was played and written strangely.

Amy didn't seem like someone who was so fed up with her current job (with a leading candidate) that she was willing to take a job with a pathetic loser. She came across more like someone who was unemployed, and thought working on a presidential campaign would be fun.

And does she really think she wouldn't be subjected to degrading insults working for Jonah?

[ganesh]

No, but she'll give them right back, where with Selina she kind of can't. 

[qtpye]

23 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Every week I think Jonah can't get any worse and then he gleefully demonstrates that he is, in fact, the worst. I did love that his solution to not saying offensive things at the debate was to write down all the things he wasn't supposed to say on his hand, which inevitably ended up being photographed. I can't believe that Teddy didn't take a Handiwipe to Jonah as soon as he saw that.

Amy's entire trip to the abortion clinic was so Amy, from yelling at the protesters to telling the doctor, "Less talk, more abortion!" Dan has been shown to have brief moments of kindness and consideration, but it was strange to see him be nice to Amy for several hours in a row. The bemused look on his face when the medication took effect and she finally relaxed, probably for the first time in her life, was hilarious.

Dan sleeping with Sophie again seemed like the show reiterating that Dan and Amy are not going to fall in love and live happily ever after. Heh, at least Sophie had some practical advice for Amy before she left: don't wear white pants!

Damn it, I want Richard to stay on both campaigns instead of becoming the non-dog mayor of Lurlene! What will I do without all of his ridiculous anecdotes?

Tom has proven once again that he will fuck Selina over every chance he gets, Somehow Selina keeps hoping that he won't screw her over again (similar to the way she is with Andrew). I knew it was just a matter of time before he spilled her heart attack news.

Every time Kemi said "as a woman of color," I had a flash back to Mindy Lahiri prefacing half of her statements with that.

I can believe Amy eagerly taking another job to escape Selina, but moving to Jonah's campaign is such a downgrade. Selina may be a lot of things but she when she's in public she's usually polished (last week's fumble at the retreat notwithstanding). Jonah, on the other hand, is a loose cannon, and a really stupid one at that. Maybe Amy will enjoy the challenge of putting out his fires left and right, but then she has to live with knowing she got him elected president if he actually wins.

Can someone explain to me why Selina is so loyal to Andrew? He is a serial cheater that admitted to actually forging her name on important documents.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

15 minutes ago, qtpye said:

Can someone explain to me why Selina is so loyal to Andrew? He is a serial cheater that admitted to actually forging her name on important documents.

I think Amy summed it up accurately this week: Andrew is Selina’s Achilles cock. 

[teddysmom]

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

Damn it, I want Richard to stay on both campaigns instead of becoming the non-dog mayor of Lurlene!

JLD tweeted a pic of herself with a donkey. Apparently there was going to be another non human mayor in a scene, but it got cut. 

"Is that cat a mayor?" "No it's just a cat. This isn't Nebraska". 

[aemom]

22 hours ago, SHD said:

Richard is comedy gold every time.

20 hours ago, mattie0808 said:

On another note, I truly hope Richard quitting both campaigns doesn’t mean we’re going to see less of him!

I really hope so too.  He's one of the best things about this show.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 4/15/2019 at 10:32 AM, Midnight Cheese said:

The only saving grace is of course Richard.   “Asbestos was the name of his pit bull...”

For the past 2+ seasons, yes.

I would love it if he had his own spinoff.

Edited April 16, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Mr. Sparkle]

34 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I would love it if he had his own spinoff.

I would watch every episode and probably get the DVD collector's set, if they still make those. 

[Ottis]

15 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Drugs.

That was my guess, except that drugs made Mike manic, and it made him sleep. There was never any suggestion that they could make him smarter. In other words, they might affect his energy level, but they won't make him ask better questions. This is the second time since Mike joined Buzzfeed that he has actually accomplished something, so I wondered if the show is telling us that Mike is smarter away from Selina and gang (and not the drugs).

Also, I'm the outlier but I don't care much for Richard. All the mumbling, sometimes smart, sometimes not.  Random enough to mostly ignore.

Edited April 16, 2019 by Ottis

[teddysmom]

4 hours ago, qtpye said:

Selina is so loyal to Andrew?

