Did anyone watch "Veep" on HBO?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Steve D., Apr 23, 2012.

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  1. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    I only watch the show occasionally when I stumble upon it, but good grief it seems like to the primary goal of the writers is to cram as many witty lines (some very funny, some not so much) into the show as possible. As contradictory as it sounds, IMO the show would be funnier and would be more "must see" if they reduced the clever lines per minute and just keep repartee to the best ones.
     
  2. Squealy

    Squealy Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Vancouver
    I watched the last episode after an hour of the glacial pacing of the new Twin Peaks, and it was like watching a DVD at 2x speed, where you can still hear the dialogue. (Actually that might be a good way to watch Twin Peaks.)
     
  3. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    Respectfully I disagree. This is what makes Veep unique, in my opinion-it's the rare show with all killer, no filler. I almost always watch twice to catch things I missed. For instance, there's an incredibly fast sequence in the last episode where Selina is sitting at the table eating with everyone at Gary's house, and for a split second Gary's mother leans in and prompts Selina with a name just like her son! I missed it the first time. They didn't oversell it at all, it was a throwaway bit of business; but that is nuanced comedy writing of the first degree.
     
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  4. Deesky

    Deesky Forum Resident

    I did catch that one, but I agree, the show's much stronger for the density and subtlety of the jokes. It's like a tsunami wave surge that just keeps coming. Bojack Horseman has a similar approach in terms of jokes per minute (well, almost). It's a difficult thing to pull off successfully.
     
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  5. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    And that's a good thing?
     
  6. Yes...

    They come quick and funny, like the guy from Qatar saying he was able to watch Green Acres growing up, but that all the Arnold The Pig scenes were censored. One after another. Blink and you miss something funny.
     
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  7. Steve...O

    Steve...O Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    After really enjoying the last batch of episodes I was underwhelmed by this week's (the book release and the diary excerpts being public). The episode just felt forced and recycled to me. The whole business of Catherine's pregnancy pains being ignored seemed too much like Gary's heart attack redux. Jonah's uncle appearing started strong but what that crackling laughter all about? It just came off weird. Finally in what alternate universe is this version of the Tonight Show in? Was Jimmy Fallon not willing or able to appear? Not sure if this would have feasible but it would have been comedy gold to have Letterman portray the host.

    Looking forward to the finale and seeing what the set up for next year is. Ideally the gang will be back together creating mayhem vs being spread out with different employers. I really missed Ben and Kent this year in their reduced roles.
     
  8. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I think you have to look at VEEP as almost an alternate reality. The CBS Morning Show is completely made up characters so why wouldn't The Tonight Show be the same? Every character that we've seen is not a real person including past Presidents. This show does a good job of avoiding "reality" and working on its own terms.
     
  9. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    I didn't say there weren't some very funny lines. There are. But it tries too hard and many simply aren't that funny. Maybe this thread wouldn't be just 6 pages after 6 seasons if it didn't take the tsunami approach.
     
  10. Who doesn't try and create the funniest show they can? A show like Silicon Valley is slower paced and maybe even more popular (using your gage of thread length it sure is), but when I watch a comedy I like to laugh. Silicon for me doesn't deliver the laughs -Veep does. Obviously YMMV.
     
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  11. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    Kind of a meh episode, but there were some gems.
    Everybody dying to see where they are in Selina's book, and Richard is "just" in the dedication.
    Jonah bumping his head again, and again, and ...again.
    In the annals of Veep mockery, Uncle Jeff (Peter MacNicol) is the Jedi master. "Shut the **** up, you epileptic Picasso painting!"
    Adam Scott hosting the Tonight Show? Yes please.
    Gary "adjusting" Selina-it's weird the things she lets him do.
    I'd watch a Ben-Kent-Dan spin off consulting show.
     
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  12. Dennis0675

    Dennis0675 Hyperactive!

    Location:
    Ohio
    I think the storyline has become secondary to the insults in the dialog.
     
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  13. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    When it comes to insults, I don't think anyone on the show can match the Congressman Furlong and the abuse he hurls at his aide Will (Nelson Franklin) or Jonah.
     
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  14. Steve...O

    Steve...O Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Fair observation and point well taken. The show does mix occasional reality in though. Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan have all been mentioned and there really is a White City, Alabama near Birmingham. apparently Selina thinks "Johnny" still hosts and it was nice to see his picture on the walls of her waiting room.


    Absolutely! It's hysterical to watch this and then turn over to Life in Pieces and see the Furlong actor play the stereotypical duffus TV dad. The Furlong - Will bits are golden.
     
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  15. I predict by the end of the series Will is going to kill Furlong -and few will mourn. :) Both characters are played very well. Jonah's rapid rise and fall this season was a lot of fun to watch.
     
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  16. Steve...O

    Steve...O Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    LOL- my wife was just remarking a couple weeks back that it would be awesome to see Will sock it to Roger sometime.

    Very curious to see where the finale takes the characters; with another season coming and midterm election no looming there are some interesting possibilities. I personally think the Jonah storyline was the best one this year. The other current and former aides were minimized and Selna's narcissism can get old after awhile.
     
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  17. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    Will will get his comeuppance, mark my words. They're building up to it.
     
  18. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I didn't really like the final episode of this season. So she's running for president again? Really? It just seems like a convenient way to fall back into familiar territory with the the cast all connected again. It's fine, but whatever. It's amazing to me that Mike still has a position. The MOST incompetent member of a very incompetent team, he deserves to be shown the door (and his character isn't funny at all).
     
  19. Squealy

    Squealy Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Vancouver
    I thought it was shown that he doesn't have one -- he's teaching college or high school and he's been replaced by the Washington Post reporter who was writing exposes on Selina.
     
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  20. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    Yep, that's right. Leon West has replaced him.
     
  21. Squealy

    Squealy Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Vancouver
    So why were you asking why Mike still has a position? Or did you mean on the show?
     
  22. Chazro

    Chazro Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Palm Bch, Fl.
    Just finished watching the episode along with Silicon Valley. While both shows are smart and funny, I oddly came away thinking/feeling it's starting to feel like the same ol', same ol' storywise. There's currently another thread about shows that started strong but don't have the old zing to them. It might be a tad early to include them in this category but....Hopefully next season the writer's creative mojo'll return.
     
  23. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I just forgot about that scene until you reminded me. It's been a long week and it's only Monday :/
     
  24. Squealy

    Squealy Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Vancouver
    Fair enough -- Peak TV overload has me forgetting characters and plot points from the first half of a 30 minute show in the second half....

    ... I think in part because these shows go back and forth with the same kinds of crises over and over again, so I stop paying much attention to the details. There's only so much plot information I can maintain in my head watching a dozen series at once. But then a moment will hit where I go, wait, what is happening here?
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2017
  25. Squealy

    Squealy Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Vancouver
    I'm pretty certain the series will end with Jonah becoming president, the ball they got rolling here.
     
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