Inaction has consequence in Washington, so when Selena Meyers couldn’t come to a budget agreement, there is a resulting government shutdown on this week’s “Veep.”
That means garbage doesn’t get picked up (and a rat “like a pony” causes Gary to shreik). And there is some furlough-mania inside the walls of government.
Immediately Dan and Sue have to take unpaid leaves of absence, and Dan immediately takes the opportunity to test the waters elsewhere, first at a lunch with an oil lobbyist which shows him that there are worse things than government work, and then out to Minnesota, where not only has a man been eaten by a bear within sight of a ranger’s station — the most savage result of the shutdown — but he’s chumming up to a potential primary opponent of Selena’s. (Sue sets up a spa day).
The absence of Sue means that Gary moves into that job – how hard can it be? Being mean on the phone isn’t in him though. And taking initiative in having a private company haul the veeps’ personal trash away is immediately seen as a huge mistake. It makes her seem like she’s above everyone else with garbage problems, but more pressingly, she doesn’t want anybody to find what’s in her trash.
Jonah comes calling looking for a favor in the form of expedited passport renewal but Gary shuts him down, until Jonah agrees to be part of the detail to get the garbage. The garbage company isn’t willing to help retrieve it until they get something out of the deal as well: Not the private West Wing tour that Jonah says plebes want. Instead, he wants the Veep to come out and personally visit him. Gary agrees.
The odious Sen. Roger Furlong (and his amusing, ever-suffering aide) come calling and Selena begins to actually try to reach a compromise on him. They speak in such double talk, though, not even they know what they agree to.
The ever-unseen President seems to be placing blame on the shutdown on the failure of Selena, and the vice president begins to worry about how to shore up any of her eroding power. (The visit to the garbage collection site that ends the episode won’t cut it).
She decides to be interviewed by a high profile TV journalist for a puff piece, but the result next week — with Allison Janney returning to West Wing as the journalist — leads to its own disaster, and the first sense of serious intent for the scathing comedy.