I didn't want to bring that up in the video, but yeah, I was thinking the same thing. And it's come up in his podcast that any time the bad Matt Walsh gets mentioned, the good one gets a bunch of pings on his Twitter account about it.
Something I really love about Veep is that it breaks away from a lot of mockumentary office job sitcoms. The Office has people working menial jobs where no one really works but for the most part the business is fine. In Veep, everyone works incredibly hard to ultimately accomplish nothing. The status quo is something that is so delicate that it takes a ton of effort to maintain
i also really like how the show actually focuses on people's jobs and doesn't give us too much insight into the characters' personal lives, unless its something they bring to their work (like Selina's affairs or Mike's everything). Kinda helps ground them as if you were an antropologist watching the most powerful people on earth going about their day jobs.
Great line from producers on what changed from the show premiering: "When we started, it was shocking to imagine a sitting politician talking like this behind closed doors. Today, we have them doing it in open press conferences."
I think one key thing about the end of Veep is that while it was quite cynical, it also ends with Splett shown to be the current - very beloved and successful - president. Maybe it was the writers expressing the hope that, despite the very dark political times they were witnessing, they could still see hope for something better in the future.
Despite the flaws of democracy, the fact that people like Trump can only be in power for max 8 years is the reason why it's still the best form of government. Imagine someone like that being in power for decades.
@@RyanKemp-z7kmost countries don't have term limits. Most fascist movements don't die with their figure head reaching the term limit or dying or anything like that.
@@apathybronson No, but a lot of fascist movements do die when the leader does. Look at Franco in Spain. Fascism requires a charismatic and engaging leader to survive. Trumpism will not survive once Trump is gone because it has become a cult of personality around a singular persona. And the whole allure of Trumpism to begin with is that he is not a conventional politician, which means another politician cannot take his place as a figurehead.
Agreed. It's the final act of Selena that destroyed her humanity. That being said - I saw an interview that played Gary Walsh - he said Gary got what he deserved, because it was only way Gary would see how awful Selena was - Gary always thought he was above that. He wasn't
This was literally perfectly timed. There was an Axios article this morning about how some members of Kamala Harris's staff haven't been CCed in Biden staff or Biden emails for 3 and a half years. All I thought was, wait isn't that like how on Veep, Selina and staff are always asking Sue if the president said anything and she's always, nope! God what a show. I'll always remember Tall McCartney above all. The cloud botherer himself.
@@silverXnoise Hey-o, if you look up the definition of "literally" there are two accepted definitions: adverb adverb: literally in a literal manner or sense; exactly. "the driver took it literally when asked to go straight across the traffic circle"
Similar: verbatim informal used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while not being literally true. "I was literally blown away by the response I got" I hope that helps. Let me know if there are any other basic words that you're struggling with. I'm always happy to help the intellectually-disadvantaged.
“Watching the political process at the moment, one's instinct is to laugh because the alternative is to cry.That's where I come from, really.” Armando Ianucci
The fact that Mikes mustache dye running was BEFORE Giuliani is insane! This show has stuck with me in a way no other show has. I’ve only seen it once and I want to rewatch it, but the ending was amazing. Such a well done show.
I’ve read a couple of autobiographies from former White House staff, and I find it funny that Jonah from Veep is apparently a pretty common character in real world politics, just an asshole that nobody likes that inexplicably got this important job. If you hear former Trump administration officials talk about Jared Kushner, the comparison comes up more than once.
@@diegowushu Historically that doesn't get you such a high ranking job in the government. There used to be fears about nepotism like that before you know who never pretended to care.
@@diegowushu i mean, usually the nepotism token hire gets a fake job with a massive pay. Jared got a massive job (which he did not do) with an even more massive pay (and exploit opportunities)
@@DiamondKingStudios William G. McAdoo was the leader of the progressive movement at the time. He was appointed to his position as a successful lawyer and businessman. He was the VP of the DNC and developed the tunnel networks of NYC and adjacent NJ cities before being appointed to his position. Jared "2 billion dollars from Saudi Arabia" Kushner was/is... um... his qualifications include being the golfer-in-chief's son in law.
I'd still prefer they use the original ending: Just as Selina is agreeing to VP demands, she finds out Tom has slipped into the convention and won the votes needed to become the nominee. Cut to 8 years later, Tom wrapping up his term with Richard his VP ready to run for President. When asked about his VP pick, Richard says "I know the perfect person," calls up Selina who agrees instantly. So it's all full circle for her once more back as VP and dreaming of rising to the top.
