TV Review: Veep - The Final Season

TV Review: Veep – The Final Season

March 19th 2019, 8:29am

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Synopsis: The final season of VEEP finds Selina Meyer trying to gain traction in early primary states, wooing uber-wealthy donors while navigating threats from primary challengers, including aide-turned-congressman Jonah Ryan. Selina’s band of misfits is also back, except for Mike, who’s been banished from her orbit and is now covering the presidential campaign, having been replaced by his ongoing nemesis in the press, reporter Leon West.

Review: Despite accolades and trophies garnered over seven seasons, it seems like not enough people have watched Veep. A brilliant and searing political comedy that is hilarious for those who don't care about politics, Veep is going to go down in history as one of the funniest series of all time. While series creator Armando Iannucci departed after the fourth season, the brilliant cast carried on and delivered two more very funny seasons. Now, the saga of Selina Meyer comes to a close with a run of episodes that are just as crass, intelligent, poignant, and timely as anything else on television. In a time of political upheaval and social unrest around the world, it is nice to know we can still mock our leaders from all sides of the political spectrum.

The seventh and final season finds former President Selina Meyer running for a proper elected term as the Commander in Chief of the United States.If you are new to the series, Meyer previously became President when her predecessor left office but lost her re-election bid when her running mate and former lover (Hugh Laurie) split the vote with her. While the early seasons dealt with Meyer's bumbling team, last season focused on her retirement. This season gives us a nice glimpse into the many facets of a Presidential campaign including looks at multiple candidates including former White House staffer and walking HR violation, Jonah Ryan (Timothy Simons). All of your favorites are back including Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Reid Scott, Matt Walsh, Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole, Sam Richardson, as well as new additions Patton Oswalt and countless cameos.

What works so well with Veep is the mockumentary feel that evokes The Office crossed with the best films of Christopher Guest. Every episode has a very natural feel and comes off almost improvised despite the cast insisting that it is fully scripted. What is most impresssive is that seven seasons in, this series has lost zero steam and is just as biting of a satire of the American political machine as ever. It is also incredibly vulgar and offensive in the best ways possible. Veep is responsible for some of the most original insults and profanity I have heard in any film or series and it is delivered with a style that no one but Julia Louis-Dreyfus could do. Veep is easily the best work of Dreyfus' career and even eclipses her work on Seinfeld. This is also the best Tony Hale has ever been and is someone funnier than anything he ever did as Buster on Arrested Development.

When House of Cards premiered around the same time as the second season of Veep, both shows became hits. Fast forward to the last twelve months and Veep is on the verge of wrapping up it's run with significantly more acclaim and success than the Netflix drama series. Part of that is due to the fact that Julia Louis-Dreyfus and producer David Mandel plotted out the final narrative arcs before last season began which helps this story feel propulsive rather than treading water for another batch of episodes. It could also have to do with the fact that the change of power from Barack Obama to Donald Trump is easier to mine for laughs that chills as House of Cards began to feel a bit neutered compared to the real world. Veep manages to channel both Trump and his Democratic opponents in a slate of characters that don't give a shit about the public but only about their own success.

Like I said before, if you are someone who doesn't follows politics or even if you are someone who despises liberals or conservatives, this show is still going to make you laugh out loud. From a running abortion joke to humor surrounding incest, mass murder, gun control, dog mayors, closeted homosexuals, adoption, drug use, and even chemical castration, Veep has absolutely no boundaries it will not cross in the name of humor. But the best part is that the jokes all work. I have never consistently laughed as hard at any show as I do with each episode of Veep. I will be very sad to see it go but so very happy to see it go at the top of it's game. Every single member of this cast could headline their own series and deservedly so. Now is the time to go back and binge the entire first six seasons of Veep before it goes out with one of the best final years in TV history.

The final season of Veep premieres March 31st on HBO.

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