Here it is, take it:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-veep-20120420,0,3510200.story
toot toot veep veep, veep me 911, etc.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/04/12/Style/Images/VEEP001.jpg
― Acute puppy syndrome (admrl), Saturday, 21 April 2012 01:32 (twelve years ago) link
Do we think this is going to be good? I'm sort of interested.
― wolf kabob (ENBB), Saturday, 21 April 2012 01:34 (twelve years ago) link
I'm pretty excited! I've seen a bunch of good early hype and trailer looks lolz
― Mordy, Saturday, 21 April 2012 01:39 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, same. I'm intrigued by this and by the one with Jeff Daniels they keep showing previews for.
― wolf kabob (ENBB), Saturday, 21 April 2012 01:40 (twelve years ago) link
also, i've been craving a sharp, vulgar, + irreverent political sitcom
― Mordy, Saturday, 21 April 2012 01:43 (twelve years ago) link
Ianucci. Not sure Americans can swear quite like this though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk75R9uTMmo
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Saturday, 21 April 2012 01:44 (twelve years ago) link
It's true , I was worried when I heard there would be Americans involved in this, they always seem to ruin things
― Acute puppy syndrome (admrl), Saturday, 21 April 2012 01:54 (twelve years ago) link
"Afternoon, ladies. I heard there were sandwiches and I'm a fucker for cress. No, no, no, please don't get up - I'm not Viagra. Geoffrey, good to see you. John, how are you doing? I just wanted to tell you I really enjoyed your novel ... way of writing a fucking awful story."
― jed_, Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:00 (twelve years ago) link
he's written some great american characters like Linton Barwick
― Mordy, Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:01 (twelve years ago) link
also thought anna chlumsky (My Girl!) was really good in the movie and she's gonna be in this
― Mordy, Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:03 (twelve years ago) link
Haha a fucker for cress. I bet Veep won't have anything close to that. Also THick Of It>>>>In The Loop, right?
― Acute puppy syndrome (admrl), Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:03 (twelve years ago) link
Jamie otm
― aboulia banks (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:07 (twelve years ago) link
When will it be possible to acquire the first episode?
― I wish to incorporate disco into my small business (chap), Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:16 (twelve years ago) link
tmmrw night i think
― Mordy, Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:17 (twelve years ago) link
Sunday Night.
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:17 (twelve years ago) link
right, that's what i meant
― Mordy, Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:19 (twelve years ago) link
lol, i thought it was saturday already
Thanks. Monday torrent viewings looking very nice for the next few months then; this, GoT and Mad Men.
― I wish to incorporate disco into my small business (chap), Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:19 (twelve years ago) link
there's a pretty bustling thread about another HBO sitcom happening on sundays
― Mordy, Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:20 (twelve years ago) link
The recently completed Eastbound? Or am I missing something?
― I wish to incorporate disco into my small business (chap), Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:22 (twelve years ago) link
GIRLS
― Acute puppy syndrome (admrl), Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:23 (twelve years ago) link
the infection spreads
― Mordy, Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:24 (twelve years ago) link
Never heard of it, but damn that's a long thread.
― I wish to incorporate disco into my small business (chap), Saturday, 21 April 2012 02:29 (twelve years ago) link
THick Of It>>>>In The Loop, right?
Yes, but I thought the americans had the funniest parts of In The Loop, so I'm optimistic.
― abcfsk, Saturday, 21 April 2012 07:52 (twelve years ago) link
i saw the first three episodes of this, it's very good
― max, Saturday, 21 April 2012 13:42 (twelve years ago) link
it's not as good as the thick of it, mostly because there's no hilarious sweary malcolm tucker character, but i loled several times
― max, Saturday, 21 April 2012 13:43 (twelve years ago) link
I'm looking forward to this, especially if it doesn't prove another example of a gifted satirist who sets his eyes on America but quickly reveals he knows little about this country.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 21 April 2012 14:13 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah now that you mention it, I'm glad there was a thread for this before one for The Dictator.
― Andrew Farrell, Saturday, 21 April 2012 14:37 (twelve years ago) link
I didn't realize the Thick of it Connection. I just liked the look of a trailer but now I realize that I probably should watch that movie. I'd forgotten about it after the comedy poll.
― wolf kabob (ENBB), Saturday, 21 April 2012 16:33 (twelve years ago) link
Not quite In The Loop funny, but it was pretty good. I don't know if it would be possible to have two characters as funny as Malcolm Tucker and the eff-star-star-cunt American from ITL.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Monday, 23 April 2012 04:56 (twelve years ago) link
Some thudding moments here and there, but this was pretty funny overall.
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Monday, 23 April 2012 04:57 (twelve years ago) link
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is great, as are Anna Chlumsky and the slimeball. The press secretary and her body man could wear thin.
― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Monday, 23 April 2012 04:59 (twelve years ago) link
this seemed sort of ... off. it's an interesting decision to have the passive-aggressive dweeb kid instead of a malcolm tucker figure but ... i dunno
― thomp, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:14 (twelve years ago) link
maybe in three or four episodes i will stop automatically comparing it to the thick of it, and then i will also stop automatically trying to make the differences be emblematic of differences in national character
max
i. do they keep up the 'did the president call?' 'no' 'no' and the 'did you know i have my own flag' bitsii. do they get funny and how many repetitions does it take for them to get funny
― thomp, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:16 (twelve years ago) link
would honestly stick w/ this just for tony hale & matt walsh but i was ok w/ those 'jokes'
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:20 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, i laughed. i'll watch until they cancel it.
― Mordy, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:22 (twelve years ago) link
no i mean i honestly believe, given time, those 'jokes' will become funny
― thomp, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:23 (twelve years ago) link
this is fine, it's not remotely as good as the early thick of it but it's doubtful anything else is going to be, certainly within the pro forma confines of the american sitcom
― The term “hipster racism” from Carmen Van Kerckhove at Racialicious (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:29 (twelve years ago) link
felt very "ooh, handheld cameras, gratuitous cursing, big fuckin deal" to me, but still pretty funny and a good cast, will watch again
― Poor Turrican (some dude), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:31 (twelve years ago) link
lol well in 2k12 those things are pretty commonplace no?
― The term “hipster racism” from Carmen Van Kerckhove at Racialicious (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:32 (twelve years ago) link
feel like american sitcom is a more expansive genre than british sitcom -- one of the weird things about the thick of it is that it is an absolutely classical version of standard british sitcom setup, only it somehow escapes being awful
xpost ha yeah i don't really notice those things at this point?
― thomp, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:34 (twelve years ago) link
well yeah that's what i meant, the look/feel of it is kind of played imo
― Poor Turrican (some dude), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:36 (twelve years ago) link
that's an unplayable aesthetic
― The term “hipster racism” from Carmen Van Kerckhove at Racialicious (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:37 (twelve years ago) link
I think it needs time to develop side characters. People like Blinky Ben, etc...
There's also a different dynamic from The Thick of It. Everyone listened to/was scared of Malcolm, and the politicians tended to need to be shepherded around. JLD seems to have all the agency in Veep, where everyone else is just scrambling to fix her mistakes or get her what she wants.
Also the US doesn't have an equivalent of the civil servant, so we don't get a Terri.
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:04 (twelve years ago) link
you guys realize this isn't an adaptation, right, it's a different show by the same creator
― Poor Turrican (some dude), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:14 (twelve years ago) link
original title was "The Veep of It" iirc
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:17 (twelve years ago) link
the thick of eep
― Poor Turrican (some dude), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:18 (twelve years ago) link
In the Veep
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:20 (twelve years ago) link
ah, british humour.
― Mordy, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:21 (twelve years ago) link
some dude is british?
― The term “hipster racism” from Carmen Van Kerckhove at Racialicious (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:22 (twelve years ago) link
lol no, i don't think so
― Mordy, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:22 (twelve years ago) link
oi mates some dude is
these political shows that Iannucci has done, do they have any of the same absurdity of the 'Armando Iannucci Show'? I saw the first episode of 'Veep' and it didn't, though it was funny enough in its own right.
― boxall, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:25 (twelve years ago) link
no. at least not the surrealism.
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:26 (twelve years ago) link
though his next show for HBO, Armando Iannucci's Veep Trumpet, probably will
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:27 (twelve years ago) link
the early thick of it is blackly absurd in the best sense, some of his more freeform stuff is a bit winsome
― The term “hipster racism” from Carmen Van Kerckhove at Racialicious (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:29 (twelve years ago) link
blimey blood sausage, i've been outed
― Poor Turrican (some dude), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:35 (twelve years ago) link
too right guv'nor
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:38 (twelve years ago) link
Some of the lines felt quite British or straight out of TTOI like 'massive and total shit' and 'Tom Hanks might die'. This is not nec a bad thing but slightly jarring?
― kinder, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 05:32 (twelve years ago) link
American innovation on stale British sitcom formula = something nice occasionally happens to the lead character, instead of being dangled in front of them and snatched away.
― Andrew Farrell, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 06:24 (twelve years ago) link
Obviously I'm against it.
― Andrew Farrell, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 06:25 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.webtvwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/my-hero-logo.jpg
^ six series
― thomp, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 09:37 (twelve years ago) link
what i mean about classical british sitcom in re: the thick of it would be something like:
- enclosed environment- all conflict is created by strict pecking order amongst characters- each episode follows a rising action plot ending with someone making a tit of themselves
― Poor Turrican (some dude), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 03:14 (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
iirc ianucci was 'developing' an american version of 'the thick of it' for ages and then it wasn't being mentioned and then his name was attached to this? i mean ... c'mon. it's the same show. sort of.
― thomp, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 09:51 (twelve years ago) link
no, as far as I know there actually was a pilot for the American version of The Thick Of It directed by Christopher Guest
― Number None, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 09:54 (twelve years ago) link
In October, 2006, ABC announced that it was developing a U.S. version of “The Thick of It.” Mitchell Hurwitz, whose show “Arrested Development” had just been cancelled, was named executive producer and co-writer. In a recent e-mail, Hurwitz said that he saw similarities between “Arrested Development” and “The Thick of It,” which, in his reading, was about “people whose big outward and ‘important’ lives are run on a very small and impaired set of inner resources.” He went on, “That just really appeals to me comedically. . . . Big people with small hearts. Stupid people with high I.Q.s.”Christopher Guest directed the pilot. Iannucci barely had a role. Peter Bennett-Jones, Iannucci’s agent in the U.K., told me, “It seemed to be in good hands, but they just didn’t listen to Armando.” The pilot, which never aired, starred Oliver Platt as an almost avuncular (and non-swearing) envoy from the office of his party’s Whip, and John Michael Higgins as a peppy congressman who has never heard of “The Daily Show.” Seen today, the pilot seems flat. And there is no hint of melancholy, as there was in the British version, no sense of ideals eroded over time. Iannucci said, “It’s not awful, it’s just dull—which, you know, is a good trick to pull off.” Hurwitz defended the pilot, but admitted that it had “lost the sense of mania of the original.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/03/26/120326fa_fact_parker?currentPage=all
― Touché Gödel (ledge), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 09:58 (twelve years ago) link
oh, sure, if you want to rely on external evidence
― thomp, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 10:01 (twelve years ago) link
look i just called old mandy on the old dog and bone and he said for bobby moore that he developed this show as a version of his other show but for the bloody septics and now he's confirmed it let's have no more talk about it, right? right
― thomp, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 10:02 (twelve years ago) link
Solid premiere ratings. If people liked it as much as I do it should get a couple of seasons.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:00 (twelve years ago) link
it'll do fine. you practically have to kill a few horses to get less than 2-3 full seasons on HBO these days.
― some dude, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:03 (twelve years ago) link
i'm excited for 2-3 full seasons of this
― Mordy, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:06 (twelve years ago) link
How many eps is a typical HBO season?
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:07 (twelve years ago) link
SATC generally did 18 - sometimes as few as 12 or 8 (first season + when two of the actresses were pregnant respectively)
― Mordy, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:10 (twelve years ago) link
deadwood and curb were/are 10-13
― caek, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:10 (twelve years ago) link
dramas i think tend to be ~12
eastbound + d was 6-8
it seems to be inconsistent, even within a particular show's run
― Mordy, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:11 (twelve years ago) link
Stoked for this, it'll feel good to watch a US sitcom from the beginning at the same time as America.
― Homosexual Satan Wasp (Matt DC), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:14 (twelve years ago) link
I doubt there have been 18 episodes of The Thick of It in total!!
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:18 (twelve years ago) link
16 iirc?
― The term “hipster racism” from Carmen Van Kerckhove at Racialicious (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:21 (twelve years ago) link
enlightened had 10 and it's getting a 2nd season
i enjoyed this tho i kind of hope future episodes are less...stuffed
― y'tulip, y'pea-brained earwig (donna rouge), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:23 (twelve years ago) link
there are 8 episodes of this season of Veep
btw i might've mentioned this in a previous thread but a lot of the show was shot in Baltimore instead of D.C. and i was this close to getting to spend a day on the set a few months ago, am really bummed that didn't pan out. maybe next season.
― some dude, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:32 (twelve years ago) link
The first episode is good if a little slow-burny (certainly compared to TTOI, but I should make a conscious effort to not compare the two too much). Excellently acted all round.
― I wish to incorporate disco into my small business (chap), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:33 (twelve years ago) link
kind of reminded me of early parks & rec in that I didn't know what the stakes were, so there was just a bunch of quality comic actors all playing clueless. It's just the pilot, though.
― da croupier, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:37 (twelve years ago) link
reminds me more of Lisa Kudrow's HBO show The Comeback than anything else
― some dude, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 15:44 (twelve years ago) link
dumb Brit speaking but i've never actually understood exactly what HBO means. is it pay per view? is it cable only? over here we have some satelite/ cable stations where you *have* to pay for the channel month by month (Sky Sports, etc) but some are free with a basic 'freeview' box and so you pay once for that, then never again to watch any given channel. is that how it works over there with HBO? i was never sure also why that means you get more swearing and nudity and suchlike in HBO shows than other non HBO shows. hey i could WIKI this shit but i want the fun version from you guys.
― piscesx, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 18:13 (twelve years ago) link
i don't know if it's the fun version, but HBO is cable that you pay an extra monthly fee to get
― Mordy, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 18:15 (twelve years ago) link
HBO's pay-cable (you have to pay specifically for it, as opposed to getting it with a basic cable package) status means it can show movies unedited and make tv series with no restrictions as to content as opposed to Broadcast (heavily regulated by the FCC) and basic cable (which is more self-regulated than anything, but is dependent on advertisers and cable companies paying subscriptions), because you don't specifically choose those channels.
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 18:18 (twelve years ago) link
also having no advertisers means it's not dependent on ratings, and as it's paid for monthly it has a lot more money than anyone else.
― stay in school if you want to kiw (Gukbe), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 18:19 (twelve years ago) link
aha it all makes sense. thanks. i wish Mad Men was made by HBO.
― piscesx, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 18:48 (twelve years ago) link
have not seen this but am suspicious of the choice to make it vague what party anyone belongs to. or is it not vague, upon viewing?
― goole, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 18:56 (twelve years ago) link
oh it's vague. I get the motivation but it kind of devolved things to "Looks like those clowns in government did it again. What a bunch of clowns."
― da croupier, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 18:59 (twelve years ago) link
JL-D's character is trying to push for "green jobs" in this ep so i'd guess dem but they don't really explicitly state it, no (/notreallyaspoiler)
― y'tulip, y'pea-brained earwig (donna rouge), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:00 (twelve years ago) link
i imagine they felt it would distract you from what the show is about and i think they're probably right; maybe they'll spill the beans after a couple more shows though?
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:01 (twelve years ago) link
"Looks like those clowns in government did it again. What a bunch of clowns."
yeah this meme is thoroughly owned by the right wing in america; i'm wondering if iannucci realizes how his schtick plays into that?
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:03 (twelve years ago) link
'in the loop' drew much of its power from blairite hardasses inescapably seeing what it was they'd muscled into, right?
i've never been satisfied by political drama of any kind tho, really. no show like the real thing imo.
― goole, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:03 (twelve years ago) link
political comedy even less
― goole, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:04 (twelve years ago) link
if the sense of individual characters and their relative intelligence/engagement increases, i could see the lack of political content being irrelevant, esp since the veep is such an irrelevant position.
― da croupier, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:06 (twelve years ago) link
it hasn't been for our adult life!
― goole, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:07 (twelve years ago) link
i think you can get away with a show that implies it is within a fantasy administration, with more jokes and a reason to get invested in the characters' dilemmas.
― da croupier, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:08 (twelve years ago) link
okay okay, i'll get of my hobbyhorse until i see the show
― goole, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:09 (twelve years ago) link
It's never mattered less what party anyone belongs to.
― World Congress of Itch (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:25 (twelve years ago) link
not sure what you mean
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:29 (twelve years ago) link
essentially comedic characters having to look at war, basically.
― goole, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:32 (twelve years ago) link
some VPs (Cheney) obv more important than others (Quayle)
― Mordy, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 19:34 (twelve years ago) link
First episode streaming free at hbo.com and probably YouTube btw.
