What I’m Watching: Veep

Veep: Season 4, Episode 5 “Convention” (B+)

Kudos to Anna Chlumsky for delivering a terrific performance in this episode, one that had Amy bubbling over with fury at the ridiculousness of what was happening around her. There are always absurd things that happen on this show and get recognized, but few of them compare to someone like Karen, who literally never offers an opinion of any sort and instead sides exclusively with Selina or just says nothing at all with her ambiguous, meaningless declarations. Amy actually saying something was a big deal, and I sincerely hope that she’s welcomed back to Selina’s team sooner rather than later, especially since Selina went and took her advice anyway and went with Tom James as the vice-presidential choice after both Chung and Maddox turned her down. Tom’s introduction was spectacular, with the surprising choice of Hugh Laurie stepping out of the elevator and shaking everyone’s hands, charming the pants off of them, only to then prove to be immensely awkward with his deadpan, emotionless humor that was repeated over and over again. Patton Oswalt’s exit should be an unfortunate occasion, but the way in which his casual fondling of Jonah was handled and tied in to the vice-president stepping off the ticket in a way that didn’t embarrass the president was actually pretty great. Dan calling in Jonah and Richard to serve as his insiders was a regrettable move, one that panned out exceedingly poorly for all parties involved. Richard asking for an eggnog latte if it was in season and then subsequently concluding that it was not was one of my favorite moments, followed closely by Kent’s point that the definition of science is that it is precise.