Following a series of political disasters, the Veep is preparing for a trip to Ohio where she will speak at a fundraiser and endorse Congressman Furlong for Governor. The President, meanwhile, is bunking off an economic forum to go golfing and Selina asks Mike to find out who he is golfing with. Mike has bad news for Selina: the smiling secret service agent has been re-assigned to her detail; and more even worse news: her new approval ratings. 66% of people disapprove of her job performance. Ouch.
Dan is in Cleveland, prepping for the Veep's visit when Congressman Furlong's chief of staff, Will (Nelson Franklin), takes him to meet the Congressman. Furlong (Dan Bakkedahl) is unhappy with the Veep's numbers and image and thinks an endorsement from her will hurt him so he asks Dan to cancel the endorsement. Dan protests but Furlong points out that as Vice-Chairman of the Congressional Oversight Committee, he can investigate the Veep's office and their alleged involvement in Senator McAuley's failed effort to attach the clean jobs bill as an amendment to the fiscal responsibility bill against the President's wishes.
The Veep arrives in Cleveland to more bad news: she's having trouble shifting expensive tickets for her fundraiser. Dan advises her not to endorse the Congressman so the press have nothing to report but she dismisses it. Congressman Furlong decides to pay a visit to the Veep himself and asks her not to endorse him. They reveal their mutual dislike for each other and Furlong tells the Veep that if she endorses him, he will reject it publicly. The Veep asks if they can't just work something out and mentions that she hasn't seen her daughter for three months and starts crying. He suggests she give a speech instead and she rebukes him for being patronising and assuming she wouldn't know what to talk about.
Later, Mike and Amy talk and decide that in order to make the Veep appear more human, she should give an interview and cry. They set up an interview and tell the interviewer to ask about her daughter and about who the President is golfing with - her potential replacement on the ticket, Governor Chung. The interviewer probes her on the golfing and her family and Selina gives an emotional answer where she praises the people of Ohio.
At the fundraiser, the Veep is stuck with a boring donor and Dan seeks advice from a lawyer friend about what he should do if he were to be called in front of a Congressional committee. Meanwhile, the Veep's numbers have bounced back and Furlong has changed his mind, telling Dan that he wants the Veep's endorsement. After changing his mind a couple of times during the Veep's speech, Furlong tells Dan to give the go-ahead and she endorses him.
After orchestrating a successful trip, Dan is rewarded when they return to D.C. with a promotion - in charge of policy and presentation, taking some of Mike's responsibilities. Dan sets about issuing a press release and has the staff move the furniture around. News then breaks that Mike asked the reporter to make the Veep cry on camera and she summons him into her office to lambast him as Furlong arrives to complain that he's being implicated in allegations that she cried to draw attention away from the poor turnout at the fundraiser. She tells him to go fuck himself and Furlong tells Dan that he will be summoned before his Committee as he investigates the Veep's office. Selina tries to cancel Dan's promotion but it's too late and his press release has already gone out. Selina calls it a promotion in name only and collapses in her chair, complaining that she wants to cry for the first time all day but can't. Mike tries to console her by telling her she only has four years of this to put up with.
Ehhhhh. Selina's foul-mouthed meetings with Congressman Furlong aside, this was an average episode to end an average series. How fitting. Amusing in places, Veep hasn't lived up to my expectations. I hope series two will do better.
5 out of 10.
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