I actually really liked the ending they chose, it felt like a brutally satisfying course to take her character on, with her finally clawing her way to the presidents office after wasting her whole life fighting for it only for it to be exactly as much of a hollow slog from fuckup to fuckup as being VP was, but when she looks around the room to find someone to blame as the source of the incompetence she's all alone, finally forced to confront not only the emptiness of the very thing shes given up everything for, but that she is the source of all her own problems, the incompetence in that office is staggering, but the only one in there is her. The last moment we see of her where she just stares into her empty office before plastering on a smile and shoving it down was really brilliant imo
I can’t watch this right now because it’s too late in my time zone, but I wanted you to know that I am forever grateful for you making this because I searched the troubles of the entire Internet to find the deep dive on this series and I couldn’t find ONE you are blessed José, BLESSED ❤
I first watched Veep in the summer of 2020. I think it's one of the most well-written sitcoms of all time but I've never been able to rewatch it again because of just how haunting the ending with Tony Hale's character was. To be clear, it's a phenomenal ending that makes a statement about power and I wouldn't want it to end any less cynically, but the absolute devastation I felt watching him be taken away by the FBI during Selena's speech was truly haunting. However, I really enjoyed this recap and it may motivate me to watch the series again (probably after this election cycle since I don't want to get more stressed lol)
I've watched this show three or four times. It's literally an annual tradition at this point. Knowing where it ends actually makes the re-watch so interesting, because those little hints mentioned in this video are a lot clearer and seemingly thow-away lines or interactions (or even whole episodes) take on a very different meaning. Plus, I still laugh. Every episode. Multiple times. It's just that good.
I came in a few years late with Veep and was surprised how seriously funny it was. The insults and similes killed me every time. It was comforting. I got so attached, I cried during the last episode. I still watch it if I need a pick me up.
VEEP and Parks and Rec feel like two shows with opposite views on politics that both capture the spectrum of Obama Era politics, or at least the discourse around it. It's interesting how both have aged poorly in that regard. Parks and Rec was too optimistic- and arguably too blind to the cruelties of the government. VEEP's cynicism regarding the "you can't tell what party she is, because her values are so opaque" can sometimes feel more like a critique of Clinton/HW Bush Era politics, as the Tea Party effect on conservative politics was already very apparent by the show's debut.
the more a show tries to be self aware, the worse it comes off when they fail to do so. this is my problem with veep. the writers clearly thought they were above the fray, but the world this show takes place in only makes sense to a very specific type of gen x (maybe y, maybe even boomer) liberal
Selina is explicitly told to be a Democrat by the time she’s running against Laura (who gets elected President) & Laura original candidate for President are shown to be Republicans. On the election result day, she’s a Democrat & her opponents are republicans
What a fantastic video. Thank you so much. This is one of my favourite comedy shows. This retrospective is informative, entertaining and engaging, and it celebrates VEEP for its surprisingly powerful (yet cynical) message about politics, power and leadership. It was so difficult to see Kamala Harris' campaign as anything but a Selina Meyer-esque farce. From aligning with the Cheney's to casting aside Palestinian activists, its scary how much of a parallel there is between the two figures. And ultimately their fate is the same: rejected by the American people. Alas, theres no Montez or Splett to come save us. At least not yet. The level of incompetence in high office truly is staggering.
thanks for this! I really appreciate the line you walk on the retrospectives. there's a fine balance between documentary with show moments and cast and crew interviews shown to evidence and well thought-out interpretations that build thereupon to bring out what you feel (and I generally agree) is the show's greater message
Honestly, as cynical as Veep is, I think that the final scenes present a tiny glimmer of hope. Richard Splatt and Kemi Temp, as many issues as they had, were shown to have won the presidency. If anything, I think the show is extremely critical of electoral politics as the end-all-be-all for change, but still shows that organizing and persistence can be tools to get people more easily swayed by public pressure in power.... it's extremely hard to believe that given Trump winning re-election by a wide margin a few days ago... but I think the writers wanted to show us that at the very least, there are tiny glimmers of hope and optimism to feel about the future if we work for it.
I really appreciate and respect your retrospective videos! They have a perfect balance of analysis and recapping, something rare regarding these type of videos
Thank you Jose for reminding me that I still need to watch this series. I keep putting it off but I'm finally going to do it. I adore JLD and it's always seemed right up my alley
I've been binging politics media too much and as soon as I saw this so much tension dropped from my shoulders and I can at enjoy this 1h36m of escapism with one of my favorite series being retold by one of my favorite video essayists. 💙
My dad showed me one ep of this show and I was like “That was funny, but depressing” and proceeded to not watch any more of it. It’s weird to hear that had I watched more, I would prolly have found it to just be more of both.
Dear José, I know why you do political media criticism and I applaud you for it, but I have to say that these retrospectives of yours are a kind of oasis in a very arid media desert for me. Thank you, honestly.
I love your series retrospectives, they're always so well made and insightful. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on the show Succession and its class politics.💜
Would be very curious to see you follow this up with looking at the show you mentioned at the start of this - The Thick of It. (Though also the older British political sit-com, Yes, [Prime] Minister.
it's surely not a surprise that Yes (Prime) Minister is a favourite show of Iannucci's, to the point that when the BBC did a "Britain's Best Sitcom" series, he argued the case for the show
Aa omg! Finally a show I've actually seen, it's been so long! I love your videos. Would you do you one on "the gay wondrous life of Caleb Galo" sometime? That would be a nice change of pace and more people need to be introduced to OG BJA content. Hip and trending, yaaaas???
