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" - Review!
5.10. "Inauguration" - Review!
Veep 5.10 Inaguration - Review:
Directed by Becky Martin & Written by Jim Margolis
Well, that went spectacularly downhill fast for Selina didn't it? Veep has a tradition of throwing the unexpected at us so it shouldn't have come as a surprise but it was great to see that the fifth season finale really worked at ending on what almost felt like a series finale, but at the same time provided new ground for the series to explore without Selina having to go back to her old Veep job like I think many people, myself included, expected her to do if she didn't get the Presidency job.
Selina starts off the episode already behind and it looks as though Tom James is going to be President. She tries to ask for Secretary of State but even that isn't a position that Tom is willing to give her should he become President. Selina knows that her own fortune is now tied to Tom's which is why she can't even celebrate the fact that he doesn't get the top job because she knows that it will mean that she is going down as well. In Tom's place as favourite steps Laura Montez, who ends up taking the top job, and just to annoy Selina further, her group ends up taking credit and claiming all the work that she did to free Tibet with the Chinese Government as their own. It's something that would have been legacy defining for anyone to make that call, and it's no wonder then that Montez already has hit the Presidency on a high note, as the American public begins to wonder what more foreign policy successes she will have to offer. It's also interesting to note the parallels that came with Selina's attempt to free Tibet and the incident with Reagan where he was able to release American hostages from on Iran his inauguration day. It was one final devastating blow to Selina, that also helps cement her status as regarded as possibly being one of the worst Presidents ever alongside James Buchanan. But at least she hasn't played an role that may have lead to the start of the Civil War, right?
The biggest question for the series now is where next? For the first time we're going to see Selina out of the White House and it's a really big change to the status quo. Will she get a normal job? What will happen to her staff? Surely they can't all follow her to her next destination? This will no doubt be interesting to see how Veep faces its newly divided cast but one thing's for sure, it has been a really entertaining ride to watch us get to this point. The show kept pulling surprises on us and really, this is such a typical Veep thing to do that we should have probably seen it coming.
Anyway, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as always proves to be the best addition to the series cast and pretty much steals the show in every scene. Her character was excellent and it's great to see the writers play to her strengths each time out, and she easily deserves to win the Emmys yet again because it's been one heck of a journey for the character this season. That funeral episode - Mother - alone should get her an Emmy, were it not for the rest of the hard work that she showed she put in as well. Terrific stuff.
The ending scene was probably among the best of the series so far, seeing everyone leave the White House like that and make their farewells. It didn't help that their helicopter had to immediately land right after takeoff as well, to add for the humiliation that Selina faced. It seems like Season 5 whilst may be ending on a bad note for our characters, ends on an excellent note for the audience.
And now we have to wait a whole year to find out what happens next.
Be sure to let me know what you think of Inauguration and the fifth season as a whole in the comments section below! If you're looking for some political comedy drama to check out whilst Veep is off air then I'm going to recommend The Thick of It starring Doctor Who's Peter Capaldi, in fact the original British version of the series created by former showrunner Armando Iannucci. Other similar poltiical shows that are worth considering are Netflix's House of Cards, and from a more comedy angle and a less political one, HBO's Silicon Valley is worth a look as well. So there should be plenty of series to keep you busy until the next one gets here.
Overall Episode Verdict: A+
Positives:
+Twist ending.
+Selina leaving the White House.
+Tom thwarted as well as Selina.
+The acting. As always.