― caro's johnson (Eazy), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 22:29 (twelve years ago) link
first episode not very funny : (
― caek, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 22:56 (twelve years ago) link
i just watched and thought it was pretty good though i wonder how it'll work without any truly frightening characters. interesting that the veep herself is the audience proxy and not some chris addison type staffer
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 23:40 (twelve years ago) link
i didn't think the entire episode of sarah palin, but i have to admit that i occasionally was reminded of palin
― Mordy, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 23:43 (twelve years ago) link
i don't think that's a problem or anything the show necessarily has to run from.
― some dude, Wednesday, 25 April 2012 00:27 (twelve years ago) link
for sure. i didn't mind it.
― Mordy, Wednesday, 25 April 2012 00:29 (twelve years ago) link
was annoyed at the production designers for not matching the wapo typefaces on the fake style section. Pretty glaringly obvious on screen I'd think even if you aren't familiar with the paper.
― raw feel vegan (silby), Wednesday, 25 April 2012 00:37 (twelve years ago) link
JLD looks great. This has promise and i'll keep watching but i only laughed once at JLD referring to glasses as "wheelchairs for the eyes". the gary character is bound to get super annoying. i know he's supposed to be but still...
― jed_, Wednesday, 25 April 2012 00:40 (twelve years ago) link
"oh look, it's the guy from my left foot"
― caek, Wednesday, 25 April 2012 10:13 (twelve years ago) link
this show rules. between this and Girls i was starting to feel like a criminal so i ordered hbo.
― horseshoe, Monday, 30 April 2012 13:31 (eleven years ago) link
I enjoyed the first episode of this a lot
― I'M THAT POSTA, AAAAAAAAAH (DJP), Monday, 30 April 2012 13:35 (eleven years ago) link
def wanna see this
― surm, Monday, 30 April 2012 14:06 (eleven years ago) link
was annoyed at the production designers for not matching the wapo typefaces on the fake style section. Pretty glaringly obvious
Generally, no one in the biz cares about this kind of detail. Even if they actually said "Post."
(maybe there's even some weird un/written rule not to duplicate it)
― World Congress of Itch (Dr Morbius), Monday, 30 April 2012 14:32 (eleven years ago) link
renewed
― GoT SPOILER ALERT (Gukbe), Monday, 30 April 2012 19:56 (eleven years ago) link
I'm kind of surprised that I like this as much as I do.
― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:09 (eleven years ago) link
― thomp, Monday, April 23, 2012 10:16 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yesand no, not by the end of the first three episodes at least
― max, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:15 (eleven years ago) link
― goole, Tuesday, April 24, 2012 2:56 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this annoys the hell out of me
― max, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:17 (eleven years ago) link
first 2 eps strike me as a lil boring? at least v conventional sitcom-y plots/pacing/beats idk i might'ev been hoping this'd be more ambitious
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:19 (eleven years ago) link
i liked the pilot a lot--i think mostly because i love the mike character? but yeah the second one seemed a little aimless. i'm not sure vice-presidents have no real power is enough to hang a show on.
― horseshoe, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:25 (eleven years ago) link
oh, i quite enjoyed 'did the president call' in the second episode
i'm interested how they'll work the parties in the third season of 'the thick of it' because it's been quite clear all along which parties they belong to, and if they're doing a coalition govt. with peter mannion as an MP (which i read somewhere or other) they either need to churn their cast massively, or deal mainly with the opposition, or get quite stuck into doing ... actual alternate history
― thomp, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:25 (eleven years ago) link
Is US politics more polarised and partisan than in the UK? Maybe AI thought that making the party explicit would stop the show being about politics and start being about the party.
― give me back my 200 dollars (NotEnough), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:26 (eleven years ago) link
theres some widely cited intvw where iannucci said he was glad to have delayed the 3rd season of TTOI because the election happened and he was excited about the prospect of a coalition govt
― max, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:26 (eleven years ago) link
yeh, kinda rubbing my hands at what he'll do with the coalition, esp. since political communication is a big theme running through the series.
― give me back my 200 dollars (NotEnough), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:28 (eleven years ago) link
What do we make of JLD's costuming? Is it too much to quibble over the fact that I can't imagine a VP wearing a lbd in the middle of the day not to mention when it's supposedly that hot?
― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:30 (eleven years ago) link
i noticed that. she seems to wear cocktail dresses a lot.
― caek, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:30 (eleven years ago) link
they're not really cocktail dresses. more like extremely well-tailored/form-fitting/high-end career-wear.
― horseshoe, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:31 (eleven years ago) link
how i feel is mostly julia louis-dreyfus looks so great! but surely that wasn't what you were getting at.
― horseshoe, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:32 (eleven years ago) link
she looks incredible, yes!
― caek, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:34 (eleven years ago) link
her wardrobe is not the main problem with the show
― caek, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:35 (eleven years ago) link
I am not denying that she looks fab, I just think the costuming is a little off somehow.
― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:36 (eleven years ago) link
id like to engage in some presidential vice with her, if you catch my drift
― max, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:36 (eleven years ago) link
third series was 2008, coalition one will be 4th
― ┗|∵|┓ (sic), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:43 (eleven years ago) link
oh whatever
― max, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:47 (eleven years ago) link
I just think the costuming is a little off somehow.
― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White), Tuesday, May 1, 2012 10:36 AM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i know what you mean, but i think it's a character note, like evidence of selina's...vanity is too strong, but self-regard? desire to look good?
― horseshoe, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:49 (eleven years ago) link
or it's taking advantage of the fact that julia louis-dreyfus is in the cast
― horseshoe, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:50 (eleven years ago) link
Autres temps, autres moeurs
I just think black during the day is a little jarring though somewhat less jarring than the closing sequence.
― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:56 (eleven years ago) link
being as how her primary issue is the environment, and she has a love/hate relationship with big oil, presumably the democratic party is in office.
― Mordy, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:57 (eleven years ago) link
yeah i know it's officially not about a party and that is annoying, but since all of the political discussions seems more-or-less based in reality, even if everyone's behaving pettily, i just read it as being about democrats.
― horseshoe, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:58 (eleven years ago) link
right soooo why not just be like DEMOCRATS
― max, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:05 (eleven years ago) link
i don't know, but they're going to have to be a little more specific about the politics soon or it's going to get rough. how many eps can they do about incompetently organized photo ops?
― Mordy, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:06 (eleven years ago) link
This show is in thrall to the coffee lobby
― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:08 (eleven years ago) link
the thing that seems off is the direction overall. as glaringly obvious as it was, the gastric bug ending still had comic potential that was somehow missed or fudged through bad timing, confused performances, weird camera movements etc.
― jed_, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:20 (eleven years ago) link
actually the actors don't seem to be entirely sure what they're supposed to be doing, alot of the time, which is a combination of the fault of writing and direction, i guess.
― jed_, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:25 (eleven years ago) link
It started out funny in the yoghurt place but the pacing of her getting sick and hustled into the limo was too fast to let the joke really settle in.
― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:28 (eleven years ago) link
i think the cast are still feeling out how this works (though obviously we don't know what order these were shot in ...)
the gastric bug ending still had comic potential that was somehow missed or fudged through bad timing, confused performances, weird camera movements etc
i think this is kind of the point ... the british show's schtick is that shabby fuckups never make for great comic climaxes but are always just shabby fuckups. ianucci's scripts have a slightly off relationship to sitcom cliché; i'm not convinced this works as well as the thick of it does - but, then, the first series of that show (of which there have been two series, numbered one and three) has an awkward and off feel about the early episodes too. to some degree this evaporates in rewatching -- i feel like knowing the moment of pettiness the first series 'builds' to somehow retrospectively justifies the tenor of it.
― thomp, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:35 (eleven years ago) link
(thick of it has yet to utter the names of any of the political parties -- but has been way more tied to certain specifics of labour govt. 1997-2007 than this is tied to the american political scene, unless i'm missing all the tells)
― thomp, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:38 (eleven years ago) link
you're right about that being the point and it's a difficult thing to pull off. it's just not working yet. early days.
― jed_, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 15:38 (eleven years ago) link
it wasn't until here that I realized what "lbd" was and was trying to convince myself that no matter how much my mind suggested it, it probably didn't stand for "labial buffing device"
― I'M THAT POSTA, AAAAAAAAAH (DJP), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 16:17 (eleven years ago) link
I love that your mind suggests such fancies as 'labial buffing device'.
― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 16:19 (eleven years ago) link
yeah it's obviously about the democrats! not weird to me at all that they're not referring to the parties, though, cause it's not about that aspect of politics
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 19:00 (eleven years ago) link
which aspect is that exactly
― thomp, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 20:51 (eleven years ago) link
the tribalistic speeches for public consumption
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 22:09 (eleven years ago) link
watching this in a double-header with Borgen is kind of head-chafing, FYI
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 22:11 (eleven years ago) link
Labial buffing greatly to be preferred?
― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 22:17 (eleven years ago) link
can't i have both?
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 22:18 (eleven years ago) link
Only if you get them in a back massage chair
― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 22:21 (eleven years ago) link
― max, Tuesday, May 1, 2012 3:17 PM (8 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this is exactly the same as the thick of it, party affils rendered via types of deportment, wit, affect &c so u see a woman w/ a jewish name and u don't have to think 'republicans can be jewish, too'
― Ms Tum-Bla-Wi-Tee (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 22:36 (eleven years ago) link
second episode rather better, still think POTUS is even more hateful than VEEP but impressed to the degree to which iannucci and friends have cloaked themselves in another flag
― Ms Tum-Bla-Wi-Tee (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 1 May 2012 22:38 (eleven years ago) link
i coulda sworn that ttoi used party affiliations! but i guess not
― max, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 22:45 (eleven years ago) link
it did, very much so.
― jed_, Tuesday, 1 May 2012 22:50 (eleven years ago) link
I don't think of it as naming them but that's not what I'm watching it for
the first series of that show (of which there have been two series, numbered one and three)
First series was three eps, second series was 3 eps. I promise you this is how they were made internally, and are sold separately to OS broadcasters by the Beeb. (Ianucci was given money for one half-hour pilot and managed to turn in two episodes on the budget - they then said "blimey, if you can do a third on whatever change everyone at the table has in their pockets, we'll show them all," and he said "deal.")
― ┗|∵|┓ (sic), Wednesday, 2 May 2012 00:11 (eleven years ago) link
i keep reading this as a cryptic crossword clue, and i don't even do cryptic crosswords
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 2 May 2012 09:56 (eleven years ago) link
I'm kind of surprised that I like this as much as I do.― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White)
― "in this super-sexy postracial age" (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 2 May 2012 15:39 (eleven years ago) link
loved jld's reaction when she gets a whiff of the white house
― give me back my 200 dollars (NotEnough), Thursday, 3 May 2012 16:20 (eleven years ago) link
i liked ep 2 but it still feels somehow straitjacketed, not sufficiently unhinged; hoping for more appearances by washpo asshole
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 3 May 2012 17:58 (eleven years ago) link
Best episode by far, on par with the great Thick of It episodes.
― abcfsk, Monday, 7 May 2012 16:21 (eleven years ago) link
not really but still great as shown by
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/may/07/veep-episode-three-review-catherine?newsfeed=true
― nakhchivan, Tuesday, 8 May 2012 00:36 (eleven years ago) link
definitely much better!
― caek, Tuesday, 8 May 2012 07:17 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/us/politics/for-a-blunt-biden-an-uneasy-supporting-role.html?hpthis show is informing my understanding of biden in a weird way
― (Name Withheld to Avoid Hassle) (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 8 May 2012 12:03 (eleven years ago) link
i think my problem with veep is that there is no drama. if a problem arises, it gets sorted p quickly by the generic white guy or doesnt really matter? which i guess is the joke but it doesn't give me anything to care about.
― Thoughts? You must have loads. (a hoy hoy), Tuesday, 8 May 2012 16:35 (eleven years ago) link
"have you ever read faulkner before?"
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 8 May 2012 16:39 (eleven years ago) link
Well the issues seem to be continuing on.
― Fas Ro Duh (Gukbe), Tuesday, 8 May 2012 18:32 (eleven years ago) link
This last one was great.
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 11:18 (eleven years ago) link
― Thoughts? You must have loads. (a hoy hoy), Tuesday, 8 May 2012 16:35 (Yesterday) Permalink
yeah i thought a big sticking point between the thick of it & this might be that TTOI has such a good handle on the drudgery and texture of day to day british politics, & with this they were just going to use the correct issues as a backdrop. but now there are a couple of things competing it works a little better as a backstory.
thought this was better anyway, too, although some of it's still weirdly leaden, or just generically sit-com-ish. i liked someone saying someone had a face like a guy who'd been stabbed in the groin.
― blossom smulch (schlump), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 15:34 (eleven years ago) link
I have only just started watching this but I got some lols off the first episode and will def keep watching.
It's like a West Wing about dumb people, lol.
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 16:14 (eleven years ago) link
I think most of the government issues/storylines in TTOI were as throwaway as the ones here but Malcolm made them seem like they were of insane importance to execute properly. The gimpy White House guy turning up to go "ummm, the first lady is getting a dog, plz dont get one" just doesn't make you care. Instead I was just sitting there, kinda bored. Ok, so she doesn't get a dog. Or she can get one for her daughter and just not have a press conference about it. Woop.
― Thoughts? You must have loads. (a hoy hoy), Wednesday, 9 May 2012 17:23 (eleven years ago) link
I think most of the government issues/storylines in TTOI were as throwaway as the ones here but Malcolm made them seem like they were of insane importance to execute properly
but I think that the kind of throwaway they were was so well-observed - third sector pathfinder initiative, expert-buttressed slapdash policy assemblages, fetishistic plays for an idea of 'coalface' or earthy politics - & i think the veep stuff is more generic: filibuster reform, oil contracts. part of what's amazing and oppressive about the thick of it is the limiting, nihilistic view of policy as something that no-one really understands or is invested in, which is exclusively valuable as ideological bragging ground, & for which there's no correlation between handling and presumably-profound-consequence. it's what makes the office feel like a bubble floating away from everything, which maybe, in veep, the whole white house thing makes less necessary, but which i think veep would be poorer without having an analogue for.
― blossom smulch (schlump), Thursday, 10 May 2012 09:40 (eleven years ago) link
otm
― Thoughts? You must have loads. (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 10 May 2012 13:41 (eleven years ago) link
it's a show about nothing
― (Name Withheld to Avoid Hassle) (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 10 May 2012 15:09 (eleven years ago) link
The closing bit with greetings was excellent. Also, "you're the widow."
― s.clover, Friday, 11 May 2012 05:12 (eleven years ago) link
sterling, i would fuck the shit outta julia louis dreyfus i wold treat her like a princessalso thank you for asendin me that daily worker
― dylannn, Friday, 11 May 2012 08:27 (eleven years ago) link
forks i think schlump's post and a hoy hoy's make a very good case that this is NOT a show about nothing (despite its subjects being unmoored from the realities that are supposed to inform their work)
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 11 May 2012 10:10 (eleven years ago) link
Chris Morris directed a couple of the later episodes - I'm interested to see if they have any kind of stamp on them. The show has such a distinctive look and flow that I can't imagine there's too much variation on the theme, but I like to see him doing stuff, no matter what it is.
― Walter Galt, Friday, 11 May 2012 10:27 (eleven years ago) link
oh yeah that's encouraging, i think. i thought a lot of four lions was kinda perfunctory but his tone is always interesting
― blossom smulch (schlump), Friday, 11 May 2012 10:29 (eleven years ago) link
tracer: seinfeld ref
― (Name Withheld to Avoid Hassle) (forksclovetofu), Friday, 11 May 2012 11:53 (eleven years ago) link
right i got that
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 11 May 2012 13:19 (eleven years ago) link
was 'the new adventures of old christine' any good
― thomp, Friday, 11 May 2012 14:31 (eleven years ago) link
/ what else has julis louise dreyfus been doing for the past decade
"There were two incarnations of Watching Ellie, neither of which met with any success. Both focused on the character of cabaret singer Ellie Riggs (Louis-Dreyfus), with markedly different approaches.The first was directed by Ken Kwapis, known for his innovative work in single-camera sitcoms such as The Larry Sanders Show, Malcolm in the Middle and The Bernie Mac Show. Each 22-minute episode was meant to portray a 22-minute slice of Ellie's life, in real time. In the earliest episodes, a clock was even shown in the corner of the screen. Thirteen episodes were filmed but only ten aired before the series was put on indefinite hiatus (the remaining first-season episodes have never aired). During its use, the clock had the unfortunate effect of reminding the audience that a half-hour situation comedy only contained twenty-two minutes of content."
― thomp, Friday, 11 May 2012 14:32 (eleven years ago) link
nobody in this show knows how to use email
― raw feel vegan (silby), Monday, 14 May 2012 05:39 (eleven years ago) link
but I guess if the White House used email instead of Jonah the show would be less funny, email isn't funny
― raw feel vegan (silby), Monday, 14 May 2012 05:40 (eleven years ago) link
hey theres this extreme metal band playing over at labyrinths tonight just real fucked up noise they dont even have a name you wanna check it out
― johnny crunch, Monday, 21 May 2012 23:55 (eleven years ago) link
The show's come together nicely, I think.
― Simon H., Monday, 21 May 2012 23:57 (eleven years ago) link
has gotten better & better 4 real
― johnny crunch, Monday, 21 May 2012 23:59 (eleven years ago) link
jonah at the show!!!
― horseshoe, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 00:02 (eleven years ago) link
"That's like using a croissant as a fucking dildo."