Welp. Guess it’s time to rewatch again. This show, Ted Lasso, the Newsroom, and Schitts Creek are my go to comfort shows that I never get sick of watching.
Thank you for the factoid about the politician laughing so hard at the show they choked and fell down, I don’t know why but that little digression really cracked me up
it's crazy to learn that there was a major shift in season 5 because my favorite moment of the whole series is from season 5 and i genuinely did not feel a change in tone or anything at all. that's talent fr
@@tyroneanderson5619 I really should have emphasized HoC being a product of its time. Even though it wasn't all that long ago seeing the political zeitgeist behind all of it crash and die a fiery death after 2016. I did really like it before all that shit with Spacey came to light, mainly because David Fincher is the GOAT. Granted, rewatching the first few seasons now kinda gave me an icky feeling; half of it because of Spacey and half of it feeling felt just ...... well *cringe* in retrospect. Can't put it in better words even when I know what the writers and directors were conveying and why they couldn't grasp on real life absurdity. It's just way more believable to me that DC always worked like how Veep shows since it's still all run by total sociopaths, but they're not at all sociopaths with the personality of reptiles and a penchant of murder. People who don't know WTF they're even doing on a day to day basis as opposed to people who act like they're bloody surgical and clairvoyant.
@@thepaintingbanjo8894the issues you had with House of Cards may have to do with the source material, which is a loose adaptation of Macbeth that was updated to take place in the British Parliament that was written by a former Conservative MP. As a result, the story is based on the way that the UK Conservative party works, where power is dramatically more centralised than the equivalent party in the US and you can more readily accept that a master manipulator can seize power and manipulate the media (which again is much more centralised than the US). At the time it was written I don't think that the devolved parliaments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were set up yet, so the political structures were basically local councils (which had just been completely gutted of power and were made solely reliant on the Westminster Parliament to provide them with funds) and then you had parliament. Anything above that isn't subject to any kind of public vote, so if you could get the Lords on side they were at no risk of experiencing consequences for passing unpopular legislation, or deliberately obstructing reforms that would be in the public interest. Lords at the time were hereditary and not appointed, with the exception of the bishops appointed by the church (under the leadership of the Queen as the combined head of state and God's representation on earth), so they were overwhelmingly aligned with the conservative party and would gladly facilitate their success. If you can find it, I thoroughly recommend the BBC adaptation from the 80s starring Ian Richardson. It's a fantastic series and you won't have to stomach seeing Kevin Spacey being a gross sleaze.
the thing about the thick of it that i think bleeds into veep, is its timelessness. the thick of it, despite being heavily based on the downfall of the current new labour government, directly tracking from its first season, in which you can basically directly map what's going on to the Blair , brown and early coalition era across the 4 seasons, but it still feels distinctly like it works in any political era, because it focuses less on making fun of figures directly, and more on making fun of the innerworkings of politics itself. I've not seen all of veep but it seems to carry that very same quality, where despite distinctly mapping onto the era its set politically, it becomes timeless by focusing on politicians as idiotic groups of ppl trying to save their own skin constantly, and not the actual decisions they make. although i will say veep has that very Americanised optimism about it that distinctly isn't an aspect of the thick of it.
This is one of my favorite shows... noone believes me about how good it is... I keep recommending into a void... funniest show I've ever seen.. you can keep the office..
I’ve recently started watching this show for the first time. Just started season 3, so far I like the show. Reminds me a lot of parks and rec. I will come back to this video once I have finished the series
1:13:16 I'm reminded about what Stubagful (another great youtuber) had to say about the Thick of It: The show was about a spin team. In a post-brexit world, Malcom would go into shock, and there would be no spin to write about.
I'm struck by Ianucci saying "American power feels like it knows what it's doing". Really?? That's not at all how it looks to us in the US. I wanted to watch some Veep, by now I'm not sure
Veep is the best television show in history. It was never dull and every episode was excellent. It is the perfect satire of how dumb and corrupt our political system and the people in evolved are. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the only person who could have played Selina Meyer and her performance will go down in television history.
I was late to the game, but loved this show. Ben & Kent were fantastic additions (solidified Gary Cole as a fantastic get for anything), though I loved so much of the cast and guest cast. Sam Richardson as Richard Splett was also a perfect addition, partly because of his sunny demeanour and odd knowledge. Having heard the alternate ending, I am definitely glad they went the way they did. There was a bit of frustration when I initially saw that finale, but - in hindsight - it worked on too many levels, particularly that ridiculous future (with the bright shimmering hope of President Splett)
I would have loved to be in the writers room for Veep. Some of the lines each episode are so absurd and hilarious I just have no idea how they came up with them.
Good content. Been watching since before COVID-19. I hope you do The Good Place, Growing Pains (there’s some interesting stuff there), curb your enthusiasm, Among some other shows. Thanks for the vids. 🌞
I appreciated the story line on Jonah being assaulted a good exploration of horrific abuses of power can happen to anybody and normalized. Having Dan horrified and tell Jonah that it wasn’t okay, i think tells the audience that some lines shouldn't be crossed. I never thought it was funny. There's a steteotype of what a victim should look like and be - even a character as depicable/annoying as Jonah Ryan shouldn't be abused. I also think it's another way of exploring hiw toxic and abusive power can be.
