The new season of “Veep,” depicting the further misadventures of Selina Meyer, the former vice president, and former president played with such foul-mouthed zest by Julia Louise-Dreyfus. The show, which long ago burst out of its original premise of a madcap female vice president whose ambitions and appetites were only exceeded by her incompetence, will examine Selina Meyer’s post-presidency. Meyer had been an accidental president for the previous two seasons but only for a few months of real time. Through the most unlikely of events, she has now been retired to the private sector.
That doesn’t mean she does not lust any less for power and relevance. To be sure, most previous former presidents ease into their private roles with ease. But Meyer has had just a taste of power before having it snatched away. She is not a happy person.
One thing that the satirical show is not going to do is Trump jokes, which is a blessing since Saturday Night Live is doing the real president to death. Besides, the last five seasons of “veep” has provided quite a bit of what a Hillary Clinton vice presidency and presidency would have been like. Meyer is a bundle of energy and rage, continually taking out her frustrations on her staff and plotting revenge on her enemies, real and imagined.
One thing working in Meyer’s favor is that there is no Bill equivalent in her life.
She had the good sense to divorce her husband some years earlier and is contenting herself with a series of ill-considered flings, including one last season with her vice president, played with panache by Hugh Laurie of “House” fame.
At one point during the trailer below Meyer promises to a new congressman whom she feels has betrayed her, “I want to let you know that I will destroy you in ways that are so creative they will honor me for it at the Kennedy Center.” Meyer may not be any great shakes as a political operative, but she does threaten with rare eloquence.
“Veep” begins its new season on April 16. How the show will manage to maintain satirical bite in the age of Trump remains to be seen
