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‘Veep’ Review: A Big List of the Ways Women in Politics Get F***ed, and Not in a Good Way

Selina and Amy's pain is our pleasure as the women of "Veep" struggle under the Man's thumb — and the show gain's momentum.
Veep Season 6 Episode 2 Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Justin M. Lubin/HBO

Immediate Reaction:

Oh, Amy. After warning Selina against Andrew’s toxic charms, Buddy Calhoun’s campaign manager and girlfriend became the “Lobotomy Barbie” she cautioned her old boss about, standing by her man as he apologized for making an ass of himself — and a joke of their sex life in the process. Both women got screwed by their chosen men, and not in a way they enjoy.

But the fuck-over-y (ovary?) didn’t end there. Selina was spurned by her fellow ex-presidents (all male) at the opening of President Hughes’ library. She, in turn, dismissed the idea of a female architect, telling Gary, “We’re not redoing a kitchen here,” while Marjorie and Catherine lamented the fact they need a man to have a baby. And of course, Selina ended up getting doubly boned by Andrew, first upon learning of his betrayal and then by the woman he cheated with, who made herself into the victim when Selina fired her. And then, lest we forget the real casualties in Episode 2, “Library,” there were the four unfortunate souls who had to go on dates with Jonah.

Much like the series remains party neutral, “Veep” often operates in a gender neutral space (most recently noted in MTV TV Critic Inkoo Kang’s insightful Season 6 review). Depending on your point of view, that’s either the result of Selina’s ambition trumping her feminist ideals, thus explaining her eagerness to work within patriarchal D.C. dynamics instead of rocking the boat, or because male writers aren’t overly eager to tackle women’s issues (aside from “The Choice” in Season 3). Either way, Selina, Amy, and many other female characters often operate like their male peers.

Not this week, and, likely, not anymore. Season 6 is leaning into Selina’s female perspective and this week’s narrative lent a personal, progressive, and bitterly funny outlook to “Veep’s” political arena. Former President Meyer will adopt whatever role gets her where she needs to go, but it was nice to see her series illustrate how prejudicial the system can be to women — even when you’re out of it.

LAST WEEK’S REVIEW: ‘Veep’ Season 6 Premiere: The Best Insults of Episode 1 and Updated Power Rankings

Jonah Put-Down of the Week

Veep Season 6 gif Fuck Me Jonah Timothy Simons

Nope. You still have to wait one more week for the above takedown, but the .gif does hold punny relevance to Jonah’s romantic struggles in Episode 2, as well as our chosen insult of the week:

“Good luck getting your precious back from those mean hobbits, Smeagol.”
– Congressman Roger Furlong

That makes Furlong a winner two weeks in a row. Between Congressman Powder and Gollum, Furlong is eviscerating Jonah with movie references big and small. The two congressman working closely together is clearly in “Veep’s” best interest, but at what point will Jonah crumble under Roger’s colorful dismissals? It only took Dan one episode. Another meltdown shouldn’t be far behind.

READ MORE: ‘Veep’ Review: Season 6 Turns an Epilogue Into a Fresh Start as Julia Louis-Dreyfus Continues to Slay

Simile of the Season

READ MORE: ‘Veep’: Gary Cole on How Kent Could Help the Trump Administration — Watch

Rhetorical Abuse

"Veep" Season 6 Kevin Dunn

“Fuck that dated paradigm. I am a ballin’, bachelor, sexual Congressman,
and I will be passing bills by day and smashing gash by night.”
– Jonah

Let’s talk about Jonah’s chosen rhetoric. While everyone on “Veep” engages in conversation purple enough to turn sailors’ stomachs (other than the angelic Richard, who swore for the first time last week), the Congressman from New Hampshire manages to choose particularly vile keywords that don’t just prick your eardrums, but stab them so sharply you cringe, vomit, and temporarily pass out from the pain. Past examples include “shitting clits,” “my pheromones make bitches moan,” and “I give great talking head.”

Go ahead and add “smashing gash” to that list. So disgusting was the prelude to Jonah’s dates that the dates themselves looked tame in comparison. Aside from the woman who heard about lancing a testicle tumor, Jonah’s prey didn’t suffer the same way Kent and Ben do; nor did they have to suffer as long. It’s enough to make you wonder who the real saps are: the four women who agreed to date Jonah, or the two men who chose to work with him?

READ MORE: ‘Veep’: Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Cast Tease Season 6: ‘Keep Your Eyes on Obama,’ Not Trump

Power Rankings

1. Dan Egan
– Dan’s ice-diving segment may have been scrapped, but his trip to D.C. offers quite a few opportunities for him to make a bigger splash. He can get the scoop on his former colleagues with nothing to lose. Here’s hoping the hunt is fruitful.

2. Jonah Ryan
– Don’t. Talk. About. Your. Testicles. On. Dates.

3. Catherine Meyer
– Congratulations, Catherine! We’re sorry men have to be involved, too.

4. Gary Walsh
– Gary finally got his opportunity to tell Andrew how he feels, and he did not leave one word unsaid or one slap not thrown.

5. Richard Splett
– Richard, you’d always be in our painting.

6. Mike McClintock
– Mike’s status as Selina’s new communications director is a bit fuzzy, but the fact he’s gone from an unemployed and ineffective house-husband to a guy with two promotions in two weeks bodes well for the sloppy media scribe.

7. Amy Brookheimer
– Amy, Amy, Amy. You forgot the first lesson of campaign management: You gotta keep the candidate happy. Granted, that gets a lot harder when you’re also his girlfriend… and when he’s a bit of a softie… and you’re a lot smarter than him…

8. Ben Cafferty
– Ben only trumps Kent this week because of his implication that all TV evangelists are closet homosexuals, and thus, ugly hypocrites.

9. Kent Davison
– “The first few years are the toughest.” Words meant to be encouraging from Will had the opposite effect on Jonah’s right-hand man, who definitely doesn’t want to see a future next to G.I. Slow.

10. Selina Meyer
– From Yale, to Smith, to…where exactly will the Meyer Presidential Library be built? Will it be built without Andrew’s assistance in procuring questionable funds? No matter the answer, Selina’s situation only worsened since last week (as “Veep” only got better).

Grade: A

“Veep” Season 6 releases new episodes Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on HBO, HBO NOW, and HBO Go. 

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