"You've just turned this office into a salad spinner of Fuck!"
― Fas Ro Duh (Gukbe), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 00:06 (eleven years ago) link
full of ttoi rehashes at this point
― Serov devochka s persikami (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 00:12 (eleven years ago) link
enjoyed purcell the oil guy, nice to have some invective amid the repartee
gig was an itl rehash, not a ttoi, but who cares bcz it was lol
― ┗|∵|┓ (sic), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 00:47 (eleven years ago) link
there were like half a dozen refashioned ttoi lines this week alone, inc one quoted itt
― Serov devochka s persikami (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 00:50 (eleven years ago) link
except for first three-ep series, I've only seen TTOI eps once each so don't feel burnt out on small lines. (they're generally less effective here though, to be sure.)
― ┗|∵|┓ (sic), Tuesday, 22 May 2012 02:30 (eleven years ago) link
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 22 May 2012 00:59 (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
otm. the croissant line & follow up was amazing.i still think it's a slightly weird assemblage - like the kinda breathy assistant guy. but it's good. i hope the tall guy with the imaginary dog drifts in a sorta glenn-in-the-thick-of-it direction, all pitifully obsolete.
― blossom smulch (schlump), Thursday, 24 May 2012 13:42 (eleven years ago) link
i like the extensive explanation jokes like the croissant, the anti-viagra, etc
― jump them into a gang - into the absurd (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 24 May 2012 15:05 (eleven years ago) link
get some nuts. i'm sweating all my minerals into my shorts here.
― caek, Friday, 25 May 2012 20:42 (eleven years ago) link
hundreds of pictures of herons catching fish
― "Holy crap," I mutter, as he gently taps my area (silby), Monday, 28 May 2012 05:34 (eleven years ago) link
^
this show is good but i wish it were not quite so sitcommy. looking at you, anna chlumsky and guy that plays gary
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Monday, 4 June 2012 21:49 (eleven years ago) link
Total POTAL meltdown
― kinder, Monday, 4 June 2012 21:50 (eleven years ago) link
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Monday, 4 June 2012 22:49 (18 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yeah. i like anna chlumsky a lot though. i wish selena was sketched out a little more; like she's so good in certain moods - like being mad, or being conniving, that it feels kinda weak to just have her always on the back foot, as like a default mode.
― blossom smulch (schlump), Monday, 4 June 2012 22:09 (eleven years ago) link
"guy that plays Gary" is Tony Hale, better known as Buster Bluth. Jonah is my favorite character. His housemates in this ep were amazing. Six guys in white shirts on their phones at once.
― "Holy crap," I mutter, as he gently taps my area (silby), Monday, 4 June 2012 22:30 (eleven years ago) link
this is impressive
― too cool graham rix listening to neu (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 00:15 (eleven years ago) link
good finale
― Fas Ro Duh (Gukbe), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 00:15 (eleven years ago) link
Where have I seen the congressman's (very funny) aide before?
― Simon H., Tuesday, 12 June 2012 01:33 (eleven years ago) link
IT guy on The Office?
― ┗|∵|┓ (sic), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 02:24 (eleven years ago) link
last ep was tremendous!! everything i didn't like about earlier episodes suddenly seemed to work
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Saturday, 16 June 2012 14:43 (eleven years ago) link
The Twitter exchange between Ianucci and Alasdair Campbell about his OBE brought the lols.
― Desire is withered away from the sons of men! (aldo), Saturday, 16 June 2012 14:53 (eleven years ago) link
all the deleted scenes
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7F30C892CF01C672&feature=plcp
― caek, Saturday, 16 June 2012 23:45 (eleven years ago) link
this gets better yeah? that first one was poo
― DG, Monday, 25 June 2012 21:38 (eleven years ago) link
it's hard at first because of the natural comparisons w/the thick of it, but after i'd say ep 3 or 4 i was looking forward to the next episodes. and the finale was thumping
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Monday, 25 June 2012 23:45 (eleven years ago) link
I liked the first one more than many in the middle, but there are several better ones
― the hat's filthy lesson (sic), Monday, 25 June 2012 23:52 (eleven years ago) link
are you likely to enjoy the characters more with the accretion of detail and establishment of running gags, or hate them now and will hate seeing more of them?
― the hat's filthy lesson (sic), Monday, 25 June 2012 23:53 (eleven years ago) link
the first one is one of the weaker ones, so stick with it, but don't expect the thick of it
― caek, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 06:40 (eleven years ago) link
that's what i was expecting :(
― DG, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 10:13 (eleven years ago) link
amazing series, more watchable that TTOI because of JLD. just feels slicker and better-written too. first one or two eps not amazing but by e5 i was in awe
― NI, Tuesday, 26 June 2012 18:38 (eleven years ago) link
it's slicker partly because it's not as well written, but it's still very good by the end of the season
― dis civilization and its contents (nakhchivan), Tuesday, 26 June 2012 18:45 (eleven years ago) link
i am open to there being cultural differences in how satire translates on each side of the ocean, but that the writing of TTOI is superior seems beyond doubt, to me - veep, which is good!, still pretty regularly incorporated sitcommish zings and ad-homs, a bunch of which fell flat. its successes were more-good-original-swearing, &c. but the thick of it's so multi-layered & plays with conversational & power dynamics so powerfully. it fabricates all of these benign policy nooses that hang the characters, & some of the conclusions - like i am remembering malcolm promising to come up with an appropriate expert to corroborate the new argument of a flip-flop - seem so poignant & OTM wrt how things are now. malcolm's slow turn in the first scene of the first ep still kills me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSRN8O4ULQs
― blossom smulch (schlump), Tuesday, 26 June 2012 18:54 (eleven years ago) link
gonna have to rewatch ttoi to see how it compares but as a *comedy series* (not a political satire) i felt veep was a few steps beyond ttoi. just had so much swagger and confidence, seems to be a product of a proper writing team rather than one or two minds (not sure if the creation of either worked in this way but it definitely felt like that. plus julia ld far more charismatic and watchable and inherently funny than any of the ttoi blokes
― NI, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 01:49 (eleven years ago) link
full disclosure: the pompous unfunny shite chris addison spews on twitter has marred ttoi for me bigtime
Does it improve after the first episode? Because that was a horrible opener. (i'm talking about Veep btw, TToI was gold from the start)
― Blue Collar Retail Assistant (Dwight Yorke), Wednesday, 27 June 2012 08:10 (eleven years ago) link
Thought the opener was great, feels like a lot of people who say later episodes improved a lot just found it jarring to adjust to a half hour americanized Iannuci thing but then got to know the characters and liked them. In my opinion it stays good. But sticking with it you may find it grows on you, and there are better episodes later on.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 08:18 (eleven years ago) link
Watched the first episode last night and enjoyed it, I like Anna Chlumsky's character and the obnoxious Jonah guy, not so sure about JLD. It feels very obviously an Ianucci creation and the potential's definitely there, but it's very obviously missing a Malcolm Tucker character (although maybe it wouldn't work in the US).
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 08:43 (eleven years ago) link
Think the first episode maybe suffered for lack of a proper crisis, those were very minor fires to have to put out.
'those were very minor fires to have to put out.'
That was the problem. Were we supposed to care about the incorrectly-signed card? Jeeze.
Also, yo, just because you add an unexpected 'fuck' to words/phrases doesn't mean its suddenly hilarious.
― Blue Collar Retail Assistant (Dwight Yorke), Wednesday, 27 June 2012 08:47 (eleven years ago) link
I wasn't completely sold on it (have only seen ep 1), but comparisons to TTOI were bound to affect my perspective. I think if it had come without the baggage I might have enjoyed it more.
― ailsa, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 09:43 (eleven years ago) link
my problem was not ttoi, my problem was quality/frequency of lols
― caek, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 10:30 (eleven years ago) link
I wasn't that taken with the first one, but it really hits its stride around ep 4 or 5.
― Desire is withered away from the sons of men! (aldo), Wednesday, 27 June 2012 16:54 (eleven years ago) link
Yeh, stick with it, it gets a lot better. I found myself gradually feeling warmer towards it and by the last 2 or 3 episodes I was anticipating the next one.
― give me back my 200 dollars (NotEnough), Thursday, 28 June 2012 07:19 (eleven years ago) link
Agreed, I wasn't completely sold to begin with but it keeps getting better, and the last two episodes are pure gold. Ep 7, directed by Chris Morris, is jaw-droppingly good - and dark.
― Crackity Jones, Thursday, 19 July 2012 14:43 (eleven years ago) link
this is back now.
― Chuck E was a hero to most (s.clover), Tuesday, 16 April 2013 04:48 (eleven years ago) link
first ep was gold, Morris is great for this show
Addison doing the next few? should help bring the nervous vibe
― Devendra Bumhat (sic), Tuesday, 16 April 2013 05:17 (eleven years ago) link
yeah, really poisonous first ep
― gr8 tr∞lls i have known (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 16 April 2013 06:33 (eleven years ago) link
dan bakkedahl is so good
i wasn't convinced that mr midnight caller's touted credentials as a cold-blooded operative were actually valid, though? he seemed sort of relaxed and then he got hit in the face with some lipstick and crawled away
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 18 April 2013 00:06 (eleven years ago) link
that was shit
― Nilmar Honorato da Silva, Thursday, 18 April 2013 01:16 (eleven years ago) link
someone actually wrote 'idontgiveafuckistan'
nah it was p good. ppl say dumb shit like that
― johnny crunch, Thursday, 18 April 2013 01:20 (eleven years ago) link
This is way more realistic than House of Cards
― HIGH-FIVES TO ALL MY COWORKERS AT THE QBERT SEX SWING (silby), Thursday, 18 April 2013 02:00 (eleven years ago) link
:D
― Chewshabadoo, Friday, 19 April 2013 07:17 (eleven years ago) link
Probably the best ep yet; surprising depth this go round.
― brb buying poppers w/my employee discount (forksclovetofu), Monday, 29 April 2013 04:22 (ten years ago) link
some great lines. the "you timed that metaphor out for that shitty ding" thing. the "tiny hands" gag.
― Chuck E was a hero to most (s.clover), Monday, 29 April 2013 04:45 (ten years ago) link
"better than my shitty legs. i hate my legs."
― Chuck E was a hero to most (s.clover), Monday, 29 April 2013 05:06 (ten years ago) link
So glad this is getting another season. Hitting its stride.
― Popture, Wednesday, 1 May 2013 22:58 (ten years ago) link
it's pretty decent, but i'm even more glad that this introduced me to "the thick of it." what an amazing show
― chilli, Thursday, 2 May 2013 01:16 (ten years ago) link
it makes me laugh like once an episode, and those are always lines that feel like they were written for the thick of it ('i would rather set fire to my vulva', 'rubber idiots', etc.). i mean i'll keep watching and it's been held to an unfair standard, but it's not very funny and i've got a horrible feeling they're going to Make A Point about something at the end of this season with these multi-episode plots they keep touching on.
― caek, Thursday, 2 May 2013 08:58 (ten years ago) link
Multi-episode plots last season as well.
Feel this is basically as good as most TTOI at this point. And I don't see why people still claim it's copy paste. Especially in season 2, with the old characters settled and unique and new ones not having TTOI counterparts at all. The arsenal is pretty robust at this point, someone like Sue on the side holds up as an episode lead.
― abcfsk, Thursday, 2 May 2013 09:02 (ten years ago) link
Thick of It is obv next level, but I'm laughing far harder at this series of Veep than the last. So many nice little moments in E3; the "robust" farce set-up, "procrasturbate", and a touching ending as the responsibilities of office intrude upon the career politician, which didn't happen at all last season (I may have forgotten that tho)
― give me back my 200 dollars (NotEnough), Thursday, 2 May 2013 09:12 (ten years ago) link
Yeah it's the combination of multi episode stuff and the attempt at a touching ending this week that makes me nervous
― caek, Thursday, 2 May 2013 09:26 (ten years ago) link
Also my complaint is not that it's like/not like ttoi. My complaint is that it's nowhere near as good.
― caek, Thursday, 2 May 2013 09:27 (ten years ago) link
do i need to know anything about british politics to get into The Thick Of It
― turds (Hungry4Ass), Thursday, 2 May 2013 09:32 (ten years ago) link
No
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 2 May 2013 09:51 (ten years ago) link
Not really. Political shananigans cross the atlantic quite well. My grasp of US politics is a bit shaky but I've no trouble with Veep. The pop culture references might be more problematic tbh, tho maybe they're not quite as parochial as I remember.
― give me back my 200 dollars (NotEnough), Thursday, 2 May 2013 09:59 (ten years ago) link
you'll be fine h4a, check it out
― caek, Thursday, 2 May 2013 10:10 (ten years ago) link
i dig veep. its not Hilarious but i get some chuckles out of it and i like the actors and im just into the general vibe
― turds (Hungry4Ass), Thursday, 2 May 2013 10:27 (ten years ago) link
liked the first season, but it definitely feels like this season stepped up a bit, really great right now.
i was on the set for a couple hours a few months ago, worked on a psa w/ J L-D, was really cool to see random cast members walking around and see the sets -- it really looks like they're in cramped old government buildings on the show but it's all these huge sets in a giant warehouse in columbia, maryland.
― love bullets featuring skylar grey (some dude), Thursday, 2 May 2013 12:00 (ten years ago) link
jld elevates this into something far superior to ttoi imo
― NI, Thursday, 2 May 2013 18:28 (ten years ago) link
interesting that chris morris and chris addison directed the first 2 eps but barely seemed different to the rest, in tone, etc. (thankfully as addison has shown himself to be grimly unfunny outside of ttoi)
― NI, Thursday, 2 May 2013 18:29 (ten years ago) link
i don't think he's terrible in mock the week. but yeah ianucci's group seem pretty good at sticking to a consistant house style
― chilli, Friday, 3 May 2013 01:28 (ten years ago) link
not seen him in that but his twitter account is a hive of smug 6th form bants
― NI, Friday, 3 May 2013 14:09 (ten years ago) link
so like his ttoi character?
― abcfsk, Friday, 3 May 2013 14:43 (ten years ago) link
― NI, Thursday, May 2, 2013 3:28 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
nuh uh. langham & capaldi operate in such singular territory, i think jld's really good but i don't think she's doing something so novel or engrossing as to beat out ttoi. i think i said stuff upthread about the specifity of that show trumping veep's broad-brush stuff, but yeah this season is so much better, ep 2 in partic.
― daft on the causes of punk (schlump), Friday, 3 May 2013 18:15 (ten years ago) link
yeah imagine that guy but one who isn't saying words written for him by the best comedy brains britain has to offer. and without a malcolm to brutalise him for his obnoxiousness. not quite as good huh
― NI, Friday, 3 May 2013 23:55 (ten years ago) link
and yeah i get that ttoi is v novel and singular and all that but i simply don't find it as watchable, amusing or as engaging as veep. v rare i'd say that about any uk>us comedy but like i said, largely because jld plays that role so well, and her character is so well-written - maybe more cartoonlike than any of the brits but hey.
btw that's not to diss, ttoi's great but i found myself agreeing with a lot of the stuff in this article: http://richardhcooper.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/how-to-write-thick-of-it.html (esp re final series)
― NI, Saturday, 4 May 2013 00:07 (ten years ago) link
I think that article is pretty offtm. Most of all because the dialogue is improvised with the actors, so it's really not describing how to write it... Also, the examples he creates are really not that fun. It mainly made me think that ttoi had to do something right, since it's dialogue is so much better than when other people try it.
― Frederik B, Saturday, 4 May 2013 16:20 (ten years ago) link
ttoi is not improvised. it's like the most tightly scripted, printed-script-revering thing on tv. they just improvise the lines that don't matter to give it a looser feel.
― caek, Saturday, 4 May 2013 17:04 (ten years ago) link
right
― Nilmar Honorato da Silva, Saturday, 4 May 2013 17:16 (ten years ago) link
they even published the scripts from the early episodes
― Nilmar Honorato da Silva, Saturday, 4 May 2013 17:17 (ten years ago) link
come on though, the swears became as hackneyed as 'rock on tommy' by the end
― NI, Sunday, 5 May 2013 00:36 (ten years ago) link
i swear i will rip your tongue off and shove up your arse so far it comes out of both ears so you can hear me calling you a bellend in stereo you mum-sucking sewer-drinking numpty blah blah blah
― NI, Sunday, 5 May 2013 00:38 (ten years ago) link
it sounds like you just didn't really like ttoi?
― caek, Sunday, 5 May 2013 00:43 (ten years ago) link
"i just had to sign a 2 year lease on a nissan cube"
― johnny crunch, Monday, 6 May 2013 03:31 (ten years ago) link
"it actually comes out as the number two."
― stefon taylor swiftboat (s.clover), Monday, 13 May 2013 04:18 (ten years ago) link
<3 dave foley
― stefon taylor swiftboat (s.clover), Monday, 13 May 2013 04:26 (ten years ago) link
i'm giving up on this :-(
― caek, Sunday, 19 May 2013 19:59 (ten years ago) link
really! i think it's improved greatly this season!
― klaus dingeldore's rhinelander monkey keeper father (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 19 May 2013 20:12 (ten years ago) link
why did the midnight caller ask for mike again? he wanted him so much that he basically bribed VPOTUS. why??
