‘Veep’ season 2 premiere review: Selina Meyer’s midterm mayhem
The first season of “Veep” was a show that it was very easy to have a clear opinion on. While there were some pretty hilarious moments almost the entire way throughout, the was also a pretty substantial flaw: Selina Meyer, no matter how hard we tried, she was not a character that we could ever stand rooting for. It’s possible to enjoy a show with no redeeming qualities, but it is very hard to have it listed as one of the five greatest shows on TV.
This, ultimately, was case and point for the season 2 premiere Sunday night. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was as sharp-tongued as ever, firing zingers at everyone in her path, treating people lower than her in rank terribly, and jostling for power from the President at a time when her entire party is panicking: the midterm elections. As per usual, things were not going well: the House was taken by the opposition, and what little date that she had to show her strength has as campaigner was minimal at best.
Basically, she spent all hour begging the President for more responsibility, even to the point of fighting with his new senior strategist (Gary Cole) in order to get it. What did she end up with as a result? A greater stake in foreign policy, but at the expense of also having to do the “we lost” interviews with media outlets all around the country.
There’s no question that “Veep” is a satire, and we’re really not meant to particularly like anyone who chooses to work in government. Even Selina’s assistant Amy is awful, and the rest of her employees range from hapless to completely and utterly heartless. If we were to root against her, it would be more effective if we knew the opposition party actually consisted of better people hoping to do the right thing.
So we can laugh at Selina getting lipstick all over the Oval Office floor, but unlike a similar series in Showtime’s “House of Lies,” we really can’t connect to it. Compare this to “Parks and Recreation,” where we have a woman in politics in Leslie Knope who can be selfish, but also still has a little bit of a heart.
What did you think about the “Veep” premiere this weekend? Be sure to share your thoughts below! Meanwhile, if you missed the recent meeting between Louis-Dreyfus and real-life Vice-President Joe Biden, be sure to check out the story over at the link here.
Photo: HBO