All Andrew has to do is compliment Selina and she would hand him the nuclear codes if he asked.  That's how shallow she is. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

“It’s an old Speltt family saying.”

"You mean Splett." "No, it's Spellt, on my mother's side."

[peeayebee]

8 hours ago, Ottis said:

That was my guess, except that drugs made Mike manic, and it made him sleep. There was never any suggestion that they could make him smarter. In other words, they might affect his energy level, but they won't make him ask better questions. This is the second time since Mike joined Buzzfeed that he has actually accomplished something, so I wondered if the show is telling us that Mike is smarter away from Selina and gang (and not the drugs).

I think the joke was that the drugs somehow made Mike smarter. Of course in reality that wouldn't happen.

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

"You mean Splett." "No, it's Spellt, on my mother's side."

Thanks for posting that. I didn't catch what was said.

[heavysnaxx]

12 hours ago, qtpye said:

Can someone explain to me why Selina is so loyal to Andrew? He is a serial cheater that admitted to actually forging her name on important documents.

The show explained that: Andrew is Selina's "Achilles cock."

[right]

Why can't the producers do a little research on Iowa???  I live in eastern Iowa where Waterloo is and it isn't a "county".  Also the mix up between the Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls airports makes no sense from the previous episode.  Just nitpicking, but God it's annoying.  We're only small time Iowa, but at least get the details right.

[meep.meep]

On April 15, 2019 at 7:32 AM, Midnight Cheese said:

The only saving grace is of course Richard.   “Asbestos was the name of his pit bull...”

Rescue pit bull!

[biakbiak]

11 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

Rescue pit bull!

Which is why you need to go to a breeder! 

[eat]

14 hours ago, right said:

Why can't the producers do a little research on Iowa???  I live in eastern Iowa where Waterloo is and it isn't a "county".  Also the mix up between the Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls airports makes no sense from the previous episode.  Just nitpicking, but God it's annoying.  We're only small time Iowa, but at least get the details right.

I thought that the airport mixup is something that happened to Obama, but maybe I’m remembering wrong.

[bijoux]

On 4/16/2019 at 5:03 PM, qtpye said:

Can someone explain to me why Selina is so loyal to Andrew? He is a serial cheater that admitted to actually forging her name on important documents.

It isn't even just Andrew, even if he's the worst, we've seen her falling for what Tom was feeding her once again as well. Selina's a complete mess when it comes to men. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I thought that the airport mixup is something that happened to Obama, but maybe I’m remembering wrong.

Something similar happened to Obama, but it wasn't Cedar Rapids versus Cedar Falls. I think it was Cedar Rapids versus Des Moines or something.

[Dots And Stripes]

Amy has put up with too much abuse from Selena to jump ship without explanation. I thought I had missed a scene where she was fired. No way one phone call from a staff member from a bottom tier candidate she hates would make her run away that quickly.

I found Jonah funnier when he had more dimensions. He was always obnoxious but it wasn’t his only mode and we would sometimes see glimpses of a lonely guy under eight the bravado. Jonah being the worst 24/7 is tiring. 

[biakbiak]

On 4/16/2019 at 9:54 PM, right said:

Why can't the producers do a little research on Iowa???  I live in eastern Iowa where Waterloo is and it isn't a "county".  Also the mix up between the Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls airports makes no sense from the previous episode.  Just nitpicking, but God it's annoying.  We're only small time Iowa, but at least get the details right.

As pointed out in the Iowa thread it was a real thing that happened to Obama who was expected in Cedar Rapids but the plane went to Des Moines.

[taanja]

On 4/15/2019 at 9:09 PM, Ottis said:

Jonah continues to be comedy gold. I don’t care whether he makes sense in our real world. He is worth multiple laughs an episode because he is such a child dick. 

Why was Mike smart all of a sudden?

So many good lines in this episode. 

Totally agree! It's the absurdity that makes this show so amazing!

Love everything Selena!

At the end Amy was starting to doubt herself/abortion decision then she gets the call to be Jonah's campaign manager-- and she perked right the fuck up! Too funny! So Amy!

I love that every single character would stab someone in the back if it meant they themselves got some sort of promotion/advantage. Politics! Ain't it grand!!!!