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Sunday, 19 May 2013 20:16 (ten years ago) link
ohhh to get rid of jolly green jizzface perhaps
sometimes you just have to write it down and then you know
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Sunday, 19 May 2013 20:17 (ten years ago) link
it's got more ambitious this season i suppose. it's still not gotten funny imo.
― caek, Sunday, 19 May 2013 21:19 (ten years ago) link
i love it
― Mordy , Sunday, 19 May 2013 21:24 (ten years ago) link
xxposts -- common interest in boating i thought made him think of mike as someone appealing to work with.
― stefon taylor swiftboat (s.clover), Monday, 20 May 2013 05:27 (ten years ago) link
Anyone else notice how ramped-up Jonah's douchiness was in the last one? Thought it was great.
― yuoowemeone, Friday, 24 May 2013 07:21 (ten years ago) link
theres the uh bluff puff which we're gonna start off with youre her friend you went to high school together you guys like each other then we switch right over to rough puff
― johnny crunch, Monday, 10 June 2013 22:57 (ten years ago) link
i thought this was one of the better eps.
― i didn't even give much of a fuck that you were mod (forksclovetofu), Monday, 10 June 2013 23:19 (ten years ago) link
little more than a month away from returning, very excited
― anonanon, Friday, 28 February 2014 20:32 (ten years ago) link
with some other good stuff starting as well it is that time of year when the tv emits a sweeter light than those first rays of spring sunshine.
― xelab, Friday, 28 February 2014 20:44 (ten years ago) link
silicon valley episode was amazing
― Roz, Tuesday, 29 April 2014 15:12 (nine years ago) link
It's been a great season so far.
― sitting on a claud all day gotta make your butt numb (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 29 April 2014 15:44 (nine years ago) link
yeah keeps getting better. I worry that they might be overusing Jonah though. He was a lot funnier as the obnoxious DC insider prick than the walking punching bag he is now.
― Roz, Tuesday, 29 April 2014 18:07 (nine years ago) link
"I have to go to the bathroom - do they have a bathroom here or do they put their turds up in the cloud?"
The last 2 ep's have been so savagely funny!
― xelab, Tuesday, 29 April 2014 18:24 (nine years ago) link
Jonah is the Chang of this show and he is following a Chang-like trajectory
― anonanon, Tuesday, 29 April 2014 22:15 (nine years ago) link
i dont even know what that means but it cant be good
― johnny crunch, Wednesday, 30 April 2014 00:39 (nine years ago) link
He starts off as the external antagonist vested with undeserved authority/power over the core group, uniting them in their shared antipathy for him, but the show strips him of that authority and decides to reduce him to an erratic outlandish caricature who still sort of flits around the edges of the show but with less purpose and in a less interesting way.
I was happy when it looked like his site was going to be bought out because I thought they were re-establishing him as a thorn in the team's side in a new context, but it turned out to be just another set-up for him to fall on his face. But who knows maybe next episode he'll join up with the oil lobby and become Sidney Purcell's protege.
― anonanon, Wednesday, 30 April 2014 01:00 (nine years ago) link
who was Chang?
― akm, Wednesday, 30 April 2014 06:55 (nine years ago) link
a character in TV sitcom Community
― Gritty Shakur (sic), Wednesday, 30 April 2014 08:17 (nine years ago) link
still is, at time of press
oh man, that seems about right. They need to get Jonah back into the white house. Or on Gov Chung's campaign team.
anyway, this show doesn't get enough credit for how much plot it manages to pack into half an hour. This episode alone had anti-fracking mom, Selina and Craig (Craaaaaaiiiig...) at Clovis, the Amy/Melissa/Kent thing, the Gov Chung torture story (Dan doesn't even realise that Ben did the same thing to him as he did to Jonah), the subplot where everyone thinks Gary is gay, SMARCH, Meet/Meat/Meating Meyer and they still have time for throwaway gags like the Ron Jeremy/Jeremy Irons confusion.
― Roz, Wednesday, 30 April 2014 09:43 (nine years ago) link
I'd say season 3 has been as good as peak ITTOI.
― abcfsk, Wednesday, 30 April 2014 09:56 (nine years ago) link
Dan doesn't even realise that Ben did the same thing to him as he did to Jonah
this was beautiful, especially as Ben didn't even try to hide it
― Gritty Shakur (sic), Wednesday, 30 April 2014 13:46 (nine years ago) link
xps
OTM about Veep's dense plotting/writing, makes it extremely re-watchable and often better on repeat viewings. Also some great lines aren't even in the episodes but in deleted scenes, e.g. Mike response to Leon West question about when Selena knew a hitchhiker was a spy.
― anonanon, Wednesday, 30 April 2014 20:15 (nine years ago) link
"post-tax"
― wat is teh waht (s.clover), Thursday, 1 May 2014 00:21 (nine years ago) link
everybody luvva da showbiz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da5tjfpKyac
― images of war violence and historical smoking (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 4 May 2014 06:35 (nine years ago) link
New episode is masterclass stuff.
― abcfsk, Monday, 5 May 2014 09:05 (nine years ago) link
some say three microwaves is overkill, my response is always ~tapas~
― johnny crunch, Wednesday, 7 May 2014 01:21 (nine years ago) link
admit it, we're all a little bit Ray-curious.
― Roz, Monday, 12 May 2014 16:13 (nine years ago) link
"cancel search siri"
― johnny crunch, Saturday, 24 May 2014 15:41 (nine years ago) link
tony hale/jld laughing fit bathroom scene is so good
this season >>
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 10 June 2014 16:46 (nine years ago) link
yeah, great wind up
― Look at this joke I've recognised, do you recognise it as well? (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 10 June 2014 16:49 (nine years ago) link
shd i be watching this? p4reene seems to like it.
― son of a lewd monk (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 10 June 2014 17:24 (nine years ago) link
i think it's some of the best teevee on teevee
― Look at this joke I've recognised, do you recognise it as well? (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 10 June 2014 17:31 (nine years ago) link
easy enough, if you liked in the loop, you'll like this too
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 10 June 2014 17:38 (nine years ago) link
figured a show where all politicians are awful, self-obsessed, disingenuous prats would be total morbs bait
― Insane Prince of False Binaries (Gukbe), Tuesday, 10 June 2014 19:43 (nine years ago) link
― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Sunday, 22 June 2014 09:23 (nine years ago) link
Jonad lives
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/charles-johnson-thad-cochran-mississippi
It was the latest twist in the rancorous, messy feud enveloping the Mississippi GOP — and Johnson was right in the middle of it. He followed up the story, which was published on his own website, gotnews, with an avalanche of defiant tweets."You establishment hacks do know that I've been threatened with lawsuits, death threats before, right?" he wrote in one. "I planned on this."He took on former Mitt Romney adviser Stuart Stevens, who mocked the bribery allegations and referred to Johnson as a "fringe" blogger. Johnson said Stevens had "praised" him in the past and threatened to publish private direct messages between the two.All the while, Johnson engaged in relentless self-promotion. He bragged that his story had been picked up by the likes of Fox News, Breitbart and Rush Limbaugh (although he lamented that Sean Hannity didn't cite him by name.) And he used the spotlight to give attention to his efforts to raise money for his "awesome projects.""Oh I know this annoys people but send me some research money. Because I am kicking ass," Johnson wrote in another tweet, providing a link to his page at gofundme.com where supporters can donate money to his cause.
"You establishment hacks do know that I've been threatened with lawsuits, death threats before, right?" he wrote in one. "I planned on this."
He took on former Mitt Romney adviser Stuart Stevens, who mocked the bribery allegations and referred to Johnson as a "fringe" blogger. Johnson said Stevens had "praised" him in the past and threatened to publish private direct messages between the two.
All the while, Johnson engaged in relentless self-promotion. He bragged that his story had been picked up by the likes of Fox News, Breitbart and Rush Limbaugh (although he lamented that Sean Hannity didn't cite him by name.) And he used the spotlight to give attention to his efforts to raise money for his "awesome projects."
"Oh I know this annoys people but send me some research money. Because I am kicking ass," Johnson wrote in another tweet, providing a link to his page at gofundme.com where supporters can donate money to his cause.
― anonanon, Wednesday, 2 July 2014 18:54 (nine years ago) link
hahaha okay that is uncanny
― Roz, Wednesday, 2 July 2014 20:16 (nine years ago) link
Oh my god freaking OOUUUTTTT over Selina vs. Gary blow-up
― gybe horses (Stevie D(eux)), Tuesday, 21 April 2015 00:58 (nine years ago) link
it was pretty awesome yes. thought for sure he was fired.
― Premise ridiculous. Who have two potato? (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 21 April 2015 01:00 (nine years ago) link
what happened on labour day
― franny glasshole (franny glass), Tuesday, 21 April 2015 18:03 (nine years ago) link
outlook unclear, try again laterhttp://tvline.com/2015/04/19/veep-season-4-selina-gary-fight-labor-day/
― Premise ridiculous. Who have two potato? (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 21 April 2015 18:06 (nine years ago) link
the banana doesn't work gag
― entry-level umami (mild bleu cheese vibes) (s.clover), Monday, 27 April 2015 21:50 (eight years ago) link
this thing has gotten way to big, its like my moms cat
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 28 April 2015 02:30 (eight years ago) link
I love the pace of this.
― ... (Eazy), Tuesday, 28 April 2015 04:48 (eight years ago) link
hitler bunker
― entry-level umami (mild bleu cheese vibes) (s.clover), Tuesday, 28 April 2015 14:55 (eight years ago) link
"Richard T. Splatt. I don't know why I said T, my middle name is John."
Pairing up Richard and Jonah is almost the best thing they've ever done.
I've been rewatching a few episodes from season 1, and they feel so empty. They've really created a world over time.
― Frederik B, Monday, 25 May 2015 13:32 (eight years ago) link
yes, this show has gotten so classic. i love that iannucci is now expanding the universe to lobbyists.
― Mordy, Monday, 25 May 2015 14:18 (eight years ago) link
i have been loving this
― transparent play for gifs (Tracer Hand), Monday, 25 May 2015 15:23 (eight years ago) link
Richard is an A+ addition to the show; dude's comic timing is excellenti like that the more power JLD gets, the worse of a human being she becomesthe basic iannucci principle seems to be that the best thing about absolute power is that you don't have to take responsibility for your actions
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Monday, 25 May 2015 16:44 (eight years ago) link
this show is never not funny per se but sometimes the cringe comedy style is grating
― slothroprhymes, Monday, 25 May 2015 16:56 (eight years ago) link
I feel like this show is missing a malcolm tucker type and that's a notable if not crippling deficiency - although ben the chief of staff comes close
― slothroprhymes, Monday, 25 May 2015 16:57 (eight years ago) link
& while this is obviously a satire I have to say that literally everything gary does has long since passed the point of being remotely plausible behavior by a human, even for a sycophantic assistant in the beltway - maybe it's just how one-note tony hale is idk
― slothroprhymes, Monday, 25 May 2015 17:03 (eight years ago) link
idk i find hale's character believable. aren't there so many ppl in politics - actual politicians, and staff, etc - that you wonder how they made it so far considering how bizarre they are? and the answer is normally that the entropy of the system creates a condition where you met the right person and ten years later you're still working with them.
― Mordy, Monday, 25 May 2015 20:39 (eight years ago) link
adding hugh laurie's character was a total masterstroke imo, he's the malcolm tucker of this bullshit
― rather than allowing the music to possess us like a sexy demon (slothroprhymes), Tuesday, 2 June 2015 03:09 (eight years ago) link
"I don't care if you're a 1950s radio broadcaster. your fozzie bear's been ripped up and used to smuggle heroin. *points to ken* and nazi doctor...*points to gary* and I don't even know what the fuck you are!!!*
― rather than allowing the music to possess us like a sexy demon (slothroprhymes), Tuesday, 2 June 2015 03:29 (eight years ago) link
not quite as good as malcolm's "sanitarium for the fuckin deaf" rant but close
― rather than allowing the music to possess us like a sexy demon (slothroprhymes), Tuesday, 2 June 2015 03:30 (eight years ago) link
ben is great but he has a weariness and lack of concern w/power that you wouldn't see in malcolm
malcolm was like the omar of ttoi, the villain with a heart of gold, everyone on earth petrified of him, a supernatural being almost, with the power to bestow life or death
― transparent play for gifs (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 2 June 2015 13:24 (eight years ago) link
richard is completely all-time at this point
feel like the show has gotten a little slower, more telegraphed, more curb-y, not a bad thing though necessarily
― transparent play for gifs (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 2 June 2015 13:26 (eight years ago) link
yea Jonah & Richard are amazing
I lol'd that they really had Jonah w/ a Nissan cube after making that reference a few seasons ago
also lol'd so much @ jld can u guys just pick up all this shit tomorrow and fuck u america
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 2 June 2015 13:29 (eight years ago) link
chlumsky's kiss-off speech coupla eps ago was weirdly unsatisfying, maybe her character is too uptight to properly deliver it i dunno. it reminded me of ben stiller's equally damp rant to the stewardess at the end of meet the parents, you're supposed to identify with what they're saying, this voicing of long suppressed irritation, but when they've done you're just kinda eh is that all you got?
― transparent play for gifs (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 2 June 2015 13:32 (eight years ago) link
Richard is definitely the star turn. His low-key introduction last series was a turning point.
Hard not to see the inquiry that will close this season as anything other than a rerun of S4 TToI though.
― the bowels are not what they seem (aldo), Tuesday, 2 June 2015 13:35 (eight years ago) link
well it won't be called an inquiry, so that's different..
― transparent play for gifs (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 2 June 2015 13:39 (eight years ago) link
I was always worried they'd put in a Malcolm and so happy they haven't. They've really impressed with finding new types of characters who fit in oddly well. Ben was early on and always delivers gold of course, but Richard is a whole new thing. Dude's face is amazing.
― abcfsk, Tuesday, 2 June 2015 13:42 (eight years ago) link
re: chlumsky rage, i think part of that stems from the show having such disdain for literally everyone that it's not even going to give that character the big fuck-you/truth to power moment, in part because im not sure chlumsky's character actually hates what she does for this completely inept/undeserving candidate - just hates not being listened to when her ideas are always relatively practical
― dellevadova depression beard (slothroprhymes), Tuesday, 2 June 2015 13:46 (eight years ago) link
The introduction of Selina's friend that led to Amy's ragequit was, I assumed, AI's take on the Carole Caplin saga.
― the bowels are not what they seem (aldo), Tuesday, 2 June 2015 13:55 (eight years ago) link
also lol'd so much @ jld can u guys just pick up all this shit tomorrow and fuck u america― johnny crunch, Tuesday, June 2, 2015 8:29 AM (36 minutes ago)
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, June 2, 2015 8:29 AM (36 minutes ago)
this was so great
― gr8080, Tuesday, 2 June 2015 14:13 (eight years ago) link
this ep was all time, this show is all time, everything abt veep is just the best
― WE WANT FET WAP (Stevie D(eux)), Wednesday, 3 June 2015 03:50 (eight years ago) link
http://33.media.tumblr.com/eb073abb06432a3d3fb7ebb3ee79b560/tumblr_molvosSNMS1s7gnr1o1_400.gif
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 3 June 2015 03:55 (eight years ago) link
"sure, i love money. but i also love a little lady called the united states of america"
― transparent play for gifs (Tracer Hand), Monday, 8 June 2015 21:37 (eight years ago) link
amazing ep imo, i was loling throughout
― Mordy, Monday, 8 June 2015 21:48 (eight years ago) link
"crouch cream
"easy cream? it's, um, it's searchable"
― transparent play for gifs (Tracer Hand), Monday, 8 June 2015 22:09 (eight years ago) link
Knee-Z!
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Monday, 8 June 2015 22:25 (eight years ago) link
when she asks richard where the abuse happened and he responds "on the two spheres" i lost it. richard definitely all-time
― Who M the best? (Will M.), Monday, 8 June 2015 22:35 (eight years ago) link
i started cackling the moment i saw him, before he'd said a word
― transparent play for gifs (Tracer Hand), Monday, 8 June 2015 23:35 (eight years ago) link
this is one of the show's best episodes ever
I stand by my point that literally every gary behavior beggars belief - which doesn't mean it isn't funny. it is.
― slothroprhymes, Tuesday, 9 June 2015 00:57 (eight years ago) link
the list of jonah insults had me dying
― slothroprhymes, Tuesday, 9 June 2015 00:58 (eight years ago) link
"benedict come in his own hand." "supercalifragilisticexpialidickcheese."
― slothroprhymes, Tuesday, 9 June 2015 00:59 (eight years ago) link
actually I take back my gary point for this episode, but this is one of the only times he's been believable and human
― slothroprhymes, Tuesday, 9 June 2015 01:02 (eight years ago) link
Fuck yes
scrotum poleOne erectionWadzilla Transgenderformer Jonah Ono
― Darin, Tuesday, 9 June 2015 02:36 (eight years ago) link
"cloud botherer"
― transparent play for gifs (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 9 June 2015 08:04 (eight years ago) link
I've been a few weeks behind this season but managed to get up to this week's episode today, and so glad to see the acclaim for Richard itt - I've been marvelling at how he's grown so quickly and well to be the funniest guy in the show this year
gotta rewatch to see if they framed him out in the first couple of Jonah / lobbyists scenes for this very purpose
― ( who ALSO my boss and his sister!) (sic), Tuesday, 9 June 2015 13:30 (eight years ago) link
great episode. Ben is such an unflappable asshole.
