Veep: A preview into the “really cool but shocking” final season
By Ariba Bhuvad
Are you ready to say goodbye to Veep? Because we’re so not.
Veep is ending. Let that sink in for just a second. The days of Selina Meyer and her sassy, crude comments are about to come to an end, and it’s a reality we simply can’t fathom. Things simply won’t be the same without it, and as distant as the final season may have seemed, we have now arrived at its doorstep.
Quite a bit of time has passed since Veep last aired due to Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ health, but we’re happy to report she came back stronger than ever and gave it her all for the final season. It’s been a long journey for Selina Meyer and with it being the final season, she’s ready to be President–forever. Well, not forever, but according to her, at least the full eight years.
Meyer makes this statement behind closed doors while in conversation with Gary Walsh and the significance of it is monumental. Meyer would openly confess how bad she wants something, but this is it, she’s at the end of the road and she wants it all, no matter what. The Hollywood Reporter stated that the conversation between Gary and Selina was the first scene that Louis-Dreyfus filmed after returning from her cancer remission.
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Nearly a year had passed since she had been on set, and simply nothing could stop her from bringing the best Selina forward. According to Veep showrunner, David Mandel, this fight and ferocity were what ultimately solidified that this would be the final season.
"Julia is taking Selina to this other place and you’re just like: Alrighty. She’s back. We’re good. This is what Selina wants, the presidency. And either she’s going to get it, or it’s going to kill her. It’s one of those things where, when we laid it all out, it just felt like: Yeah, this is the end."
Selina Meyer’s journey has been very much like a rollercoaster through the course of six seasons but it’s led her to the point which we left off in the Veep season 6 finale. She wants to become an elected President and is ready to do what it takes and head out on the campaign trail.
Credit: HBO
When season 7 picks up, Selina will be Iowa (the name of the first episode) where she will officially announce she is running. But will she actually garner enough support to make this dream a reality? According to Tony Hale, who plays Gary Walsh, it might be easier said than done.
"One of the things I love about this show is that it’s a picture of what you reap is what you sow. Because Selina reaps bitterness and greed and it’s never enough, Selina has no relationships and she sows isolation and sadness. If that’s what you invest, the outcome is going to be where Selina is: a really sad human being."
Of course, the relationship between Gary and Selina has always been a strange one. And by that we mean, he does everything for her and she expects it and appreciates none of it. According to Hale, this will culminate into a very interesting storyline between two.
"I don’t think Gary sees a world without Selina. She’s a huge part of his identity; he’s motivated to please her. So if that was taken away, I don’t know what he would be motivated by. She knows that and she abuses that. But there’s also an intimacy there that she’s afraid of and that Gary really desires."
What if Veep ended with the two of them together? That would be a plot twist we didn’t see coming, like seriously.
Credit: HBO
Some of you may have forgotten but there was a certain cliffhanger that shocked fans as season 6 ended–Jonah (Timothy Simons) is going to run against Selina. Yes, that’s right. Aren’t you excited to see what this race could look like? Simsons is too!
"Jonah is somebody who is driven not only by an unwavering belief in himself but also the belief that he is owed and deserves higher office — which is something Selina definitely shares. It probably took how insane [real-life] politics has become to make it realistic that Jonah is running for president, and especially for him to have any success and not cut his own campaign off at the knees immediately."
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Watching Jonah try to run will likely be the best part of the final season of Veep, just saying.
Showrunner Mandel spoke to THR about how he wanted to mix things up and bring characters together in scenes that don’t often cross paths. For example, Gary will be helping out with the campaign a lot so Selina’s daughter’s girlfriend, Marjorie (Clea DuVall) will be stepping in to take over some of his responsibilities. And as Mandel states, “It’s not the way you think it will go.”
There will also be another unlikely character pairing between Richard Splett (Sam Richardson) and Dan Egan (Reid Scott), and some friction between Selina and Mike McLintock (Matt Walsh), who is working as a Buzzfeed reporter.
Perhaps the most intriguing event that will take place in the final season of Veep is Amy (Anna Chlumsky) joining Jonah’s campaign. Can you imagine how that is going to play out? Not to mention, she’s pregnant with Dan’s baby! Chlumsky had some insight into what all of that will look like going into the final season.
"Amy’s image of success in life, to me, was that she always wanted to be on the cover of Fortune, sitting behind a desk for the Top 50 Most Powerful Women list. Her being pregnant with Dan’s baby sets her very far off from her goal! But I think it kickstarts this process for her in the final season of examining what she wants. Most of the series, she thought that was working with Selina. And we start to figure out maybe that’s not the case."
So, how will Dan handle fatherhood and whatever else is heading his way? Let’s find out from Scott.
"It’s usually been a professional crisis and this is a little more personal for Dan. This is usually the most important thing of your life and he’s so cavalier about this situation — which is maddening to Amy — and leads him to wonder: Why is my life so hollow and so empty?"
Credit: HBO
Then we have the character of Richard who is going to have some issues bouncing between Selina and Jonah’s campaigns. His heart isn’t exactly sure who to support, and that will certainly present a problem in Veep. It will be fun to see Selina’s reaction to this because she’s always been nice to him, and just him. But will this change when his loyalties are split down the middle? Knowing Selina, probably.
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Let’s not forget about Selina’s daughter, Catherine (Sarah Sutherland) who is hoping to have a baby with Marjorie via Richard’s sperm. Will she be the type of mother Selina has been to her? According to Sutherland, hopefully not but it might be tough.
"Catherine is innately a much more loving person than Selina is and, obviously, is much more hands-on as a mother than Selina was, and yet I perceive it as difficult for her. Particularly now having a young baby, Catherine this season has less patience for Selina. And I think some of the unconditional love really starts to shift."
As fans, we are heartbroken over the fact that Veep is ending, but rest assured, the cast members feel solid about the ending. You can read their reactions by clicking here! You’ll be very happy after reading them–we promise!
The final season of Veep begins Sunday, March 31st on HBO at 10 PM EST!
Source: Hollywood Reporter