Veep is one of the filthiest shows I’ve ever seen. On an f-bombs per minute ratio, it might be the most foul-mouthed show in the history of television. It swears to add emphasis. It swears to be funny, and often times, it swears just to fill space as the characters get flustered, angry and confused. To an untrained eye, all that colorful language could be seen as something less than, but it’s the perfect phraseology for the subject matter. And it’s wonderful that the Emmy Voters took notice because it’s a sign of something more.
"She's mediocre. Of all the ocres, she's the mediest."
You see: Veep is the best written show on television, but it’s not written in such a way that feels showy or like it’s trying to win awards. From its half hour format to its often meandering plots, none of it is very explainable on paper. In fact, most of the show’s best jokes are actually buried, mutterened under characters’ breaths and/ or said in the background. It’s why episodes are better watched twice, and the overall experience is better appreciated when watched very carefully and silently, which is particularly hard given how uproariously funny and filthy it is. During another time and place, it would have simply been written off as sophomoric or crude. But not now.
"What are you laughing at, Jolly Green Jizzface?"
It seems stupid to commend the Emmy Voters for simply getting their choice right, but the fact of the matter is the best choice doesn’t usually prevail. It’s very difficult for those involved to watch every show, and it’s even harder to put aside preconceived biases and even personal preferences. And Veep is not the safe choice. It’s not as buzzy as Transparent. It’s not as fresh and exciting as Silicon Valley or Last Man On Earth, but the last season of Veep was almost flawless in its writing, and it deserved to be honored and singled out. Good for TV. Again.
This is bigger than your mother's womb, and you were in there until you were 15."
People often call this the Golden Age of Television. It’s true. TV has never been better than it is at this moment, and it’s wonderful to see the cream is actually rising to the top. The movies that get honored every year are typically the obvious ones. They’re the ones about overcoming disease or fighting Nazis or struggling against the odds. They seem almost predestined to be appreciated and to be shadowed with awards. Veep is its own beast. It has no interest in being anything other than what it wants to be, and I’m so happy to see the Emmy Committee honoring that. Because it's one thing to reward the performers of a really funny, subtly clever show. It's another thing to understand that all of those fucks and shits were very carefully locked into place by a team of brilliant writers.
"He's a massive and total shit. When you first meet him, you think, 'Surely to God this man can't be as big a shit as he seems,' but he is.
So, cheers to Emmy Voters. And cheers to Veep. This win is so well deserved. I hope the next season is even better.