"Are you going to keep answering questions with one word answers?""No. (long pause) I am not."
― Roz, Tuesday, 9 June 2015 13:35 (eight years ago) link
I died at Richard raising his left hand instead of his right. "Oh sorry... I was practicing in the mirror."
― Roz, Tuesday, 9 June 2015 13:37 (eight years ago) link
richard was the only part of this episode i enjoyed.
― gr8080, Tuesday, 9 June 2015 14:26 (eight years ago) link
lolled at Ben's perfect delivery of "If I had kids... which, actually, I do... this bill would be my baby”
― anonanon, Tuesday, 9 June 2015 14:45 (eight years ago) link
CONTINUITY with CHANGE
― gr8080, Monday, 15 June 2015 04:51 (eight years ago) link
What a great season.
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Monday, 15 June 2015 05:36 (eight years ago) link
one of the greatest things this year was everyone in Selina's machine becoming increasingly furious at Tom for being apparently decent and evidently competent - hope whichever writers remain have initial plans to work some more amusement and tension out of the situation under the Ianucci-less regime
― back once again with the panel behaviour (sic), Monday, 15 June 2015 09:41 (eight years ago) link
i am, frankly, wary of life without armando
― like a giraffe of nah (forksclovetofu), Monday, 15 June 2015 14:26 (eight years ago) link
agreed on that count, i worry they might lean more on the cringe-comedy tactics that are more a staple of hbo prestige comedy
xp - yeah, it's an interesting conflict because they're not used to a politician with actual interest in, well, doing things, because selina's staff members either have no interest in doing things (ben) possess zero self-awareness (kent, to some extent amy and sue) or are mentally unstable (gary)
― slothroprhymes, Monday, 15 June 2015 14:41 (eight years ago) link
i was loling so hard at the panicky google search for what happens in an electoral tie
"the 22nd amendment negates the 12th amendment""why so many amendments!?!? get it right the first time, people!!"
― gr8080, Monday, 15 June 2015 15:19 (eight years ago) link
god, julia louis-dreyfus is amazing.
I didn't know Iannuci was leaving after this season, hope the team after will be able to keep the quality up.
― Roz, Monday, 15 June 2015 23:03 (eight years ago) link
Just binge-watched this. It's gotten so good. otm re Richard, he's a delight
― kinder, Saturday, 1 August 2015 20:29 (eight years ago) link
I had forgotten how many characters this thing has until last night's premiere, when they kept showing up. So funny.
― ... (Eazy), Monday, 25 April 2016 16:24 (eight years ago) link
There's a bunch of really good characters on this, but honestly I'm mainly watching for Richard T. Splett at this point. And he didn't disappoint!
― Frederik B, Monday, 25 April 2016 18:37 (eight years ago) link
lol I don't know why I said T, my middle name is John.
― franny glasshole (franny glass), Monday, 25 April 2016 19:09 (eight years ago) link
can we get a strikethrough in the thread title
― glandular lansbury (sic), Monday, 25 April 2016 20:43 (eight years ago) link
Robert Slattery is great. Martin Mull is great. But the best addition to the roster this season is Clea DuVall. It's never not funny to have her hovering in the background. Along with Catherine and her camera. They've been on point with sightgags this season, behind Amy in the election office was a posters saying 'Meyer for President' and 'Latinos for Selina', which I found cynically funny.
― Frederik B, Monday, 9 May 2016 10:27 (seven years ago) link
i don't like this show any more? based on 1st ep of new season? am i crazy?
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Monday, 9 May 2016 10:44 (seven years ago) link
I was getting similar vibes, sometimes the unrelenting zings start to seem a bit stale. You are probably wrong or crazy if I'm agreeing with you, I also went the same way with the original series at the last season.
― calzino, Monday, 9 May 2016 10:50 (seven years ago) link
1st ep was so stilted that I was poised to bail - really felt like the new American writers struggling to capture the style of the show, but with zings that you could see coming two lines away instead of twisting and startling you.
Second one was really good and third one is okay though - it's not as good as with the S1-4/Thick Of It writers, but it's still a funny show in this cynical, fast paced* style. Or it might suck hard for the rest of the season, who knows.
An oddity, given that the new guy only kept a couple of minor (as these things go**) writers on as consultants, is that Chris Addison has directed every episode so far.
*Was the scene of Lennon Parham coming out of the campaign jet the longest single shot in the series' history?
** Georg1a Pr1tchett, who joined TTOI for one ep seven years after it started and joined Veep in its third year, and Wi11 Smith, who started writing on TTOI years after he started acting on it. Not to diminish their contributions to either show, but it looks like Curb/Clerks The Animated Series blokey didn't want to use any of the, lets say, foundational writers.
― glandular lansbury (sic), Monday, 9 May 2016 13:18 (seven years ago) link
huh, turns out he moved production from Maryland to LA, too, with one week's location shoot in MA/DC for some exteriors.
― glandular lansbury (sic), Monday, 9 May 2016 13:21 (seven years ago) link
I'm enjoying this season, which has a real "No Exit" vibe to it. No one gets fired, everyone comes back, they all hate each other, they hate the people they are working for, they hate the ideas they are working for, they hate the goal they are working for, they're just so cynical and jaded they can't even do much more than insult each other anymore. Even the great Tom James has gone sour. But not Richard Splett, whose guileless optimism is such a contrast.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 9 May 2016 14:35 (seven years ago) link
Ooh didnt realise this was a new series
― kinder, Monday, 9 May 2016 16:17 (seven years ago) link
"This is like that famous scene from the movie Heat. You know, DeNiro and Brenneman."
― Yung Chella (Eazy), Tuesday, 10 May 2016 19:54 (seven years ago) link
lol yes
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 10 May 2016 20:35 (seven years ago) link
ok that was the most deeply weird and dark and uncomfortable thing
― sexy dander (Stevie D(eux)), Tuesday, 17 May 2016 02:51 (seven years ago) link
like it made me feel the way i felt when i watched funny games
― sexy dander (Stevie D(eux)), Tuesday, 17 May 2016 02:52 (seven years ago) link
The most recent episode was an all-time classic.
Gary's face when he learns what the c-word actually is...
― a poon shaped mule (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 1 June 2016 13:08 (seven years ago) link
Jonah on the campaign trail is so great I want the series to leave Washington and just follow the Splett / Ryan / Peter McNicol axis for the rest of the year
― glandular lansbury (sic), Wednesday, 1 June 2016 13:56 (seven years ago) link
I've found it encouraging that lately my wife has been more interested in watching Veep than catching up on Game of Thrones.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 1 June 2016 14:02 (seven years ago) link
noticed this ep was directed by JLD's husband - first one not by Chris Addison this year?
― glandular lansbury (sic), Wednesday, 1 June 2016 14:03 (seven years ago) link
https://www.jonahryanforcongress.com
― Mordy, Wednesday, 1 June 2016 20:49 (seven years ago) link
https://www.jonahryanforcongress.com/app/uploads/2016/05/TeenageJonah-uai-516x516.jpeg
― (•̪●) (carne asada), Wednesday, 1 June 2016 20:56 (seven years ago) link
Man that is hilarious. I love how all the helpful links are about New Hampshire, except for a link to Tom Petty.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 1 June 2016 21:12 (seven years ago) link
This show has held up better than I expected without Iannucci at the helm.
― ulysses, Wednesday, 1 June 2016 21:25 (seven years ago) link
In a way it is broadening really quickly and becoming more sitcommy by the episode. But the world is so deep and welldrawn that it holds up beautifully, and is in fact pretty amazing. I can see a lot of the characters becoming caricatures of themselves pretty quickly if it goes on like this. But that's a problem for a later day.
― Frederik B, Wednesday, 1 June 2016 21:37 (seven years ago) link
my one complaint is that it seems out of step w/ the current political moment in the US. genius jl-d is doing incredible work but the election plotline itself feels more like a 2000 electoral tie retread than this actual moment w/ the buffoonery and clusterfuckedness of american politics disappearing into the psychotic screaming void. aka real life much stranger + funnier (and also scarier) than the world of veep. but show is still wonderful don't get me wrong.
― Mordy, Wednesday, 1 June 2016 21:49 (seven years ago) link
they said at the outset in the press that they are actively avoiding trump topix; i think that's wise considering how unpredictable the primary process became.
― ulysses, Wednesday, 1 June 2016 21:50 (seven years ago) link
probably the more prudent choice but the alternative that grappled w/ this moment obv much higher stakes + potential resonance / payoff.
― Mordy, Wednesday, 1 June 2016 21:52 (seven years ago) link
They couldn't be addressing what's happening in May 2016 with a show that was shot in December 2015 though, it's not Drop The Dead Donkey
― glandular lansbury (sic), Thursday, 2 June 2016 01:13 (seven years ago) link
Been watching this and House of Cards almost simultaneously, and it's funny how much the plots overlap. A good exercise for a TV writing class would be to show scenes side by side with the same situation and completely different tone (e.g., the President meeting with his/her ousted, ineffectual Vice President).
― King Nagl (Eazy), Thursday, 2 June 2016 05:05 (seven years ago) link
lol it got to the point for me where i couldn't remember which characters/plot details happened on which show
― sexy dander (Stevie D(eux)), Thursday, 2 June 2016 13:37 (seven years ago) link
also sometimes i daydream abt like one of those corny awards show pretaped sketch segments where like Claire and Selena hang out
― sexy dander (Stevie D(eux)), Thursday, 2 June 2016 13:38 (seven years ago) link
with Olivia Pope of course
highlights of the season so far imo: jonah campaign ad and learning that kent davison's cat is named fibonacci
― Star Wars ate shiitake (latebloomer), Thursday, 2 June 2016 14:23 (seven years ago) link
I love that Jonah's opponent isn't just a second grade teacher, but was in fact Jonah's second grade teacher.
― a poon shaped mule (voodoo chili), Thursday, 2 June 2016 15:18 (seven years ago) link
i was interleaving Veep and Borgen for awhile. good times
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 2 June 2016 19:19 (seven years ago) link
Focus group bit I was slightly confusing with similar in an ep of Silicon Valley
― kinder, Thursday, 2 June 2016 20:50 (seven years ago) link
Any comment on the Catherine & Margaret plot twist? Seemed very "stunty" but I still lolled at "I can't stop grinning" and "I'm giddy" from Margaret.
― nickn, Friday, 3 June 2016 01:00 (seven years ago) link
i thought dan boning amy's sister was a little dumb and then jerry gergich knowing about it was even dumber but otherwise i'm down with this season.
― dynamicinterface, Friday, 3 June 2016 01:11 (seven years ago) link
I buy Jerry knowing about it because it seems like something Amy and her sister would have screamed at each other about at some point
― a poon shaped mule (voodoo chili), Friday, 3 June 2016 03:04 (seven years ago) link
or he could have just read the situation during the dinner we didn't see, knowing what the relationship between his daughters is like
― glandular lansbury (sic), Friday, 3 June 2016 05:56 (seven years ago) link
The Catherine & Margaret thing was a really broad twist. I've loved both characters this season, though, and hope to see much more of them.
― Frederik B, Friday, 3 June 2016 10:10 (seven years ago) link
http://www.avclub.com/article/hbo-actually-took-out-full-page-jonah-ryan-ad-new--237713
― Mordy, Friday, 3 June 2016 20:11 (seven years ago) link
What the hell is going to happen with Catherine's documentary
― sexy dander (Stevie D(eux)), Saturday, 4 June 2016 12:39 (seven years ago) link
I have a feeling it will be bad for her mother. Just a hunch.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 4 June 2016 13:52 (seven years ago) link
This episode was on fire. Everything about the Jonah Ryan campaign. Dan + Jonah + Richard + Jonahs uncle. Genius.
― Frederik B, Monday, 6 June 2016 13:46 (seven years ago) link
this was maybe the funniest episode of the show ive ever seen tbh
― Listen to my homeboy Fantano (D-40), Monday, 6 June 2016 17:04 (seven years ago) link
Gary's whole Washington's 50 Hottest, too.
― King Nagl (Eazy), Monday, 6 June 2016 17:56 (seven years ago) link
the take when he walks in on them fucking
― De La Soul is no Major Lazer (ulysses), Monday, 6 June 2016 18:01 (seven years ago) link
the tirade to nickerson wa so good
"If I do win, I will have my administration come to your shitty little district and shake it to death like a Guatemalan nanny. And then I'm gonna have the IRS crawl so far up your husband's colon he's going to wish the only thing they find is more cancer. So, can I count on your vote, or do I need to shove a box of White House M&Ms up your stretched-out, six-baby vag?"
― germane geir hongro (s.clover), Monday, 6 June 2016 20:32 (seven years ago) link
again, hale's take when she gets to the "more cancer" line is priceless.
― De La Soul is no Major Lazer (ulysses), Monday, 6 June 2016 20:49 (seven years ago) link
so good. had to rewind and watch again.
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Tuesday, 7 June 2016 16:25 (seven years ago) link
is this the best season? better w/o IannuccI? the humor is pitch black, but I can't remember laughing this hard, this consistently, at anything in a while
― it me, Thursday, 9 June 2016 03:12 (seven years ago) link
i was thinking the exact same thing. finally caught up to the most recent episode + holy shit so funny.
― Mordy, Thursday, 9 June 2016 19:30 (seven years ago) link
I thought this season started off badly but it has massively improved. Is Iannucci fully wrapped up in his Stalin project now?
― calzino, Thursday, 9 June 2016 19:34 (seven years ago) link
oh shit i had not heard he was working on a stalin project but sign me up i am v v interested
― Mordy, Thursday, 9 June 2016 19:36 (seven years ago) link
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4686844/
― calzino, Thursday, 9 June 2016 19:41 (seven years ago) link
Jeffrey Tambor as Malenkov, Palin as Molotov, Paul Whitehouse as Mikoyan
some casting there!
― calzino, Thursday, 9 June 2016 19:43 (seven years ago) link
buscemi as krushchev!!!!
― Mordy, Thursday, 9 June 2016 19:44 (seven years ago) link
you couldn't really find an actor who looks more completely unlike Krushchev, but I'm sure there must some logic to it.
― calzino, Thursday, 9 June 2016 19:50 (seven years ago) link
I'm guessing historical verisimilitude is not the goal here
― it me, Thursday, 9 June 2016 20:50 (seven years ago) link
hopefully it'll be a bunch of commies calling each other cocksuckers
― Mordy, Thursday, 9 June 2016 20:51 (seven years ago) link
apparently based on a comic book that is darkly humorous and drawn from historical research. seems to cover the couple days immediately after stalin's death, the frenzied maneuverings of the prominent party members
― the unbearable jimmy smits (jim in glasgow), Thursday, 9 June 2016 20:54 (seven years ago) link
I would be surprised if it's completely in a veep/thick of it vein, but no idea why I think that.
there is plenty good dark humour to be mined from that era. I bet Simon Russell Beale will be an awesome Beria, that much is guaranteed.
― calzino, Thursday, 9 June 2016 22:07 (seven years ago) link
God, this show is great
― a poon shaped mule (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 21 June 2016 04:20 (seven years ago) link
Kent is in a biker gang!
I bet Simon Russell Beale will be an awesome Beria, that much is guaranteed.
okay i'm there for a movie w a lot of beria in it. hoping it opens with stalin breathing his last and beria turning on his heel in triumph hollering MY CAR!
― le Histoire du Edgy Miley (difficult listening hour), Tuesday, 21 June 2016 04:24 (seven years ago) link
^^^ just hunted up my copy of svetlana's twenty letters to a friend to refresh my memory of this scene (hardly a reliable source as its interest is in making beria out to be the mesmerizing source of the whole terror but i take my anecdotes where i can) and the book is LITERALLY FULL OF SPIDERS JESUS CHRIST
― le Histoire du Edgy Miley (difficult listening hour), Tuesday, 21 June 2016 05:00 (seven years ago) link
https://www.splettnet.net/the scene from the mikado
― thrusted pelvis-first back (ulysses), Tuesday, 21 June 2016 06:31 (seven years ago) link
Wow, this season finale felt like a series finale, and a solid series finale at that. I know they're doing at least a season 6, but not only can I not see how they'll manage that, I'm not sure there's a point.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 28 June 2016 11:41 (seven years ago) link
it was a funny season, but the vast divide between this show's depiction of clubby, insider Washington and the reality of contemporary American politics is starting to wear
― it me, Tuesday, 28 June 2016 15:07 (seven years ago) link
I found myself really really bored w the plot, tho still enjoying ~3-4 genuine laugh out loud moments per ep
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 28 June 2016 15:13 (seven years ago) link
martin mull bit at the end was choice
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Tuesday, 28 June 2016 17:56 (seven years ago) link
Is this the only example of a sitcom that got broader and cheaper when the showrunner changed, but still kinda worked?
― Chuck_Tatum, Wednesday, 29 June 2016 01:57 (seven years ago) link
its not a sitcom
― R.I.P. Haram-bae, the good posts goy (s.clover), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 04:29 (seven years ago) link
It's HBO.
― nickn, Wednesday, 29 June 2016 04:53 (seven years ago) link
it is definitely a sitcom wtf. it fits every classical definition.