How did millions of people watch this and not do a January 6th every day? How did people working in real politics being told "hahaha this show is so real" not get their spine pulled out of their bodies by the working class funding them?
I always took it as an illusion/mirage out of guilt and choose to ignore that he was at the funeral - though given that he doesn't look aged i again think he is not really that person.
I find it interesting and funny in the show.. all of these ambitious cutthroats latch on to Selina for personal gain... by the end they are all ruined in one way or another and have to completely alter their careers... accept Richard the one good guy who didn't deliberately tie himself to Selina. Ken and Amy quit in disgust of Jonah's vp spot, Ben dies, Dan is fired and enters real estate, Tom James is rendered politically toxic, Gary goes to Prison, Mike is fired and as the second most decent member of her team also ends up the second most succesful as a network news anchor. Noone gets what they want because Selina who was supposed to deliver them success destroyed them all. Selina even ends up seemingly hating the actual job and seemingly is more alone than ever, passing away with her prespositivbeing considered corrupt and controversial, the opposite of the idealistic visionary all-timer she planned to be in the early seasons.. by the end, she no longer had a goal of being a great president.. she just wanted to be president...
I feel so bad for matt walsh, everytime i hear his name i have to remember hes not /that/ matt walsh
I didn't want to bring that up in the video, but yeah, I was thinking the same thing. And it's come up in his podcast that any time the bad Matt Walsh gets mentioned, the good one gets a bunch of pings on his Twitter account about it.
I cant even imagine-
Literally! Same here! I had to look again in horror until I confirmed it wasn't the DW grandpa yells at clouds meme
💯💯💯
Or you could think about how lucky /that/ Matt Walsh is to share a name with such a comedic genius
Something I really love about Veep is that it breaks away from a lot of mockumentary office job sitcoms. The Office has people working menial jobs where no one really works but for the most part the business is fine. In Veep, everyone works incredibly hard to ultimately accomplish nothing. The status quo is something that is so delicate that it takes a ton of effort to maintain
i also really like how the show actually focuses on people's jobs and doesn't give us too much insight into the characters' personal lives, unless its something they bring to their work (like Selina's affairs or Mike's everything). Kinda helps ground them as if you were an antropologist watching the most powerful people on earth going about their day jobs.
@@ismaelismael8543 and Jonah's extremely disturbing family background because Jonah
Great line from producers on what changed from the show premiering: "When we started, it was shocking to imagine a sitting politician talking like this behind closed doors. Today, we have them doing it in open press conferences."
Why was it ever Shanks cking? LBJ was President. We literally have the Nixon tapes. This is dumb liberal West Wing brain.
(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ (̲C̲h̲e̲c̲k̲ ̲m̲y̲ ̲p̲r̲o̲f̲i̲l̲e̲)̲
b̲u̲t̲ ̲d̲i̲d̲ ̲y̲o̲u̲ ̲k̲n̲o̲w̲ ̲t̲h̲a̲t̲-̲
T̲h̲i̲s̲ ̲i̲s̲ ̲c̲o̲o̲l̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲a̲l̲l̲ ̲ ♥
I think one key thing about the end of Veep is that while it was quite cynical, it also ends with Splett shown to be the current - very beloved and successful - president. Maybe it was the writers expressing the hope that, despite the very dark political times they were witnessing, they could still see hope for something better in the future.
i love this take!
Despite the flaws of democracy, the fact that people like Trump can only be in power for max 8 years is the reason why it's still the best form of government. Imagine someone like that being in power for decades.
@@RyanKemp-z7kmost countries don't have term limits. Most fascist movements don't die with their figure head reaching the term limit or dying or anything like that.
@@RyanKemp-z7k
We can't survive another 4 years of Trump
@@apathybronson No, but a lot of fascist movements do die when the leader does. Look at Franco in Spain. Fascism requires a charismatic and engaging leader to survive. Trumpism will not survive once Trump is gone because it has become a cult of personality around a singular persona. And the whole allure of Trumpism to begin with is that he is not a conventional politician, which means another politician cannot take his place as a figurehead.
The final betrayal of Gary was legitimately heartbreaking😭
Not having watched the show, seeing him at the funeral was gutting.
Agreed. It's the final act of Selena that destroyed her humanity.
That being said - I saw an interview that played Gary Walsh - he said Gary got what he deserved, because it was only way Gary would see how awful Selena was - Gary always thought he was above that. He wasn't
This was literally perfectly timed.
There was an Axios article this morning about how some members of Kamala Harris's staff haven't been CCed in Biden staff or Biden emails for 3 and a half years.
All I thought was, wait isn't that like how on Veep, Selina and staff are always asking Sue if the president said anything and she's always, nope!
God what a show. I'll always remember Tall McCartney above all. The cloud botherer himself.
Vote for John H. Ryan
@@josemaria8177 Jon H Ryan is one of my favorite reoccurring gags. He got more votes you know.
