Hey folks, how are you holding up? Yeah, me too. Sunday night I was grateful for Veep, not just because it’s one of the funniest shows on television, but because it provided the briefest of respites from the grief and sorrow we all feel. I have so much more to say, but until then, let’s laugh together about mistaken lesbianism and sham hams, shall we?
This episode of Veep brought us to Camp David, where Selina is celebrating Christmas with Catherine, Marjorie, her ex-husband Andrew, his girlfriend Monica, and of course Gary. The trip is also a cover for her clandestine meeting with the Chinese government, but we get the sense that Selina would rather be brokering a deal with the Chinese than discussing raw vegan cuisine with Marjorie.
Selina is still reeling from the reading of her mother’s will, which left her considerable family fortune to Catherine, and Andrew is already chomping at the bit to get an investment from his daughter. We also get more of Marjorie’s deadpan adoration of Catherine and two extremely gay outfits from my new favorite couple.
Catherine gifts Selina with a gold pen that was used at the Hague Convention, and Selina realizes that she doesn’t have a gift for Marjorie. Andrew gives Marjorie a first edition of the works of Gertrude Stein, aka the holy grail of lesbian gifts. Nicely done, Andrew.
Before Selina can respond, she’s whisked away to her meeting with the Chinese, which is brokered by Minna Hakkinen (Sally Phillips), the awkwardly blunt Prime Minister of Finland. The negotiations are off to bad start, when the Chinese officials gift Selina with a lavish silk robe and artwork, while all she has for them is a geode. Not wanting to insult them, Selina quickly re-gifts Catherine’s pen.
Selina then re-gifts the silk robe to Marjorie, which leads to a case of mistaken identity for the Chinese when they see Catherine making out with Marjorie in the robe, and assume that Selina is kissing her own daughter. Catherine finds out about the negotiations and the pen and refuses to talk to Selina. Ultimately, Selina brokers a deal with the Chinese to free Tibet and serves them the sham ham aka the “freedom log” for dinner.
Meanwhile, after shooting himself in the foot, Jonah wins the Vermont seat and pledges to vote Selina into the presidency. The episode ends with Catherine telling Selina that she’s turning the family home in Palm Beach into an animal sanctuary.
What did you think of this week’s episode of Veep? Do Catherine and Marjorie have a couple’s name yet? Tweet me your thoughts @ChelseaProcrast.
