A thread for Armando Iannucci's VEEP

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.

my problem was not ttoi, my problem was quality/frequency of lols

I wasn't that taken with the first one, but it really hits its stride around ep 4 or 5.

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.

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.

this is back now.

first ep was gold, Morris is great for this show

Addison doing the next few? should help bring the nervous vibe

yeah, really poisonous first ep

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

that was shit

someone actually wrote 'idontgiveafuckistan'

nah it was p good. ppl say dumb shit like that

This is way more realistic than House of Cards

:D

Probably the best ep yet; surprising depth this go round.

some great lines. the "you timed that metaphor out for that shitty ding" thing. the "tiny hands" gag.

"better than my shitty legs. i hate my legs."

So glad this is getting another season. Hitting its stride.

it's pretty decent, but i'm even more glad that this introduced me to "the thick of it." what an amazing show

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.

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.

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)

Yeah it's the combination of multi episode stuff and the attempt at a touching ending this week that makes me nervous

Also my complaint is not that it's like/not like ttoi. My complaint is that it's nowhere near as good.

do i need to know anything about british politics to get into The Thick Of It

No

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.

you'll be fine h4a, check it out

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

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.

jld elevates this into something far superior to ttoi imo

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)

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

not seen him in that but his twitter account is a hive of smug 6th form bants

so like his ttoi character?

jld elevates this into something far superior to ttoi imo

― 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.

so like his ttoi character?

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

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)

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.

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.

right

they even published the scripts from the early episodes

come on though, the swears became as hackneyed as 'rock on tommy' by the end

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

it sounds like you just didn't really like ttoi?

"i just had to sign a 2 year lease on a nissan cube"

"it actually comes out as the number two."

<3 dave foley

i'm giving up on this :-(

really! i think it's improved greatly this season!