Brah D: and here I thought this ended with Clinton
As opposed to _figuratively_ perfectly timed.
@@silverXnoise Hey-o, if you look up the definition of "literally" there are two accepted definitions:
adverb
adverb: literally
in a literal manner or sense; exactly.
"the driver took it literally when asked to go straight across the traffic circle"
Similar:
verbatim
informal
used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while not being literally true.
"I was literally blown away by the response I got"
I hope that helps. Let me know if there are any other basic words that you're struggling with. I'm always happy to help the intellectually-disadvantaged.
“Watching the political process at the moment, one's instinct is to laugh because the alternative is to cry.That's where I come from, really.” Armando Ianucci
(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ (̲C̲h̲e̲c̲k̲ ̲m̲y̲ ̲p̲r̲o̲f̲i̲l̲e̲)̲
b̲u̲t̲ ̲d̲i̲d̲ ̲y̲o̲u̲ ̲k̲n̲o̲w̲ ̲t̲h̲a̲t̲-̲
T̲h̲i̲s̲ ̲i̲s̲ ̲c̲o̲o̲l̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲a̲l̲l̲ ̲ ♥
I'll watch Jose retrospectives on shows I've never even seen.
Facts.
With exception of My Name is Earl and Boy Meets World, that has been all of them for me so far.
@@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm didn't want no scrubs?
Veep is definitely worth watching! Makes me laugh out loud more than any other show
He’s that good
I can’t wait for the future Succession video, even if it’s not for years
The fact that Mikes mustache dye running was BEFORE Giuliani is insane!
This show has stuck with me in a way no other show has. I’ve only seen it once and I want to rewatch it, but the ending was amazing. Such a well done show.
I’ve read a couple of autobiographies from former White House staff, and I find it funny that Jonah from Veep is apparently a pretty common character in real world politics, just an asshole that nobody likes that inexplicably got this important job. If you hear former Trump administration officials talk about Jared Kushner, the comparison comes up more than once.
How's "married to the prez daughter" inexplicable lol. It's literally the opposite.
@@diegowushu Historically that doesn't get you such a high ranking job in the government. There used to be fears about nepotism like that before you know who never pretended to care.
@@diegowushu i mean, usually the nepotism token hire gets a fake job with a massive pay. Jared got a massive job (which he did not do) with an even more massive pay (and exploit opportunities)
@@haruhirogrimgar6047William G. McAdoo was Secretary of the Treasury from 1913 to 1918. His wife was Eleanor Randolph… _Wilson._
@@DiamondKingStudios William G. McAdoo was the leader of the progressive movement at the time. He was appointed to his position as a successful lawyer and businessman. He was the VP of the DNC and developed the tunnel networks of NYC and adjacent NJ cities before being appointed to his position.
Jared "2 billion dollars from Saudi Arabia" Kushner was/is... um... his qualifications include being the golfer-in-chief's son in law.
when Matt Gaetz first became a thing on my radar (hate that btw) my first thought was "oh my god, he's Jonah".
Finally! A Jose sitcom retrospective on a show that I’ve actually seen! 😊
I just finished the show for the first time earlier this year. So happy you’re doing a retrospective.
I'd still prefer they use the original ending: Just as Selina is agreeing to VP demands, she finds out Tom has slipped into the convention and won the votes needed to become the nominee. Cut to 8 years later, Tom wrapping up his term with Richard his VP ready to run for President. When asked about his VP pick, Richard says "I know the perfect person," calls up Selina who agrees instantly. So it's all full circle for her once more back as VP and dreaming of rising to the top.
I actually really liked the ending they chose, it felt like a brutally satisfying course to take her character on, with her finally clawing her way to the presidents office after wasting her whole life fighting for it only for it to be exactly as much of a hollow slog from fuckup to fuckup as being VP was, but when she looks around the room to find someone to blame as the source of the incompetence she's all alone, finally forced to confront not only the emptiness of the very thing shes given up everything for, but that she is the source of all her own problems, the incompetence in that office is staggering, but the only one in there is her. The last moment we see of her where she just stares into her empty office before plastering on a smile and shoving it down was really brilliant imo
*chuckles* *whispers "what the fuck"*
Me every day
actually, there is one "wide-eyed do-gooder" and his name is Richard Splett and he's the best character on the show
The president that we all deserve.
@yourfavoritebubbe7444 keep watching the video. Jose was discussing the seasons before Richard entered when he said that.
richard
@@pixelbomb97 I know I just love any excuse to talk about Richard
@@yourfavoritebubbe7444 He's such a sweetheart. He must be protected.
