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Veep, Ep 4.04: “Tehran” sees Meyer come to a realisation

Veep, Ep 4.04: “Tehran” sees Meyer come to a realisation
Sufe Bradshaw

Sufe Bradshaw

Veep, Season 4, Episode 4: “Tehran”
Teleplay by Ian Martin and Tony Roche, Story by Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, and Tony Roche
Directed by Becky Martin
Airs Sundays at 10:30pm (ET) on HBO

Meyer’s run as President to date has been marked with numerous issues, whether it is ones that require minor fixes, such as the White House painting removal, or bigger problems, such as the bereaved parents mailing list. These problems have overshadowed any of the accomplishments she feels she has during her time as the Head of state. This week’s episode sees another one of Meyer’s victories take a backseat to continuing problems in her administration, leading to a major change amongst her staff in another entertaining outing.

Amy and Dan’s camaraderie opens up an interesting potential storyline. Amy’s frustration with the way the campaign is going has been a constant theme this season, and shows up this week as well, both with Kent’s polling of potential other running mates and the issue of the bereaved parents mailing list coming up once again. Combined with the fact that her work on the campaign has left Amy isolated from much of the work that Meyer has done as President, and Ericsson appears poised to jump in the second Amy messes up, and it’s not inconceivable that Amy may be looking for a change before long. The fact that Dan is able to find work as a lobbyist despite his unceremonious exit bodes well for Amy’s career prospects, and it’ll be intriguing to see if she follows this path during this season, especially with Dan as a potential source to get her in.

Meyer’s slow realisation that she has no control over what’s happening in her administration also signals a fascinating turn for the season. The similarities between Meyer’s time as Vice-president and President have been stark in this season, with the notable change that Meyer no longer has anyone to pass the buck to. In addition, every potential victory of Meyer’s from the peace deal signing to the visit with Iran, has been short-lived, as she has had to deal with another fire immediately, if not concurrently. Even a seasoned professional like Ericsson has been unable to prevent these situations from coming up, and it will be worth seeing how the addition of Karen Collins changes things. Even if Collins manages to bring things in check, Meyer may be beginning to get fatigued from her time as President, which is likely to heavily impact her campaign, even if she doesn’t want it to.

This episode continues the strong run of the show’s fourth season to date. Brian Huskey’s return is a welcome one, as Leon is one of the more memorable recurring characters of the show. Jonah’s sexual harassment at the hands of Teddy coming further to the forefront is also a worthwhile development, not only in its display of how few people seem to be concerned, but also in Jonah’s growing discomfort at the idea and the increasing manner in which it’s dominating his thoughts and actions. Lennon Parham is an exciting addition to the show, and it’ll be great to see the kind of dynamic she brings to the Presidential staff, especially as someone who’s friends with Meyer and a notable female figure amongst the staff. It is regrettable, however, that she will not be interacting with Jessica St. Clair’s character Dana. How Dan’s lobbying career goes, as well as how Selina deals with Katherine’s engagement will be worth watching for as the season continues.

– Deepayan Sengupta

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