The Mad Queen
Given that I watch quite a few television shows (to phrase it in the most understated manner possible), it is but natural that I am interested in looking up the winners in various categories at the Emmy's each year. For a long time now, I have been a huge fan of ABC network's eleven year old sitcom 'Modern Family', which has, barring the last couple of seasons, had a pretty great run on air. For quite some time, it virtually dominated the entire gamut of awards up for grabs in the comedy section, and even pipped at the post NBC's The Office, to win Outstanding Comedy of the Year. In the past couple of years, however, I realised that another show was beginning to dethrone Modern Family; something called Veep. Initially, I wasn't all that keen on checking it out, from fear that much like the former, that over the years, it would not be able to sustain the quality of its early seasons. And so Veep remained untouched until a couple of months ago when I read one of Julia Louis Dreyfus' interviews published in TIME magazine. There was something so compelling in what she had to say about the characters that my interest was spiked, more so when I learnt that even in its sixth season, it continued to deliver.
One of the things that stood out right away for me, was the dizzying pace of the show. So much was happening in every second of each episode that I realised I couldn't really afford to take my eyes of the screen for a moment without facing the risk of missing three jokes and a subplot in between. I think the plot lines necessitated this pace and had it been any slower, it just would not have worked. Almost immediately, I was reminded of Designated Survivor, another Keifer Sutherland starring drama based out of the corridors of the House on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20500.
It begins with such a promising premise- an explosion blows up Capitol Hill during the State of the Union address, and kills everyone in the presidential line of succession except a relatively obscure Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who then as the enormous responsibility of presidency thrust upon him. Sadly, it was irrevocably botched even before it got to the end of the first season, largely because it was confused about the story it wanted to narrate and began drowning in a sea of multiple, unrelated subplots.
Make no mistake about Veep, though. It has been, is and always will be about Selina Myers and Selina Myers only, for that is what she wants it to be. When I realised that the undercurrent in every episode, which binds the entire narrative together is an exercise in creative liberty to portray just how bizarre things can get at the White House, I was extremely curious to know how the seasons post 2016 shaped up. That November must have really marked the beginning of surmounting challenge for the writers because how can you get an audience to watch your show when the goings-on in reality were, and continue to be far more outlandish than even the most talented of their lot could imagine?
Here, I would like to make a slight detour and reference Yes Minister, a decades-old British political comedy, whose creators, I believe, borrowed much of their content from sources inside the Government; stories that never saw the light of day at least through conventional media channels, purely because it was another time, another country, another government. (you can find my piece on this show here here)
In contemporary times, however, with the explosion that is social media, it is much more difficult for politicians, especially those in power, to sweep under the carpet, slips, hits and misses. This is exactly the struggle that Veep's titular character Selina Myers and her (in)competent team face day after day. They strive to hit the jackpot of making people think of her in the way she wants them to and ultimately, vote her into the office of POTUS. The very premise of the show is her immense frustration at being second and therefore somebody whose opinion no-one really cares about. But its not like she has really good ideas, either. All Selina wants is power, at any cost; and most of the time, she's willing to do just about anything to get what she wants. Every time I thought that she couldn't be more outrageous than she just was, I'm proven wrong. Somehow, there is a delightful rush of adrenaline you get when the show blindsides you with something so utterly incredulous but believable given the context pf the story. You know that Selina's an awful person- narcissistic and at times even vindictive, but she's the sort of character you can't seem to dislike. She IS the Mad Queen. In fact, most of the main characters in the story are flawed, but you're willing overlook the flaws because they reveal themselves in the most deliciously hilarious of scenes.
If all these attributes seem familiar to you its because this is exactly how the incumbent of the highest office of the United States is and that is exactly why I was curious to see what Veep would now snowball into. Would it draw subtle allusions to reality every now and again? Would it try to somehow top the jaw dropping revelations about the administration that never seem to go out of the news cycle? If so, would it fail spectacularly in the process? With these questions in mind I rapidly gnawed my through six seasons within two and a half weeks. My timing couldn't have been better, for just a week later, the first episode of a much awaited seventh and final season was poised to air.
If I had made the slightest assumption that Veep would try to give its flawed characters a redemption arc in its final season, within the first few minutes of the first episode, I knew it would be foolish to continue to hang on to that sliver of hope. Selina is at her ruthless best, Dan Eagan is more self centred than even he could have imagined, Ben's heart attacks are finally catching up with him, Amy self respect stoops to an all time low, Jonah is obviously Trump inspired, you think Gary cannot continue to be a doormat willing to have Selina walk all over him, but he is and Tom James is, well.....interesting.
One of my favourite aspects of the season were the covert references to a lot of what is happening around the world right now. However, they had to be subtle because Veep does not have the luxury that Yes Minister did, and had the allusions been any more overt, it could easily be accused of lay writing. Veep has been many things, but that isn't on the list and so it would have been awful to have bowed out that way.