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 07:33 (seven years ago) link
JLD is so amazing in the finale
― lettered and hapful (symsymsym), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 08:19 (seven years ago) link
I don't think it got broader and cheaper. Isn't one of Iannucci's claims to fame his ample and creative use of shocking profanity and crass insults?
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 29 June 2016 12:22 (seven years ago) link
I think the characterization got broader and more one note (e.g. Ben, who basically turned into Norm Peterson). And the plotting became more farcical and Curb-like - no surprise given the showrunner. The cheapness was in some of the joke targets - I can't imagine Iannucci doing a running Alzheimer's gag, for example. A bit hacky. I don't think profanity and insults are signs of broadness - especially not profanity as self-consciously rococo as Iannucci's.
My point being - despite essentially becoming a trashier show, I thought it was still great! I
― Chuck_Tatum, Wednesday, 29 June 2016 13:19 (seven years ago) link
...which is unusual. Usually trashier = worse.
I don't see how they do another season. This was a fitting and very funny finale.
― Taking dumps on a person's car is something children do (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 13:54 (seven years ago) link
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, June 29, 2016 3:33 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i guess there are situations involved with comedic potential, yes.
but it doesn't generally run with a/b/c arcs as strongly as i think of with sitcoms, and of course the plot moves forwards every episode rather than 'resetting'. so i guess if like half-hour funny shows in general are sitcoms, sure. but it seems sort of weird to stack this up against 1600 Penn and Cheers or whatever
― R.I.P. Haram-bae, the good posts goy (s.clover), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 14:01 (seven years ago) link
I think Armando Iannucci wrote Brexit
― lettered and hapful (symsymsym), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 18:07 (seven years ago) link
I miss this show already. Agree with Chuck_Tatum, it did get more formulaic but it worked anyhow. Would watch Richard T Splett in anything.
― kinder, Wednesday, 29 June 2016 20:09 (seven years ago) link
I've been imagining an In the Loop-esque version of the machinations leading up to it.
― sam jax sax jam (Jordan), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 20:15 (seven years ago) link
Loved that it was Richard Splett with her through the long dark night.
― Any Given User (Eazy), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 20:36 (seven years ago) link
"oh god I hope I didn't fuck Richard"
― Taking dumps on a person's car is something children do (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 20:45 (seven years ago) link
― sam jax sax jam (Jordan), Wednesday, June 29, 2016 3:15 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
same
― jason waterfalls (gbx), Wednesday, 29 June 2016 21:31 (seven years ago) link
Actually, I've got to push back against this season being somehow trashier or broader. It's been a while but didn't like the second episode of the first season have her shitting herself in the back of a limo?
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 30 June 2016 17:39 (seven years ago) link
the crass person in me enjoyed martin mull calling whats-his-face 'buttfucker' all the time
― carthago delenda est (mayor jingleberries), Thursday, 30 June 2016 17:48 (seven years ago) link
i'm guess i'm going to dip back in but what i didn't like about the first ep is that ALL the characters (aside from splett i guess) have become little wind-up insult machines. i guess it must be fun as hell for the actors to get to say those lines but it's like everybody's become the foul-mouthed wiseass. you only really need a couple of those, otherwise there's no texture to things, there's no shock. but like i said everybody seems to love this series so i will ch ch check it.
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 30 June 2016 19:20 (seven years ago) link
It's very Seinfeld, trapped in a circle of hell together.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 30 June 2016 19:33 (seven years ago) link
hell is other people, especially at work
― maura, Thursday, 30 June 2016 19:53 (seven years ago) link
Haha ok I forgot the pantshitting episode
― Chuck_Tatum, Thursday, 30 June 2016 20:51 (seven years ago) link
they corrected from that though, rather than setting a tone for the next four years
― glandular lansbury (sic), Friday, 1 July 2016 00:47 (seven years ago) link
for those of you wanting an In The Loop style version of (one aspect of) the Brexit crisis this gets pretty damn close
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1371058/inside-story-of-tories-borexit-how-bojos-career-was-left-in-tatters-a-week-after-he-thought-hed-be-next-pm/
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Friday, 1 July 2016 09:40 (seven years ago) link
^ ty
― glandular lansbury (sic), Friday, 1 July 2016 11:12 (seven years ago) link
i'm guess i'm going to dip back in but what i didn't like about the first ep is that ALL the characters (aside from splett i guess) have become little wind-up insult machines.
This was largely the case from the beginning though! And in the thick of it too tbh, obv that had Malcolm & Jamie as more extreme examples but p much every character was ready with a punny epithet every other line. But it's hardly like they're indistinguishable in either show.
I really like this series & didn't realise iannucci had left but was coming to post that Jonah appearing to shout at the bowling alley clerk with Down's syndrome & Catherine appearing to kiss her mother were such clunking sub-Curbisms that I felt embarrassed for the show
Agree that sple✧✧✧@splett✧✧✧.n✧✧ is a joy, also surprised not to see more praise of Gary Cole's performance as Kent, which is consistently brilliant imo
― oh, amazonaws (wins), Saturday, 2 July 2016 15:24 (seven years ago) link
lol
splett2 at splettnet dot net
― oh, amazonaws (wins), Saturday, 2 July 2016 15:26 (seven years ago) link
what we do now echoes in spletternity
― Taking dumps on a person's car is something children do (Sparkle Motion), Saturday, 2 July 2016 19:10 (seven years ago) link
the christmas at camp david episode is just about the most excruciating thing i've ever seen
― El Tomboto, Wednesday, 6 July 2016 01:45 (seven years ago) link
Veep has plenty of characters who aren't wind-up insult machines - Splett, Catherine, Gary, Mike, even Kent's humor mostly comes from other things like his pathological need to correct people and point out weird facts.
― a poon shaped mule (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 6 July 2016 02:08 (seven years ago) link
oh my god it's real https://www.splettnet.net/
― El Tomboto, Wednesday, 6 July 2016 02:34 (seven years ago) link
Twenty years on, the No 1 album is by Radiohead (from the 90s), our funniest TV show is Frasier (from the 90s), my favorite jeans are starting to get real worn these days (from the 90s), i subsist entirely on a diet from my storehouse of hungry man tv dinners (from the 90s), and my busted hip from a golfing mishap (from the 90s) is forever back back back
Those characters are there for other people to insult.
― R.I.P. Haram-bae, the good posts goy (s.clover), Wednesday, 6 July 2016 05:23 (seven years ago) link
Maybe, but they're also funny on their own
― a poon shaped mule (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 6 July 2016 12:05 (seven years ago) link
I guess I feel like everyone - particularly the Veep - having such virtuosic insult skills undermines their essential ineptitude, which is the main pillar of the show
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 6 July 2016 12:17 (seven years ago) link
I'd like to think they spend so much time on zings and insults that they forget to actually do their jobs, let alone well. They're either so venal and craven and narcissistic, or completely jaundiced and cynical. Self-preservation above all else. And from Jonah to Selena, they seek power not to do good but just to vengefully shit on everyone below them.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 6 July 2016 12:42 (seven years ago) link
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand)
The Kelly Bundy Syndrome, supposedly as dumb as a rock but able to pull off amazing zings against Bud.
― nickn, Wednesday, 6 July 2016 17:24 (seven years ago) link
im not suggesting their insult skills are plausible but the show's rationale for it seems to be that the culture of politics is one in which youre allowed to be egregiously offensive to your colleagues at all times and so it's basically just practice that makes them so good at it.
― ♫ Corbyn's on fire / PLP is terrified ♫ (jim in glasgow), Wednesday, 6 July 2016 17:27 (seven years ago) link
By my count there is only one character whose sole purpose is to be the butt of insults--Congressman Furlong's aide Matt
― a poon shaped mule (voodoo chili), Thursday, 7 July 2016 02:59 (seven years ago) link
man today feels like the finale of this
― imago, Wednesday, 9 November 2016 08:15 (seven years ago) link
the georgia episode this season it feels like they hit their stride again, after sort of establishing the pieces in play this season. so many great lines this ep.
― the klosterman weekend (s.clover), Monday, 1 May 2017 04:07 (six years ago) link
I saw she was credited as a producer but didn't think any of the leftover British writers were still doing scripts this year? (Isn't it just her and Smith now?)
― (±\ PLO;;;;;;; Style (sic), Monday, 1 May 2017 05:49 (six years ago) link
Minna is so incredible
I'm surprised in the era of reactionary thinkpieces this show isn't v controversial?
― Fluffy Saint-Bernard (Stevie D(eux)), Monday, 1 May 2017 13:40 (six years ago) link
"It's actually my favorite joke ever!"
― why ruin a good tradition? (Will M.), Monday, 1 May 2017 20:37 (six years ago) link
otm !!
― (•̪●) (carne asada), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 15:57 (six years ago) link
This episode was fantastic, probably because, with the exception of Dan and Amy, they got the band back together.
― passionate plant-based athlete (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 16:13 (six years ago) link
lol Minna is so funny. I thought that she was always secretly disdainful of Selina, but it's even funnier that she thinks that she and Selina are best of friends.
― passionate plant-based athlete (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 16:14 (six years ago) link
And she's so relentlessly upbeat even though her 'best friend' hates her and her son tried to drown himself in an ice hole.
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 2 May 2017 16:29 (six years ago) link
"there are literally no laws in Georgia. and I'm using the term 'literally' correctly"
my favorite joke though was at the beginning when Selina won't take a picture with the guy and his daughter and he just says "I don't have a camera anyway."
― evol j, Tuesday, 2 May 2017 18:20 (six years ago) link
oh, Georgia the country, not Georgia the Veep writer
lots of good individual jokes in this but also some really lazy stuff (like ^), that definitely feel like the product of longtime American sitcom pros making a show in LA vs amused foreigners making a show about and near DC. "in post-communist Georgia, election fix YOU!"
<3 Splett
― (±\ PLO;;;;;;; Style (sic), Wednesday, 3 May 2017 00:54 (six years ago) link
Scab Calloway! lol
― Stoop Crone (Trayce), Saturday, 13 May 2017 09:21 (six years ago) link
That finale did a hell of a lot of expository lifting. Can't wait for Jonah's campaign!
― maura, Monday, 26 June 2017 17:01 (six years ago) link
fantastically filthy season; lost a bit of heart but stayed funny. agree with you maura, curious to see the new reset universe.
― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Monday, 26 June 2017 17:53 (six years ago) link
great season yeah. felt totally resurrected after the s5 finale but ended up if anything deepening its world (while remaining just as funny as ever) - second half of the season in particular
― imago, Wednesday, 28 June 2017 09:13 (six years ago) link
the finale was a bit of a mess but i still like this show. yeah they are spinning the same wheels but it's still funny. Selina has always been a horrible person focused entirely on her own ego and the show has never shied away from this. weaker shows would have turned her into a cartoon villain by this point, glad that she's still believably horrible.
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 28 June 2017 16:03 (six years ago) link
just finished the season. surely this is the funniest show currently on tv?
― Mordy, Friday, 30 June 2017 00:24 (six years ago) link
"He's not exactly on the yes-fly list"
― Stoop Crone (Trayce), Friday, 30 June 2017 03:00 (six years ago) link
Selina has always been a horrible person focused entirely on her own ego and the show has never shied away from this. weaker shows would have turned her into a cartoon villain by this point, glad that she's still believably horrible.
eheh, yeah. she's a terrible human being. yet somehow they manage to make her likeable... even to people who are not Gary Walsh !
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 30 June 2017 14:30 (six years ago) link
Is the season worth watching, then? I enjoyed the first episode but general exhaustion (with the show and US politics in general) has kept me away.
― Chuck_Tatum, Friday, 30 June 2017 14:45 (six years ago) link
yeah, it's good.
― Chocolate-covered gummy bears? Not ruling those lil' guys out. (ulysses), Friday, 30 June 2017 15:09 (six years ago) link
In regards to her horribleness they've been leaning way too hard into the terrible-mom thing but yeah otherwise they've kept it totally plausible
― Evan, Friday, 30 June 2017 15:11 (six years ago) link
it's maybe the best season yet tbh and they're starting to do serious world building all over the place which has just been fantastic
― Mordy, Friday, 30 June 2017 15:13 (six years ago) link
the gary origin reveal was lol. actually all the flashbacks were amazing. they're talking about getting rid of mike like a decade ago already lol.
btw did i miss it how did they get the reporter onto the campaign team?
― Mordy, Friday, 30 June 2017 15:14 (six years ago) link
Was it to get the diary back?
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 30 June 2017 15:16 (six years ago) link
I think part of the joke is he's just there after going in so hard earlier
― blog haus aka the scene raver (wins), Friday, 30 June 2017 15:17 (six years ago) link
finale was weird. Loved Margery's reaction to getting the wipe warmer. The terrible-mum thing is getting lazy though.
― kinder, Saturday, 1 July 2017 18:59 (six years ago) link
also he was replacing mike!
― Listen to my homeboy Fantano (D-40), Saturday, 1 July 2017 21:23 (six years ago) link
loved the finale but felt the rest of the series often missed the mark. hard to pin down but few bits felt hammy and cartoonlike, esp jonah in the early few episodes - far-fetched scene of him shaving his head in the mirror. this is the first season where armando's absence was notable, lost his light touch, went more sitcommy. no one else think this?
― NI, Sunday, 2 July 2017 11:25 (six years ago) link
I thought it during the previous season. There are enough good jokes that I still enjoy it tho - I liked the reveal of the one senator's home life just as I'd been getting tired of his routine with his assistant (and I know a big part of the gag is how rote & stale this has become)
― blog haus aka the scene raver (wins), Sunday, 2 July 2017 14:07 (six years ago) link
I thought the finale felt like an overlong in case you missed it for an episode we never saw... much preferred the run of episodes
― Listen to my homeboy Fantano (D-40), Sunday, 2 July 2017 17:14 (six years ago) link
Unlike many I wasn't that into a lot of the flashbacks but I did like the ellipses in the main storyline - I think it was a really well conceived & structured episode
― blog haus aka the scene raver (wins), Sunday, 2 July 2017 17:27 (six years ago) link
Gary is bad tbh (character and performance) this is consistent
― blog haus aka the scene raver (wins), Sunday, 2 July 2017 17:28 (six years ago) link
yeah gary this season didn't feel right. they really tried to play up the angle of him being in love with selina, where it was never really about that previously. some weird nod to his arrested development character maybe
plus i know it's always been a bombardment of gags but it felt muddled and almost exhausting at times, so much dialogue done so quickly, im sure i missed a shit ton of jokes.
― NI, Sunday, 2 July 2017 18:11 (six years ago) link
I meant Gary was always bad - bad idea - they shouldn't have done it
― blog haus aka the scene raver (wins), Sunday, 2 July 2017 18:21 (six years ago) link
we've all seen a Smithers before this was just terribly conceived and executed from the beginning
― blog haus aka the scene raver (wins), Sunday, 2 July 2017 18:23 (six years ago) link
no way Gary is great dude was born to play sycophants
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Sunday, 2 July 2017 18:26 (six years ago) link
No, I tapped out 3 or 4 episodes in, because the tone of the LA version was this year so different to what I used to get out of the show – all the political satire was drained away, with nothing left but the characters abusing each other. Except without the abuse being motivated by them being either unpleasant or reasonable people with no reason to like each other, forced together by common goals (whether or not those clash with their own regard). And without it being written by the people who developed that style of abuse.
Was the finale really so worthwhile that I should bother checking back in for it?
― Doubtless they are toss. (sic), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 02:35 (six years ago) link
I haven't seen any of the post-Iannucci material and nothing I've heard has tempted me
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 02:36 (six years ago) link
Well their goals this season were : the library and the memoir + mainly trying to find a job to rebound after the crash of the previous campaign. That's a pretty good motivation imo ! I mean I can totally understand having to cope with assholes for a job...As for Gary, his reaction was so great when Selina announced she wanted to run for president again at the beginning of the season.other favorites were the running jokes : "it was a spa" and "daylight savings time".As many people said already, the finale was lots of fun in a "previously" wtf way.
― AlXTC from Paris, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 08:16 (six years ago) link
This series got wayyyy better after the first 3-4 episodes imo
― imago, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 09:57 (six years ago) link
the ep with the elections in georgia was great !
― AlXTC from Paris, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 10:13 (six years ago) link
I keep re-checking for a Death Of Stalin release date, nothing yet. I think Iannucci is a complete dick, but there is no way this movie is not going to great.
― calzino, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 10:25 (six years ago) link
I haven't seen anything to suggest AI is a dick (other than his characters' ornate insults)?
― a serious and fascinating fartist (Simon H.), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 14:53 (six years ago) link
I think they did the best they could with a central character who was out of office and unemployed.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 14:59 (six years ago) link
xp on a recent post-election appearance on a BBC panel he came across like a right slimy Blairite apologist.
― calzino, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 15:05 (six years ago) link
idk I think his constantly imploring his millions of 18-year-old followers to vote made a real difference to the election
― blog haus aka the scene raver (wins), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 15:06 (six years ago) link
I mean he does criticise Blair's legacy, but not near enough for my liking.
― calzino, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 15:10 (six years ago) link
grime4corbyn >>> Iannucci
― calzino, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 15:11 (six years ago) link
lol wins!