I can’t watch this right now because it’s too late in my time zone, but I wanted you to know that I am forever grateful for you making this because I searched the troubles of the entire Internet to find the deep dive on this series and I couldn’t find ONE you are blessed José, BLESSED ❤
I first watched Veep in the summer of 2020. I think it's one of the most well-written sitcoms of all time but I've never been able to rewatch it again because of just how haunting the ending with Tony Hale's character was. To be clear, it's a phenomenal ending that makes a statement about power and I wouldn't want it to end any less cynically, but the absolute devastation I felt watching him be taken away by the FBI during Selena's speech was truly haunting. However, I really enjoyed this recap and it may motivate me to watch the series again (probably after this election cycle since I don't want to get more stressed lol)
I've watched this show three or four times. It's literally an annual tradition at this point. Knowing where it ends actually makes the re-watch so interesting, because those little hints mentioned in this video are a lot clearer and seemingly thow-away lines or interactions (or even whole episodes) take on a very different meaning. Plus, I still laugh. Every episode. Multiple times. It's just that good.
I came in a few years late with Veep and was surprised how seriously funny it was. The insults and similes killed me every time. It was comforting. I got so attached, I cried during the last episode. I still watch it if I need a pick me up.
VEEP and Parks and Rec feel like two shows with opposite views on politics that both capture the spectrum of Obama Era politics, or at least the discourse around it. It's interesting how both have aged poorly in that regard. Parks and Rec was too optimistic- and arguably too blind to the cruelties of the government. VEEP's cynicism regarding the "you can't tell what party she is, because her values are so opaque" can sometimes feel more like a critique of Clinton/HW Bush Era politics, as the Tea Party effect on conservative politics was already very apparent by the show's debut.
the more a show tries to be self aware, the worse it comes off when they fail to do so. this is my problem with veep. the writers clearly thought they were above the fray, but the world this show takes place in only makes sense to a very specific type of gen x (maybe y, maybe even boomer) liberal
Selina is explicitly told to be a Democrat by the time she’s running against Laura (who gets elected President) & Laura original candidate for President are shown to be Republicans. On the election result day, she’s a Democrat & her opponents are republicans
What a fantastic video. Thank you so much. This is one of my favourite comedy shows. This retrospective is informative, entertaining and engaging, and it celebrates VEEP for its surprisingly powerful (yet cynical) message about politics, power and leadership. It was so difficult to see Kamala Harris' campaign as anything but a Selina Meyer-esque farce. From aligning with the Cheney's to casting aside Palestinian activists, its scary how much of a parallel there is between the two figures. And ultimately their fate is the same: rejected by the American people. Alas, theres no Montez or Splett to come save us. At least not yet. The level of incompetence in high office truly is staggering.
perfect timing for me, my dad and i have been watching the show together!!
thanks for this! I really appreciate the line you walk on the retrospectives. there's a fine balance between documentary with show moments and cast and crew interviews shown to evidence and well thought-out interpretations that build thereupon to bring out what you feel (and I generally agree) is the show's greater message
Veep is one of my favorite shows ever. Im so excited for this
They were just replaying the whole series on HBO last week. Perfect timing!
been waitin for this one!! just finished my 3rd watch of Veep so the timing just couldn't be better
Working on a campaign, we joked that politics is 5% West Wing, 5% House of Cards, and 90% Veep.
Honestly, as cynical as Veep is, I think that the final scenes present a tiny glimmer of hope. Richard Splatt and Kemi Temp, as many issues as they had, were shown to have won the presidency. If anything, I think the show is extremely critical of electoral politics as the end-all-be-all for change, but still shows that organizing and persistence can be tools to get people more easily swayed by public pressure in power.... it's extremely hard to believe that given Trump winning re-election by a wide margin a few days ago... but I think the writers wanted to show us that at the very least, there are tiny glimmers of hope and optimism to feel about the future if we work for it.
I really appreciate and respect your retrospective videos! They have a perfect balance of analysis and recapping, something rare regarding these type of videos
Thank you Jose for reminding me that I still need to watch this series. I keep putting it off but I'm finally going to do it. I adore JLD and it's always seemed right up my alley
Loooooove this show !! Crazy with all the awards and reception is not talked about as much as other comedies
I am so hyped to watch this. I love Veep and your retrospective contents are always so great!
Thanks! You are amazing!
Thanks so much for your support!
I've been binging politics media too much and as soon as I saw this so much tension dropped from my shoulders and I can at enjoy this 1h36m of escapism with one of my favorite series being retold by one of my favorite video essayists. 💙
My dad showed me one ep of this show and I was like “That was funny, but depressing” and proceeded to not watch any more of it. It’s weird to hear that had I watched more, I would prolly have found it to just be more of both.
I’m watching this again because you made it really good my man.
Dear José, I know why you do political media criticism and I applaud you for it, but I have to say that these retrospectives of yours are a kind of oasis in a very arid media desert for me. Thank you, honestly.
Seeing Gandolfini pop up was wild. I would have loved to see him in more comedic roles
I feel like you always know when I’m obsessing over a show
I love your series retrospectives, they're always so well made and insightful. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on the show Succession and its class politics.💜
Would be very curious to see you follow this up with looking at the show you mentioned at the start of this - The Thick of It. (Though also the older British political sit-com, Yes, [Prime] Minister.
capaldi's first line in the show, on the phone describing someone as "useless as a marzipan dildo," lives forever in my head
it's surely not a surprise that Yes (Prime) Minister is a favourite show of Iannucci's, to the point that when the BBC did a "Britain's Best Sitcom" series, he argued the case for the show
Oooh, excellent timing! I rewatched season 6 and 7 just recently.