Ultimately, the finale is what the show has really been building up to over six seasons. Selina does get what she wants, but at what cost? She gets others to make sacrifices so she can surge ahead, but in the process she sacrifices her relationships with all of these people. So when she gets to the top, it really is lonely. It's what she think she needs and somehow, tragically, is also what she deserves.
Anyway, if you're into American politics or comedy or both (well I mean they're pretty much synonyms now), give Veep a shot.
One of the things that stood out right away for me, was the dizzying pace of the show. So much was happening in every second of each episode that I realised I couldn't really afford to take my eyes of the screen for a moment without facing the risk of missing three jokes and a subplot in between. I think the plot lines necessitated this pace and had it been any slower, it just would not have worked. Almost immediately, I was reminded of Designated Survivor, another Keifer Sutherland starring drama based out of the corridors of the House on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20500.
It begins with such a promising premise- an explosion blows up Capitol Hill during the State of the Union address, and kills everyone in the presidential line of succession except a relatively obscure Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who then as the enormous responsibility of presidency thrust upon him. Sadly, it was irrevocably botched even before it got to the end of the first season, largely because it was confused about the story it wanted to narrate and began drowning in a sea of multiple, unrelated subplots.
Make no mistake about Veep, though. It has been, is and always will be about Selina Myers and Selina Myers only, for that is what she wants it to be. When I realised that the undercurrent in every episode, which binds the entire narrative together is an exercise in creative liberty to portray just how bizarre things can get at the White House, I was extremely curious to know how the seasons post 2016 shaped up. That November must have really marked the beginning of surmounting challenge for the writers because how can you get an audience to watch your show when the goings-on in reality were, and continue to be far more outlandish than even the most talented of their lot could imagine?
Here, I would like to make a slight detour and reference Yes Minister, a decades-old British political comedy, whose creators, I believe, borrowed much of their content from sources inside the Government; stories that never saw the light of day at least through conventional media channels, purely because it was another time, another country, another government. (you can find my piece on this show here here)
In contemporary times, however, with the explosion that is social media, it is much more difficult for politicians, especially those in power, to sweep under the carpet, slips, hits and misses. This is exactly the struggle that Veep's titular character Selina Myers and her (in)competent team face day after day. They strive to hit the jackpot of making people think of her in the way she wants them to and ultimately, vote her into the office of POTUS. The very premise of the show is her immense frustration at being second and therefore somebody whose opinion no-one really cares about. But its not like she has really good ideas, either. All Selina wants is power, at any cost; and most of the time, she's willing to do just about anything to get what she wants. Every time I thought that she couldn't be more outrageous than she just was, I'm proven wrong. Somehow, there is a delightful rush of adrenaline you get when the show blindsides you with something so utterly incredulous but believable given the context pf the story. You know that Selina's an awful person- narcissistic and at times even vindictive, but she's the sort of character you can't seem to dislike. She IS the Mad Queen. In fact, most of the main characters in the story are flawed, but you're willing overlook the flaws because they reveal themselves in the most deliciously hilarious of scenes.
If all these attributes seem familiar to you its because this is exactly how the incumbent of the highest office of the United States is and that is exactly why I was curious to see what Veep would now snowball into. Would it draw subtle allusions to reality every now and again? Would it try to somehow top the jaw dropping revelations about the administration that never seem to go out of the news cycle? If so, would it fail spectacularly in the process? With these questions in mind I rapidly gnawed my through six seasons within two and a half weeks. My timing couldn't have been better, for just a week later, the first episode of a much awaited seventh and final season was poised to air.
If I had made the slightest assumption that Veep would try to give its flawed characters a redemption arc in its final season, within the first few minutes of the first episode, I knew it would be foolish to continue to hang on to that sliver of hope. Selina is at her ruthless best, Dan Eagan is more self centred than even he could have imagined, Ben's heart attacks are finally catching up with him, Amy self respect stoops to an all time low, Jonah is obviously Trump inspired, you think Gary cannot continue to be a doormat willing to have Selina walk all over him, but he is and Tom James is, well.....interesting.
One of my favourite aspects of the season were the covert references to a lot of what is happening around the world right now. However, they had to be subtle because Veep does not have the luxury that Yes Minister did, and had the allusions been any more overt, it could easily be accused of lay writing. Veep has been many things, but that isn't on the list and so it would have been awful to have bowed out that way.
Ultimately, the finale is what the show has really been building up to over six seasons. Selina does get what she wants, but at what cost? She gets others to make sacrifices so she can surge ahead, but in the process she sacrifices her relationships with all of these people. So when she gets to the top, it really is lonely. It's what she think she needs and somehow, tragically, is also what she deserves.
Anyway, if you're into American politics or comedy or both (well I mean they're pretty much synonyms now), give Veep a shot.
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