Veep Season 5 Episode Guide
5.01 "The Morning After" - Review
5.02 "Nev-AD-a" - Review
5.03 "The Eagle" - Review
5.04 "Mother" - Review
5.05 "Thanksgiving" - Review
5.06. "C**tgate" - Review!
5.07. "Congressional Ball" - Review!
5.08. "Camp David" - Review!
5.09. "Kissing Your Sister" - Airs June 19 2016
5.10. "Inauguration" - Airs June 26 2016
Veep 5.08 "Camp David" - Review:
Directed by Becky Martin & Written by Rachel Axler
As we enter the last few episodes of Season 5, it's time that Selina headed to Camp David with her daughter Catherine and Catherine's girlfriend, Selina's body-double, bringing Gary in tow but not the rest of Selina's team. It made for an interesting relocation from the normal settings that we've seen so far on this show and the hilarity only increased, with the laughs coming thick and fast from both of the main two storylines on display.
Season 5 is normally the point of a long running comedy show where writers are starting to run out of ideas as things can sometimes feel tired and repetitive. Thankfully though, Veep has only got better and better it seems as Season 5 is probably one of the best that we've had yet, thanks to Selina's newfound position fighting for president rather than serving under him.
It turned out that the intimate family gathering at Camp David was actually not the main reason behind the location there, it was to appease to the Chinese Government and make them happy in favour of increasing their chances of getting elected. As well as the Chinese Government we also found ourselves greeted with the return of Sally Phillips' Minna Häkkinen. The fact that everyone staying at Camp David was all confined to small living quarters along with half of the normal cast made things amusing and provided a wealth of opportunity for some great jokes to be had throughout the half hour.
Jonah meanwhile continues his arc that just keeps getting better and better as he was elected for Congress at the end of a campaign full of disasters especially in regards to the failed apple stunt, but also the fact that he actually shot himself in the foot when handling a gun. I wasn't expecting him to win but this made sure that his storyline was all the more hilarious, and no doubt will feature bigger things to come for Jonah as we enter the remaining two episodes.
Things are also looking up for Selina this week as her sanctions on China have been so devastating to the point where they're actually willing to free Tibet in order to have them lifted. This action could pretty much single-handily win her the election and put her in a position that could not only give her the Presidency but also put her in a position for the Noble Peace Prize. But you know, it is Veep, so I'm sure that the writers have more trouble to throw Selina's way before the end of the season.
Camp David benefited from a change of location to tell an awesome and amusing storyline that really worked, leaving both Selina and Jonah in good positions by the end of the show. It'll be interesting to see where the writers take us next going forward, as unfortunately it looks like we now have only two episodes left until the end. But if they're going to be anywhere near as good as the eight episodes that we've had so far, then it looks as though Season 5 could end on a very high note indeed.
Remember to check out next week's episode at 9:30pm on HBO and let me know what you think of Camp David in the comments section below!
Overall Episode Verdict: A+
Positives:
+Jonah's bid for Congress paying off.
+Return of Minna Häkkinen.
+Selina's accidental success.
