VEEP: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (HBO, 2013) Creator: Armando Iannucci, w/ Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anna Chlumsky. Rating: NNNN Blu-ray package: NN Rating: NNNN
Veep’s second season maintains the sharp scripts, crisp comic performances and frantic pace that made the first one so much fun.
Vice-President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and her staffers are the same semi-competent, venal backstabbers given to creative obscenities at every turn. But no longer White House newbies and marginally more team-oriented, they’re better able to face the large crises they create from small blunders.
A couple of new characters – Selina’s influence-peddling ex-husband (David Pasquesi) and influential numbers-cruncher Leon (Brian Huskey) – add to the complications of mid-term elections, a hostage crisis and a comic song that causes international offence.
Louis-Dreyfus, et al.,. toss the verbal humour back and forth with polish and zest and the slapstick with full-body commitment. Tony Hale stands out as Selina’s fawning gofer.
Show creator Armando Iannucci said what he had to say about Veep’s origins and inspirations in the first season’s commentaries. Here he, Louis-Dreyfus and other producers and cast members spend their four commentaries largely making jokes and pointing out bits they like.
EXTRAS Commentaries, deleted scenes. English, French, Spanish audio. English, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian subtitles.
movies@nowtoronto.com
