Veep (TV Series) Hostages (2013) User Reviews

An hysterical, behind-the-scenes free-for-all among all the self-important people around the (fictional) Vice President of the USA

[beewhy · 10/10 · 3 May 2013]

Although I very much enjoyed season 1 of Veep, producer/writer Iannucci, producer/lead actor Louis-Dreyfus and the incredibly talented cast and crew have totally hit their stride in season 2. Each member of the cast gives and gets, not always in equal measure, verbal shots that are wildly funny and, in various measures, literate, obscene, razor sharp, devastating, politically savvy and just plain rude. As you watch and laugh, hoot and holler, you sense that you are in the capable hands of master showmen. I am reminded of the early crazy, slapstick silent shorts Chaplin made, updated with colour and sound and killer political content. Unlike a current trend in some comedy series, the embarrassment felt by each of the characters in Veep doesn't get a chance to overpower the storyline. Instead of feeling unsettled, you happily, eagerly go along to the next beat in an amazing ride. As the focus of vitriol moves rapidly from character to character, the personal devastation inflicted is only momentary. Their inflated self-esteem is rapidly restored with a wonderful lightness of touch. And yet, underneath it all there is just enough depth of characterization to allow you to empathize on some level with practically everyone on screen even when they are being their most shallow, pathetic or cruel. You watch with a smile and some discomfort how conflicted the Veep is when trying valiantly to be a "real mom" to her daughter while actually aching not to miss an important, politically advantageous meeting at the White House. At the same time, we are able to laugh out loud (really!) at the venality and self-serving shenanigans of the country's and the world's leaders, their adversaries and their minions. While playing brilliantly on our well-developed cynicism about the political world, Veep provides the hearty laughs we need to counterbalance the usual outrage that we feel. If I had one criticism of the show, it's that the pace of the action makes it easy to miss some choice lines because you're still snorting at the previous ones. A great excuse for owning a PVR.