I love being able to watch retrospectives of shows that I've actually watched
Il come back after i watch the series, it sounds good
Aa omg! Finally a show I've actually seen, it's been so long! I love your videos.
Would you do you one on "the gay wondrous life of Caleb Galo" sometime?
That would be a nice change of pace and more people need to be introduced to OG BJA content. Hip and trending, yaaaas???
my favorite show of all time! there are so few videos about veep, excited to watch this
Seriously one of the best comedy series of all time.
Welp. Guess it’s time to rewatch again. This show, Ted Lasso, the Newsroom, and Schitts Creek are my go to comfort shows that I never get sick of watching.
Thank you for the factoid about the politician laughing so hard at the show they choked and fell down, I don’t know why but that little digression really cracked me up
Cannot wait to grab a beer tonight and watch this
0:54 God, why am I cursed forever think of KSI 😢
Everybody knows
Seated seated seated. Wish you cover Gilmore Girl (or any weird ass CW show) someday lol.
second that
Yeah, I'll for sure bump for a comfy José retrospective on GG
it's crazy to learn that there was a major shift in season 5 because my favorite moment of the whole series is from season 5 and i genuinely did not feel a change in tone or anything at all. that's talent fr
I liked that during the patreon shout-out you were talking about cynicism while the name of backer "Fart" scrolled past. Great timing.
Omg so excited for this retrospective!
Well, this was timely
Veep - a show that aged like fine wine
House of Cards - a show that aged like milk in the sun
I think I should binge watch Veep again.
NO House of cards until season 5 was amazing, the only reason you're saying that is Kevin SPacey and his accusations. But his acting was phenomenal.
@@tyroneanderson5619 I really should have emphasized HoC being a product of its time. Even though it wasn't all that long ago seeing the political zeitgeist behind all of it crash and die a fiery death after 2016. I did really like it before all that shit with Spacey came to light, mainly because David Fincher is the GOAT. Granted, rewatching the first few seasons now kinda gave me an icky feeling; half of it because of Spacey and half of it feeling felt just ...... well *cringe* in retrospect. Can't put it in better words even when I know what the writers and directors were conveying and why they couldn't grasp on real life absurdity.
It's just way more believable to me that DC always worked like how Veep shows since it's still all run by total sociopaths, but they're not at all sociopaths with the personality of reptiles and a penchant of murder. People who don't know WTF they're even doing on a day to day basis as opposed to people who act like they're bloody surgical and clairvoyant.
@@thepaintingbanjo8894the issues you had with House of Cards may have to do with the source material, which is a loose adaptation of Macbeth that was updated to take place in the British Parliament that was written by a former Conservative MP.
As a result, the story is based on the way that the UK Conservative party works, where power is dramatically more centralised than the equivalent party in the US and you can more readily accept that a master manipulator can seize power and manipulate the media (which again is much more centralised than the US). At the time it was written I don't think that the devolved parliaments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were set up yet, so the political structures were basically local councils (which had just been completely gutted of power and were made solely reliant on the Westminster Parliament to provide them with funds) and then you had parliament.
Anything above that isn't subject to any kind of public vote, so if you could get the Lords on side they were at no risk of experiencing consequences for passing unpopular legislation, or deliberately obstructing reforms that would be in the public interest. Lords at the time were hereditary and not appointed, with the exception of the bishops appointed by the church (under the leadership of the Queen as the combined head of state and God's representation on earth), so they were overwhelmingly aligned with the conservative party and would gladly facilitate their success.
If you can find it, I thoroughly recommend the BBC adaptation from the 80s starring Ian Richardson. It's a fantastic series and you won't have to stomach seeing Kevin Spacey being a gross sleaze.
the thing about the thick of it that i think bleeds into veep, is its timelessness. the thick of it, despite being heavily based on the downfall of the current new labour government, directly tracking from its first season, in which you can basically directly map what's going on to the Blair , brown and early coalition era across the 4 seasons, but it still feels distinctly like it works in any political era, because it focuses less on making fun of figures directly, and more on making fun of the innerworkings of politics itself. I've not seen all of veep but it seems to carry that very same quality, where despite distinctly mapping onto the era its set politically, it becomes timeless by focusing on politicians as idiotic groups of ppl trying to save their own skin constantly, and not the actual decisions they make.
although i will say veep has that very Americanised optimism about it that distinctly isn't an aspect of the thick of it.
One of my all time favorite shows & my favorite video of yours so far
I so much very look forward to the Brooklyn 99 retrospective
1:06:15 oh fuck.... THAT'S why the movie was called *_The Prestige!_*
I never made that specific connection before. >.>
Thank you so much for doing this!!
This is one of my all time favorite shows to this day.
This is one of my favorite shows... noone believes me about how good it is... I keep recommending into a void... funniest show I've ever seen.. you can keep the office..