― calzino, Wednesday, 5 July 2017 15:14 (six years ago) link
the nooch has a new pilot for hbo. comedy set in space.
http://deadline.com/2017/09/hbo-armando-iannucci-space-comedy-pilot-veep-1202176361/
― -_- (jim in vancouver), Monday, 25 September 2017 19:15 (six years ago) link
Premiere was pretty solid. So many comedians in this. Maybe my favorite insult was when Patton Oswalt's character referred to tall Jonah (who surely is going to get elected president) as a "skyraper."
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 5 April 2019 00:26 (five years ago) link
The cartoonishness of the post-Iannucci era continues to get exaggerated but it was not bad. I liked ‘blue is the most annoying color’.
― pippin drives a lambo through the gates of isengard (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 5 April 2019 01:20 (five years ago) link
This Aspen episode, holy moly.
― ... (Eazy), Tuesday, 9 April 2019 01:46 (five years ago) link
Yeah, properly great.
I had suspected that Mike wasn't back and interfering just out of laziness with the character.
― Elitist cheese photos (aldo), Tuesday, 9 April 2019 13:10 (five years ago) link
I legitimately fantasise about being able to deliver bad news in the manner of Richard Splett. It would just be an astonishing life skill.
― Matt DC, Friday, 12 April 2019 23:35 (five years ago) link
The whole phone upside down routi e this week was great.
― Elitist cheese photos (aldo), Saturday, 13 April 2019 00:21 (five years ago) link
sharia math!
― maura, Monday, 22 April 2019 14:34 (five years ago) link
I haven't seen the most recent episode but the one before that I thought was hilarious. "I don't see vagina color," and so on. Just lots of great insults and throw-away gags, like the cat mayor or the total plausibility of Jonah's boxing ring ad.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 23 April 2019 19:45 (five years ago) link
sharia math was amazing
Jonah has been Homer Simpson-ed, in that he is now too stupid to actually breathe, but lol anyway
― blokes you can't rust (sic), Tuesday, 23 April 2019 19:51 (five years ago) link
Ha, just caught up. "No more math!!""
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 23 April 2019 20:25 (five years ago) link
"Algebra? More like Al Jazeera!"
this series is maybe even more incredible than the previous ones. so many amazing character arcs. amy's especially. god fuck america!
― imago, Sunday, 28 April 2019 23:05 (four years ago) link
Sic you mean flanderized
― Evan, Monday, 29 April 2019 00:22 (four years ago) link
Oh but specifically like homer aka dumb I gotcha now
― Evan, Monday, 29 April 2019 00:23 (four years ago) link
given trump and republicans in general i don’t think it’s too off
― maura, Monday, 29 April 2019 10:48 (four years ago) link
i love how you're like 'jonah is trump!' but then they're all trump
― imago, Monday, 29 April 2019 11:49 (four years ago) link
except the one who's aoc haha
I thought this last episode was really funny and this season the first time it seems to be riffing directly off of current politics and news.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 29 April 2019 18:26 (four years ago) link
Haven't seen the new one, but for some reason (gee hmm) I'm having a lot harder time with the full-on nihilism & misanthropy on this season.
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 29 April 2019 18:46 (four years ago) link
i can't believe there are only two episodes left
― maura, Monday, 29 April 2019 19:49 (four years ago) link
Richard's going to end up as president, isn't he.
I managed to get to her being Jonah's actual sister before anyone in that kitchen did, having thought up till then that the joke was going to be that he's Canadian and so couldn't be president anyway.
― Elitist cheese photos (aldo), Monday, 29 April 2019 20:41 (four years ago) link
Half sister!
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 29 April 2019 20:54 (four years ago) link
Making that distinction to try and justify it was the icing on the cake.
― Elitist cheese photos (aldo), Monday, 29 April 2019 21:25 (four years ago) link
yes, the Canada thing was a good red herring
also predicting Splett to fail upwards even faster
I don't think there's an AOC in this
it is absolutely believable that someone so horrendous and stupid could be a successful politician in America! Jonah just used to be at least smart enough to be cunning
― blokes you can't rust (sic), Tuesday, 30 April 2019 23:12 (four years ago) link
yeah but his ego took over and he got rewarded with applause for acting out. it’s like... textbook awful dude behavior!
― maura, Wednesday, 1 May 2019 01:43 (four years ago) link
I am going to miss this show so much. I finally caught up on the first three episodes last night. I love the full on nihilism.
― Yerac, Friday, 3 May 2019 12:22 (four years ago) link
This season is all about Richard and Marjorie (who are the only two non-venal people in the whole thing except Catherine). The speed and ease with which Marjorie destroyed their plan to set her up was amazing.
― Matt DC, Friday, 3 May 2019 12:24 (four years ago) link
I'm looking forward to the inevitable reveal that Andrew has faked his own death as well.
― Matt DC, Friday, 3 May 2019 12:26 (four years ago) link
i dunno... there are only two episodes left
― maura, Friday, 3 May 2019 12:27 (four years ago) link
"...I'll show up to the piss puddle that is your house and protest your husband whacking it to your daughter's seventh grade yearbook."
I did not feel bad that I laughed and laughed at this.
― Yerac, Friday, 3 May 2019 12:33 (four years ago) link
Is this the final season?
― imago, Friday, 3 May 2019 12:37 (four years ago) link
Yes
― groovypanda, Friday, 3 May 2019 13:01 (four years ago) link
I am bad at predictions, but here's mine anyway: both Jonah and Selina want Splett as a running mate. Selina gets him, and they win. Then Selina resigns due to a scandal (pick one) and Splett becomes president.
Also, I love that the title of splettnet.net is "LET'S TALK ABOUT SPLETT".
Also also: https://www.jonahryanforpresident.com/issues.html
― ernestp, Saturday, 4 May 2019 22:50 (four years ago) link
All of these things have that happened to me during my struggle have been excellent preparation for what I call “Phase Next,” my run for the presidency of the United States of America. I have been tested time and time again and I have always succeeded brilliantly. Pay no attention to the haters. They will tell you that I am unqualified. Well, I’m not. I am actually very qualified. They will tell you I am a “loose cannon.” Well, guess what? When I’m elected president, I’m going to get a whole lot looser!
― blokes you can't rust (sic), Sunday, 5 May 2019 02:12 (four years ago) link
CancerAs someone who has not simply beaten cancer but utterly destroyed it, I have one simple message: “Hey Cancer! Guess what? This time it’s personal!”
― maura, Sunday, 5 May 2019 12:53 (four years ago) link
I just noticed that one of the sections on the Jonah web page is titled "My Struggle: The Jonah Ryan Story"; "My Struggle" in German is, as we know, "Mein Kampf."
― ernestp, Sunday, 5 May 2019 13:47 (four years ago) link
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-t271itvSGQ
― maura, Sunday, 5 May 2019 14:35 (four years ago) link
I feel like the grim reaper just dropped his scythe and started eating me out
― flopson, Monday, 6 May 2019 03:15 (four years ago) link
looks like they’re on track to have Richard waft into the presidency through genial inertia in the finale next week. just bobbing upwards on the winds of chaos, an indefatigable soap bubble floating above the bile & fire being spit around him.I’m totally down for a season or three of President Splett after this, possibly featuring the characters with a potential capacity for niceness carrying over. (So, er.... Mike & Amy plus Marjorie?)
― blokes you can't rust (sic), Monday, 6 May 2019 13:30 (four years ago) link
Yeah, bringing in Mike McKean and getting rid of him so quickly all but guarantees President Splett imo. He's going to end us as running mate to whoever the party pick is (which makes Mendez less likely now, also because of the China deal but also Talbot because she doesn't have a relationship with him) with them getting banned/arrested/whatever before taking office.
I'm with you on Mike and Marjorie, but Amy undoes every bit of nice with an act of unbridled Capitol Hill desperation. I actually think Gary could fit - when he was put in charge of the Faith Initiative we saw how useless he is as anything other than a sycophantic bagman and there's mileage in a 'fish out of water in a non-Selina World'.
― Elitist cheese photos (aldo), Monday, 6 May 2019 14:28 (four years ago) link
The Jonah Ryan Truth Caboose!
"And how do these diseases get here?! Immigrants!"
"Kill them!"
"Well, we really don't have to kill all of them. We have good immigrants. Beyonce ... "
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 7 May 2019 18:39 (four years ago) link
I'm with you on Mike and Marjorie, but Amy undoes every bit of nice with an act of unbridled Capitol Hill desperation.
Capacity for! There wld be fun tension between her trying to restore her soul via President Splett's Agenda Of Pleasantness, and using the repulsive political skills she's been corrupted to over her career.
― blokes you can't rust (sic), Tuesday, 7 May 2019 20:12 (four years ago) link
She's the one with the potential for a redemption arc, I'll give you that.
― Elitist cheese photos (aldo), Tuesday, 7 May 2019 20:34 (four years ago) link
love the idea of splett ending up as pres at the end but starting to wonder if they'll find a way to make him pres and selina his veep now
― deus ex majima (Will M.), Tuesday, 7 May 2019 21:14 (four years ago) link
https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/veep-timothy-simons-jonah-anti-vaxxers.html
All the people we were talking to [in politics] when the show first started up — they were in the Obama administration generally, but we met with some Republicans — it was all the same shit. As we met more and more of these people, all of their Facebook profile pictures were pictures of Obama where they happened to be in the background to show the physical proximity that they had to him, which then meant that they were important. I can’t imagine that’s an Obama-specific thing. No matter what, Jonah is going to care about that more than he cares about anything else. He’s not there for policy, or to do the right thing, or to have any moral center. He’s there to get a picture that’s in the proximity of the president.Maybe that’s why people attach to it. Maybe it’s refreshing to them to see somebody who wasn’t lying about it, who’s just like, “That’s what I want.” If it was out here [in L.A.] it would be like, “I want to be six feet from Chuck Lorre. I don’t want to be Chuck Lorre, I just want to be six feet from him so everybody knows I’m fucking Hollywood.”
Maybe that’s why people attach to it. Maybe it’s refreshing to them to see somebody who wasn’t lying about it, who’s just like, “That’s what I want.” If it was out here [in L.A.] it would be like, “I want to be six feet from Chuck Lorre. I don’t want to be Chuck Lorre, I just want to be six feet from him so everybody knows I’m fucking Hollywood.”
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Tuesday, 7 May 2019 23:56 (four years ago) link
stuck the landing imo. JLD doing top level work.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Monday, 13 May 2019 06:20 (four years ago) link
Kent killed me. great ending to a great series.
― the public eating of beans (Sparkle Motion), Monday, 13 May 2019 14:02 (four years ago) link
yeah i thought this was an excellent conclusion, very michael corleone-esque at times. was a bit confused at the end by how old everyone is supposed to be, but that's just a nitpick. president splett!
― i think ur a controp (voodoo chili), Monday, 13 May 2019 14:07 (four years ago) link
We're still an episode behind but I was worried we weren't going to see Minna in this series and I was so overjoyed when she turned up.
― Matt DC, Monday, 13 May 2019 16:29 (four years ago) link
selina's pawn sacrifice was as wrenching, and as pointed, as anything we've seen on Game of Thrones
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Monday, 13 May 2019 16:45 (four years ago) link
the more I think about it the better this season was. Great way to go out.
― the public eating of beans (Sparkle Motion), Monday, 13 May 2019 16:47 (four years ago) link
They absolutely nailed the final Gary scene
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Monday, 13 May 2019 19:12 (four years ago) link
What a great final episode. What great old age make-up!
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 13 May 2019 20:26 (four years ago) link
WHO WANTS MARGARITAS?!
― the public eating of beans (Sparkle Motion), Monday, 13 May 2019 20:28 (four years ago) link
I wonder if or how they would have ended the show differently if Trump were not president?
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 13 May 2019 20:30 (four years ago) link
the scene where she is yelling at amy in the skybox, where she delivers that entire monologue with her teeth bared, was incredible
i also laughed so hard at the funeral coverage being pre-empted that i completely missed the "star of philadelphia and philadelphia 2" joke that apparently happened
so what's the best show on hbo now? barry?
― deus ex majima (Will M.), Monday, 13 May 2019 20:30 (four years ago) link
Gentleman Jack on HBO
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Monday, 13 May 2019 20:41 (four years ago) link
i'll check it out this week! thanks for the tip
― deus ex majima (Will M.), Monday, 13 May 2019 20:47 (four years ago) link
for all that this became an operatic wonder of selina in excelsis, the best line was splett about jonah's beets mystery
― imago, Monday, 13 May 2019 22:45 (four years ago) link
really one of the best finales i've seen. some absolutely magnificent scenery chewing in the skybox scene. respect that they went out on a high note of cynicism and bile.
― Hakim Bae's TMZ (s.clover), Tuesday, 14 May 2019 21:34 (four years ago) link
When Gary asks her if she wants six almonds and she yells "No!" so loudly it blows him back across the room.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 May 2019 21:39 (four years ago) link
as tiresome as I sometimes found Congressman Furlong and Will, the “I like jizz” line in the coda was amazing
― the public eating of beans (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, 14 May 2019 21:58 (four years ago) link
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/05/game-of-thrones-veep-selina-meyer-daenerys-targaryen
i appreciate that they let andrew live
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 15:25 (four years ago) link
i don't watch GoT but I did think during the Veep finale 'this must be better than whatever that other show is doing'
― imago, Wednesday, 15 May 2019 15:27 (four years ago) link
it was!
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 15:30 (four years ago) link
― the public eating of beans (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, May 14, 2019 9:58 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Lol “He just ain’t what he used to be”
This was an excellent finale. I thought that the only way this show could do the horror and absurdity of our current moment any justice would be to make Jonah president but the way it actually played out was great and true to the characters.
Tom Hanks bit at the end was the perfect capstone.
― Conceptualize Wyverns (latebloomer), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:11 (four years ago) link
Also loved that Mike McClintock apparently ended up having an extremely long tenure at CBS
― the public eating of beans (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:44 (four years ago) link
I had avoided checking this thread lately but now that I have finished watching the whole final season I must say I'm very surprised by the good reviews here.I thought the whole season was a mess and worst of all, not very funny and very forced (until the final episode, mostly). And I have loved this show from the start... Maybe I missed something ?
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 17 May 2019 10:47 (four years ago) link
The Gary issue at the convention and final was great though.
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 17 May 2019 10:51 (four years ago) link
I didn't buy Amy's turn, but I thought the rest of the season did a really good job completing Selina's transformation from desperation to by-all-means-necessary dangerous, even past the broad limits of her cynical team. This was also the first season to reflect directly current US politics, which it blazed through and past quickly, but in some ways that made the insanity resonate even more for me.
Says something that Richard and Mike fail up so impressively.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 17 May 2019 12:02 (four years ago) link
Yeah it gets very dark (and even moving eventually, who'd thought THIS show would !) but I don't know, most of the season wasn't funny for me.
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 17 May 2019 12:21 (four years ago) link
“Do you think all great leaders are just sociopaths living a lie?”this is a line from this week’s SUPERSTORE but it probably sums up VEEP
― maura, Friday, 17 May 2019 12:24 (four years ago) link
i think part of the point the show was making is that selina is only marginally better than jonah--she did un-free tibet and end gay marriage, after all.
― i think ur a controp (voodoo chili), Friday, 17 May 2019 12:38 (four years ago) link
Yeah I liked that everyone was predicting either splett or Jonah as the inevitable victor, and they ended up doing both and neither with the actual outcome of this election even more depressingThe post Iannucci seasons aren’t the best but I thought this was a really strong finish with a lot of enjoyably daft fan service at the end. Kent’s “fuck the numbers” outburst, like glen’s at the end of the thick of it, shows the hollowness of soulless politicos having their deathbed network moment
― milkshake chuk (wins), Friday, 17 May 2019 12:49 (four years ago) link
I greatly enjoyed the last season but ... the show's natural ending was the end of season 5.
― zama roma ding dong (Eric H.), Friday, 17 May 2019 12:53 (four years ago) link
The only issue I really had with the season was that Jonah's character seemed suddenly a lot more puerile than the eariier seasons. But I haven't seen those in a while.
― Yerac, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:15 (four years ago) link
xpost she permanently banned gay marriage!
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:23 (four years ago) link
That's like double secret probation.
― maura, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:28 (four years ago) link
Was he that stupid in the first seasons? I always thought of him as the outsider/thirstier version of Dan.
― Yerac, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:34 (four years ago) link
Jonah was always stupid. He got stupider, but strategically.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:36 (four years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6zB4VJznEU
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:37 (four years ago) link
But yeah, he (and Mike) got ridiculous, in the best way, like they were some combination of stoned (in Mike's case) or brain-damaged (in Jonah's).
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 17 May 2019 13:40 (four years ago) link
I’m kinda tempted to change my iPhone text notification sound to Peter MacNicol hissing “shut the duck up!”
― i think ur a controp (voodoo chili), Friday, 17 May 2019 13:49 (four years ago) link
They definitely adapted mike’s character as they went along, I remember the iteration of him in the pilot being a loser but quite sharp-witted?
