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Veep, Ep 2.09: “Running” illustrates what a polar opposite Selina Meyer would be like, as the administration falls into deeper trouble

Veep, Ep 2.09: “Running” illustrates what a polar opposite Selina Meyer would be like, as the administration falls into deeper trouble
Gary Cole, Kevin Dunn

Gary Cole, Kevin Dunn

Veep, Season 2, Episode 9: “Running”
Written by Sean Gray and Will Smith
Directed by Tim Kirkby
Airs Sundays at 10pm (ET) on HBO

Selina admitting knowledge of the CIA spy last week came at the heels of a season-long campaign where she has ended up on the losing end of most political matters without having any say in the decision. Becoming the public face of accountability for atleast one of the government’s scandals thus gave her the ability to control the narrative in atleast one situation. The season’s penultimate episode this week sees Selina try to take further control of her political career as she realises her role in the current administration, in an episode that continues to be funny while still managing to effectively move the characters forward.

Watching Selina articulate a level of self-awareness regarding the downward turn her career was taking, with no end in sight, was fascinating. With Amy, who is perhaps second only to Gary in her devotion to Meyer, showing up at Chung’s rally, the writing is clearly on the wall with regards to the Vice-President’s political future, and having Selina herself spell it out drives the point home more effectively than anything else. However, Meyer’s awareness also opens up an interesting avenue with regards to what course of action she is going to take going forward, as the President himself is also clearly not doing well, despite his attempts to make Selina the scapegoat of the administration, which may allow for Meyer to make a presidential run in two years instead of four, something Danny Chung may also be planning.

Anna Chlumsky, Timothy Simons

Anna Chlumsky, Timothy Simons

Watching Selina’s reaction to the medication mix-up was also an illuminating insight into her character. Taking an actual interest in the personal lives of her immediate staff, genuinely laughing at things, and taking time to relax in a manner that is not self-destructive are all starkly out of character for Meyer, and serve as an excellently sharp contrast to her behaviour at the end of the episode, when she is back to normal. It is to the show’s credit that they have managed to take a fundamentally unlikable character like Selina Meyer and managed to make her sympathetic, and this week’s episode does a great job of reminding the audience that the Vice-President isn’t necessarily good, but one of the better people in a bad bunch.

Overall, this was another great episode in what has been a superb second season. Kevin Dunn and Timothy Simons continue to be fantastic presences on the show, and the continued lack of respect given to Jonah by everyone remains funny. Selina going through the glass door was both unexpected and cringingly well-executed, and it was good to see Gary Cole’s Kent Davison make a return appearance. There are several possible avenues the show could go down in the season finale next week, each one of which could have different yet equally important ramifications for the Vice-President and her staff, and how things close out is worth tuning in for next Sunday.

– Deepayan Sengupta

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