I’ve recently started watching this show for the first time. Just started season 3, so far I like the show. Reminds me a lot of parks and rec. I will come back to this video once I have finished the series
Jonah Ryan is a Icon
1:28:26 Tony Hale also played Chas Finster in the Rugrats reboot
1:13:16 I'm reminded about what Stubagful (another great youtuber) had to say about the Thick of It:
The show was about a spin team. In a post-brexit world, Malcom would go into shock, and there would be no spin to write about.
I'm struck by Ianucci saying "American power feels like it knows what it's doing".
Really?? That's not at all how it looks to us in the US. I wanted to watch some Veep, by now I'm not sure
Veep is the best television show in history. It was never dull and every episode was excellent. It is the perfect satire of how dumb and corrupt our political system and the people in evolved are. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the only person who could have played Selina Meyer and her performance will go down in television history.
Just in time for the complete series Blu Ray release
Loved this show & love your retrospectives!
I was late to the game, but loved this show. Ben & Kent were fantastic additions (solidified Gary Cole as a fantastic get for anything), though I loved so much of the cast and guest cast. Sam Richardson as Richard Splett was also a perfect addition, partly because of his sunny demeanour and odd knowledge.
Having heard the alternate ending, I am definitely glad they went the way they did. There was a bit of frustration when I initially saw that finale, but - in hindsight - it worked on too many levels, particularly that ridiculous future (with the bright shimmering hope of President Splett)
just as i finished the series, immaculate timing 😭
The squeal I let out when I saw this video!!!! Jose always making videos just for me!!!!!!
Great series every time I see Kevin Dunn I'm transported back to my favourite role of his
Alan Reed in Dave
I would have loved to be in the writers room for Veep. Some of the lines each episode are so absurd and hilarious I just have no idea how they came up with them.
Veep still makes me laugh so hard. I honestly think at its best I have never laughed harder at a TV comedy.
This is everything I’ve been waiting for
Love this show. Great retrospective. Gotta do ER or King Of Queens
Good content. Been watching since before COVID-19. I hope you do The Good Place, Growing Pains (there’s some interesting stuff there), curb your enthusiasm, Among some other shows. Thanks for the vids. 🌞
Another banger of a video! Please consider doing New Girl at some point!
Finally, my favourite show of the 2010s.
i know it might not be in ur interests but a video on the thick of it would be very interesting to me if u feel like it
Spinal Tap was directed by Rob Reiner. Christopher Guest only wrote and acted.
I appreciated the story line on Jonah being assaulted a good exploration of horrific abuses of power can happen to anybody and normalized. Having Dan horrified and tell Jonah that it wasn’t okay, i think tells the audience that some lines shouldn't be crossed. I never thought it was funny. There's a steteotype of what a victim should look like and be - even a character as depicable/annoying as Jonah Ryan shouldn't be abused. I also think it's another way of exploring hiw toxic and abusive power can be.
What a treat, thank you
Man, how do you do it? I started watching Superstore after your retrospective, and I'm only on season 4.
Do you think you can do these shows?
1. Wings
2. Beverly Hills 90210
3. Charmed
I would love to hear those thanks 😊
45:39; True, but you can very easily find a map now that could get a tie result. For example: (Trump: GA, NC, NE 2nd, ME 2nd; Harris: MI, WI, PA)
How did millions of people watch this and not do a January 6th every day? How did people working in real politics being told "hahaha this show is so real" not get their spine pulled out of their bodies by the working class funding them?
Have you considered talking about Anna That Star Wars Girl?
I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR AN EPISODE ON THE GOOD PLACE
Im bummed you didnt get into how she accidentally kills Andrew. I found that story line adds a really deep dimension to Veep.
Regardless i loved this
I wanted to touch on that! But since Andrew survived and he just faked the whole thing, I thought it would take too long to unpack.
I always took it as an illusion/mirage out of guilt and choose to ignore that he was at the funeral - though given that he doesn't look aged i again think he is not really that person.
YES!!!! I JUST FINISHED WATCHING THIS
1:30 Michael McKean and Rhea Seehorn together on a show other than _Better Call Saul_ is a surprise to me, but maybe I’m just a young man.
I find it interesting and funny in the show.. all of these ambitious cutthroats latch on to Selina for personal gain... by the end they are all ruined in one way or another and have to completely alter their careers... accept Richard the one good guy who didn't deliberately tie himself to Selina. Ken and Amy quit in disgust of Jonah's vp spot, Ben dies, Dan is fired and enters real estate, Tom James is rendered politically toxic, Gary goes to Prison, Mike is fired and as the second most decent member of her team also ends up the second most succesful as a network news anchor. Noone gets what they want because Selina who was supposed to deliver them success destroyed them all. Selina even ends up seemingly hating the actual job and seemingly is more alone than ever, passing away with her prespositivbeing considered corrupt and controversial, the opposite of the idealistic visionary all-timer she planned to be in the early seasons.. by the end, she no longer had a goal of being a great president.. she just wanted to be president...
I forgot how funny this show was
"I’m your calendar, I’m your Google, I’m your Wilson the volleyball!" LMAO
why did it take my dumb ass so long to realize you weren't talking about that matt walsh