― milkshake chuk (wins), Friday, 17 May 2019 13:50 (four years ago) link
Stupid phone lol
― i think ur a controp (voodoo chili), Friday, 17 May 2019 13:50 (four years ago) link
Gary is bad tbh (character and performance) this is consistent― blog haus aka the scene raver (wins), Sunday, 2 July 2017 18:28 (one year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalinkyeah gary this season didn't feel right. they really tried to play up the angle of him being in love with selina, where it was never really about that previously. some weird nod to his arrested development character maybeplus i know it's always been a bombardment of gags but it felt muddled and almost exhausting at times, so much dialogue done so quickly, im sure i missed a shit ton of jokes.― NI, Sunday, 2 July 2017 19:11 (one year ago) Bookmark Flag Post PermalinkI meant Gary was always bad - bad idea - they shouldn't have done it― blog haus aka the scene raver (wins), Sunday, 2 July 2017 19:21 (one year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalinkwe've all seen a Smithers before this was just terribly conceived and executed from the beginning― blog haus aka the scene raver (wins), Sunday, 2 July 2017 19:23 (one year ago) Bookmark Flag Post PermalinkI still hold this opinion tbh, found the whole approach to this character really annoying and forced pretty much start to finish and would not have minded his being written out in like s2. The betrayal was nicely done tho
― milkshake chuk (wins), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:07 (four years ago) link
Agree. I get why Gary was there, and it did give the finale its biggest payoff, but I always found him hard to watch.
― zama roma ding dong (Eric H.), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:13 (four years ago) link
― milkshake chuk (wins), Friday, May 17, 2019 8:50 AM (nineteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yeah mike's change was noticeable. he was always incompetent, but less of a buffoon in the earlier seasons. he was a lot meaner in the beginning, but his softening i think can be explained by his getting married and adopting (several) kids.
― i think ur a controp (voodoo chili), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:15 (four years ago) link
Really ? I find him and his relationship with Selina pretty fun throughout the series.As for Jonah, yeah, he was pretty OTT stupid since the beginning... it just got worse, as impossible as that may seem.At one point during this season, I was afraid Dan might become serious/nice regarding Amy... thankfully he didn't !
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:16 (four years ago) link
Yeah, Mike, especially with the wife/adopting kids issues might be the character I find the most annoying.
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:17 (four years ago) link
xpost I was talking about Gary/Selina.
I like the broad, wacky cartoon characters (Jonah, splett, mcnicol) but even in comparison to those something about the physicality of the guy who plays Gary is really jarring to me and rubs me up the wrong way. I always hated the gag of him leaning in and murmuring something in selina’s ear that everyone else can clearly hear, and that was pretty much the only gag for a long time.
― milkshake chuk (wins), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:19 (four years ago) link
We all know a Mike in our workplace, which might explain his particular strain of annoyance.
― zama roma ding dong (Eric H.), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:20 (four years ago) link
I love Gary. You all are bonkers.
― Yerac, Friday, 17 May 2019 14:23 (four years ago) link
“Hard to watch” is a good phrase for how I feel, he bugs me on like a visceral level
― milkshake chuk (wins), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:24 (four years ago) link
I like Tony Hale ("guy who plays Gary") too.
I always hated the gag of him leaning in and murmuring something in selina’s ear that everyone else can clearly hear
I mean yeah, but obv the audience needs to hear what he's saying, I can suspend my disbelief for that.
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:41 (four years ago) link
in my brain it was like nobody could hear him because he was so bland that you needed to "attune" to him like some sort of magic sword, otherwise his voice sounded like camo
― deus ex majima (Will M.), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:51 (four years ago) link
Finally watched the finale last night btw. I did like for a show that's as loud and verbal as this, it was all about that silence when she's left alone in the oval office for a moment.
I don't know if this season was particularly 'funny' but it did get a lot better as the nihilism and political capriciousness kept ratcheting up.
xp lol
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 17 May 2019 14:52 (four years ago) link
I didn’t hate the gag due to plausibility issues to be clear, it’s just clunky and unfunny and sticks out in a show that generally isn’t
― milkshake chuk (wins), Friday, 17 May 2019 15:03 (four years ago) link
ANNETTE SPLETT.
― Matt DC, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:05 (four years ago) link
Honestly this felt like an uncharacteristically optimistic ending for one of the most cynical shows ever. (Except the gay marriage bit obviously).
― Matt DC, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:06 (four years ago) link
And Tibet !
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:48 (four years ago) link
I thought even Minna wasn’t as funny as usual (still funny though) !
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 17 May 2019 15:52 (four years ago) link
I didn't realize I had been missing Sue until the last epi.
― Yerac, Friday, 17 May 2019 16:13 (four years ago) link
yes, sue is the greatest
― i think ur a controp (voodoo chili), Friday, 17 May 2019 16:24 (four years ago) link
Oh yeah Sue ! What happened to her again ?
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 17 May 2019 19:18 (four years ago) link
she's the secretary to the president, and selina stopped being president, so she wasn't on the show anymore.
― i think ur a controp (voodoo chili), Friday, 17 May 2019 19:21 (four years ago) link
Oh yeah right, thanks !
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 17 May 2019 19:23 (four years ago) link
She’s arguably the only NORMAL person in there.
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 17 May 2019 19:24 (four years ago) link
Poor GaryWhen you listen to rumour you 'rue' 'more'...
― kinder, Sunday, 19 May 2019 19:07 (four years ago) link
Some articles have pointed out that the Tom Hanks thing in the last episode is a callback to a joke in the first episode, where Mike wonders if a big news story like Tom Hanks dying might be a good distraction from a Selina gaffe. Also, I love that they used a movie excerpt from "The Money Pit" (alongside "A League of Their Own" "Forrest Gump") in the tribute..."Bachelor Party" would have been too ridiculous.
Someone mentioned the Michael Corleone vibe, with which I totally agree. It also reminded me of the devastating ending of "The Grifters."
I'm rewatching the last season, and a few things earlier in the season are made apparent after knowing what happens in the finale:* Selina makes a list of all the people she doesn't want to be at her funeral, and they ALL end up attending.* Selina selling Gary out is foreshadowed:Minna: Selina, if you go to prison, you will not have your Gary to clean up after you.Gary: No, I'll be there.
The whole finale was pretty solid, but in particular I loved:* When both Kent and Marjorie break their stone-faces and lose their shit on separate occasions over Jonah being the VP pick
* "No such place, ma'am. The concept of hell is a cultural memory of pre-Mosaic child sacrifice among proto-Judean peoples." And Kent mentioning Euler's number! (And of course, pronouncing "Euler" correctly.)
* "They say experience is the best teacher, and although my own daughter never learned to ride well..."
― ernestp, Sunday, 19 May 2019 22:34 (four years ago) link
I haven’t been funny since 1986
― shhh / let peaceful like things (wins), Monday, 20 May 2019 08:02 (four years ago) link
So Iannucci is doing Veep in space starring Tom James M.D.?
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 21 May 2019 18:44 (four years ago) link
I've only started watching the show a few weeks ago and it'll be a while until I get through the finale so my thread reading is going to be delayed, buuuuut..
I love the running gag of occasional episodes where the shtick is "oh no, Veep is horny again"
― mh, Tuesday, 28 May 2019 19:40 (four years ago) link
(regardless of her position I mentally refer to Selina, the title character, as "Veep")
*points to screen and whispers* “that’s Veep”
― the public eating of beans (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, 28 May 2019 21:48 (four years ago) link
of course Toby Huss shows up on the southern birthday episode
it takes a real Iowan to play a fake southerner
― mh, Thursday, 6 June 2019 23:49 (four years ago) link
i thought this last season was hilarious. just finished it ten minutes ago and i'm sad already that it's over.
― Mordy, Friday, 14 June 2019 03:43 (four years ago) link
i laughed so many times
“i abhor violence of any type but i have seen plenty of blow him up looks”
andy daly was quietly hilarious.
I've been rewatching the final season because I wasn't satisfied and thought I might have missed something and it actually is better than the first time around.I guess I was just expecting too much.I still think it's less funny than the previous seasons but I enjoy more the darker/ott nihilist tone now and consider it was certainly the best way to end this show.That Beyonce line is all time.
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 14 June 2019 09:20 (four years ago) link
I'm with Mordy. Thought this season was much funnier than the couple that preceded it.
― groovypanda, Friday, 14 June 2019 10:12 (four years ago) link
There were some great moments in this season and a great way to end it but nothing quite beats Richard Splet at the fertility clinic.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Friday, 14 June 2019 10:23 (four years ago) link
Richard is a top character for sure
― mh, Friday, 14 June 2019 14:14 (four years ago) link
love splett, not sure he'd be the greatest president, but i guess a well-meaning simpleton is better than any of the vicious and corrupt alternatives
― old cloud yells at man (voodoo chili), Friday, 14 June 2019 14:29 (four years ago) link
I wish he was the real Iowa lieutenant governor or governor
― mh, Friday, 14 June 2019 15:17 (four years ago) link
Maybe there could be a dog president.
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 14 June 2019 15:34 (four years ago) link
couldn't be worse than etc etc
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 14 June 2019 15:42 (four years ago) link
If you think Richard's a simpleton you haven't been paying enough attention - isn't it established he has two Yale doctorates? One of them is definitely veterinary medicine.
― Matt DC, Friday, 14 June 2019 15:45 (four years ago) link
Also there's a reason why Catherine and Marjorie want his genes.
― Matt DC, Friday, 14 June 2019 15:46 (four years ago) link
he has some skills, but he also is kinda incapable of processing things happening directly in front of his face.
― old cloud yells at man (voodoo chili), Friday, 14 June 2019 15:58 (four years ago) link
isn't it established he has two Yale doctorates?
I always thought that was part of the joke, the same way Ed Helms on The Office is always held up as a business wiz because he went to Cornell.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 14 June 2019 16:00 (four years ago) link
Yeah I’m not sure he’s done anything that required skills throughout the series !
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 14 June 2019 16:04 (four years ago) link
he can chop wood!
― old cloud yells at man (voodoo chili), Friday, 14 June 2019 16:04 (four years ago) link
Eheh the campaign tv spot with jonah chopping wood (with some editing).
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 14 June 2019 16:07 (four years ago) link
it's an established plot point that splett wrote his doctorate on election recount procedures in the west: he demonstrates the knowledge in an episode. it's also not meant to be a joke that he has a veterinary science doctorate. the interesting thing with the splett character is that he is that qualified but is very happy to be the underling fetching things, but then also is comfortable with the mantle of power when it arrives
― findom haddie (jim in vancouver), Friday, 14 June 2019 16:09 (four years ago) link
A favorite Splett line is: “I feel like that classic scene in Heat with Robert De Niro and Amy Brenneman.”
― ... (Eazy), Friday, 14 June 2019 16:12 (four years ago) link
*like I’m in
― ... (Eazy), Friday, 14 June 2019 16:13 (four years ago) link
― findom haddie (jim in vancouver), Friday, June 14, 2019 11:09 AM (six minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
the joke is that those are two wildly different and wildly specific doctorates that seem useless, but because fortune favors the splett, they both came in handy
― old cloud yells at man (voodoo chili), Friday, 14 June 2019 16:17 (four years ago) link
fortune favors the splett
Hah, yeah.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 14 June 2019 16:21 (four years ago) link
the thing about splett isn't that he's dumb or even incapable of processing things imo, it's that he's extremely straight-forward and guileless. that can sometimes mean that he doesn't notice (or does and chooses to ignore) devious underhanded behavior from the other characters which could be read as naive.
― Mordy, Friday, 14 June 2019 16:52 (four years ago) link
Although sometimes it becomes clear that he was clocking that behavior all along, but is still just happy to be there.
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 14 June 2019 16:53 (four years ago) link
like he didn't rat out the entire bribery machinery bc he "forest gumped" his way into it i don't think - like dan tries to smooth it over when the reporter asks him but splett says "no this is a fair question" (or something like that). i think he's just really honest + a good person and in DC that scans as stupid but it shouldn't.
― Mordy, Friday, 14 June 2019 16:57 (four years ago) link
Him supporting Jonah was as odd a development as Amy's sudden heel turn, but I just went with it.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 14 June 2019 16:58 (four years ago) link
jonah is an old friend of his it didn't seem out of character to me at all
― Mordy, Friday, 14 June 2019 17:00 (four years ago) link
splett is a candide character; his intelligence/guile is mostly beside the point
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 14 June 2019 17:21 (four years ago) link
Splett's intelligent but hilariously naive in a way that makes him more open-minded than every other character
it's referenced a few times about how his family was religious and somewhat controlling but it doesn't seem to have stuck. the entire artificial insemination subplot starts with him saying something about masturbation being a horrible sin and how his mother (maybe grandmother?) told him there'd be terrible consequences but when he's told it's actually fine he's on board as a sperm donor
then when the pregnancy actually happens he says something like "well, I guess I don't have to do that ever again"
― mh, Friday, 14 June 2019 17:57 (four years ago) link
"self-husbandry"
― findom haddie (jim in vancouver), Friday, 14 June 2019 17:58 (four years ago) link
oh god, I forgot the moment where he has the epiphany that his aunt is actually his mother and has almost no reaction, in his trademark "oh, that makes sense" way
― mh, Friday, 14 June 2019 18:01 (four years ago) link
Jonah is an old friend, but to be naive even to the point of looking past his old friend's extreme racism, islamophobia, etc. etc, just because he is an old friend, transcends naive. Admittedly, in the service of comedy!
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 14 June 2019 19:17 (four years ago) link
splett is a candide character
yes otm
goddammit I am NOT going to go back and watch the season and a half of American episodes that I dipped out on, and there is no Splettnet supercut for that year
― quelle sprocket damage (sic), Friday, 14 June 2019 21:49 (four years ago) link
someone should make a splett reel for the good of humanity
― mh, Friday, 14 June 2019 23:08 (four years ago) link
I watched season 1 when it came out but wasn't really into it, though now I've been catching up -- just started season 5, and whoo boy DOCTOR Splett is a thing!
The studious lack of partisanship is weird, though, for what I'd assume would be satire; instead the underlying message is more in line with "everyone is bad and/or self-serving."
― Coelacanth Green (Leee), Wednesday, 24 July 2019 00:36 (four years ago) link
which, in a way, is a much more honest take than a certain Sorkin show
― untuned mass damper (mh), Wednesday, 24 July 2019 16:31 (four years ago) link
Ok a Jonah/ Splett ticket would be one that I’d commit voter fraud for, I’m not even kidding.
― Coelacanth Green (Leee), Thursday, 25 July 2019 04:18 (four years ago) link
Jonah immediately going off script to be belligerent and the entire wife/sister thing is so good
― untuned mass damper (mh), Thursday, 25 July 2019 14:15 (four years ago) link
I'm still waiting for that one intern who was fired for the data breach to exact her pound of flesh.
― Coelacanth Green (Leee), Friday, 2 August 2019 20:39 (four years ago) link
Finished the sixth season. It's weird that as awful as Selina is, I still find myself rooting for her.
― Coelacanth Green (Leee), Tuesday, 6 August 2019 21:08 (four years ago) link
Forgive the thread spam, but I wanted to note that this show's 2019 season is nominated in the 2019 ILX TV poll:
ILX's Best Television of 2019 Poll / VOTING AND CAMPAIGNING THREAD / Voting Ends January 31
If you like this show and you'd like to see it have a good showing in the poll (running in February) all you need to do is submit a ballot including it and your other favorites (4 minimum, 25 maximum, organized by your favorite to least favorite) to forksclovetofu at gmail by end of day today. It'll take five minutes; get to it!
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 31 January 2020 14:30 (four years ago) link
thinking about the final moments of this series in re: tom hanks
― ooga booga-ing for the bourgeoisie (voodoo chili), Thursday, 12 March 2020 19:14 (four years ago) link
Lots of talk about Armando's second HBO sitcom, Avenue 5, over in the Silicon Valley thread.
Ave 5 definitely got funnier and more apparent in its satire as it went along - the first couple were dire - but never really took off, and absolutely never found a tone that supported what it's doing. The building of multiple incompetencies and frustration of the less-incompetent characters has a Thick Of It feel, but the vibe never escalates within the scenes. It's like they're letting the jokes breathe for audience laughter, but without a laugh track in the show, it just means they never get momentum.
― Dollarmite Is My Name (sic), Wednesday, 25 March 2020 18:21 (four years ago) link
idk i really liked it? it doesn't hold up to his previous shows (i'm watching thick of it again right now in fact) but i like that the setitng allows him to create some of the most absolutely fantastically horrifying moments he ever has, in a way that veep and thick of it can't. the extended airlock sequence had me rolling. josh gad is SO GOOD in this, which shocked me as i've never really given him a second look in anything else. laurie's rapidfire code switching is remarkable. and of course zach woods' weirdo nihilism. i could definitely do with fewer important passenger characters (the two husbands don't really accomplish much as characters, nor does jessica st clair's character, as much as she is a delight), but if this show kept descending further and further into absolute existential dread i'd be satisfied.
― Hackers (1995) (Will M.), Wednesday, 25 March 2020 19:42 (four years ago) link
it's like standard ianucci + sex house + space
i really liked it. the airlock scene had me howling
also, is the pope's face in the shit actually trump? i think it is
― gbx, Wednesday, 25 March 2020 21:53 (four years ago) link
https://www.reddit.com/r/Avenue5/comments/ff0u42/the_turd_face_is_trump_right/
― groovypanda, Thursday, 26 March 2020 08:03 (four years ago) link
It was obviously JP2 for me, but without watching it again I'm not sure I could find the reference pic.
― Doubling down on out of date information (aldo), Thursday, 26 March 2020 08:09 (four years ago) link