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2 • March 31 - April 6, 2019 • Brainerd Dispatch By Joy Doonan TV Media P olitical satire is a beloved come- dic tradition, but it can be tricky to pull off successfully, let alone con- sistently for a long period of time. There are few television series that have achieved this, and most of those have been news or talk show programs — "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" spring to mind. HBO's "Veep" is one of the very few narrative comedy series that has managed to mercilessly satirize politics over the course of numerous highly rated seasons. In fact, the comedy and several members of its cast have won multiple prestigious awards and nominations since its debut in 2012, including Critics' Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and several Emmys. "Veep" follows fictional former U.S. senator Selina Meyer (Julia Lou- is-Dreyfus, "Seinfeld"), who has served as both vice-president and president of the United States over the course of the show's first six sea- sons. The series sharply mimics real- life petty political bureaucracy and manages to do so in a lighthearted, very watchable way. After a long, successful run, show- runners announced last year that the seventh sea- son of this beloved series would be the last. The Season 7 premiere of "Veep" airs Sunday, March 31, on HBO. Last season saw Seli- na in transition. Ousted from the presidency, she tried to acclimate to civilian life but failed miserably. She wrote a memoir, burned down a barn, almost had her own presidential library built and made some per- sonal psychologi- cal breakthroughs, but ultimately she found her- self pulled back towards politics. At the end of Sea- son 6, Selina de- cided to run for president again, and Season 7 promises to be a hi- larious account of her attempt to re- gain the highest office in the land. Selina's entourage includes polit- ical advisers Dan (Reid Scott, "Ven- om," 2018) and Amy (Anna Chlum- sky, "My Girl," 1991), sycophantic personal aide Gary (Tony Hale, "Ar- rested Development"), White House liaison Jonah (Timothy Simons, "Gold," 2016) and the director of communications for the VP, Mike (Matt Walsh, "Come- dy Bang! Bang!"). The clashing group of strong, dysfunctional char- acters comes together as a per- versely whimsical clan as they scramble to cover up one political or public image mess after another. Impressively, the show's writers have managed to stay fairly ambigu- ous when it comes to labeling their characters politically and have stra- tegically avoided revealing Seli- na's party affiliation. As Se- lina and her dedicated (and often bumbling) staff navigate their way through the po- litical landscape, they often commit missteps that result in PR nightmares. Usually, the resulting situations seem too outrageous to ever occur for real, but on several occasions, life seems to have gone out of its way to imitate art. In Season 4, for ex- ample, Selina bungles a debate topic after for- getting one of the ele- ments of her "Three Rs" (a nonsen- sical "reform, reaffirm and renew," if you're curious). Later on, during a real-life debate, Republican gover- nor and presidential hopeful Rick Perry forgot one of the three govern- ment agencies he planned to ax should he win the presidency, result- ing in a similarly awkward scramble to come up with something to say. "Veep's" eerily accurate coinciden- tal forecasting of actual campaign slip-ups has earned it a reputation for being shrewdly in tune with the material it skewers. The antics of the characters' per- sonal lives is another comedic anchor of the show, as well as how those pri- vate issues often bleed into their jobs. Talking about his role as Selina's car- toonishly loyal political aide, Hale told Stephen Colbert, "I do emascu- lation really well," and he described Gary as an insecure yes-man who "worships the ground Selina Meyer walks on." This dynamic is comedy gold, given Selina's penchant for self- absorption and insensitivity. For the cast, starring in the series has been an exceptionally emotion- al journey. On the final day of shoot- ing the series, many of the stars posted emotional tweets about the show and the family they had found on the job. Hale posted a selfie in which he wears a sweater with a heart on it, with a caption that read, "I can't describe how blessed and thankful I feel for everyone here. The sweater says it best." A seven-sea- son run is nothing to sneeze at, and many of the cast members have been through a lot while working on the show. Louis- Dreyfus herself battled breast cancer, and the show went on hiatus in 2017 while she was in treatment. She fought hard and won that battle, and fans of the show will appreciate this final season all the more because of her strength and courage. Season 7 packs a lot into its seven episodes, and since the end of the line came about or- ganically (instead of by way of a sudden cancellation), fans can look forward to a satisfy- ing and, of course, hilarious ending. You can watch the season premiere when it airs Sunday, March 31, on HBO. Selina for president 'Veep' returns for a triumphant final season Cover Story this week Anna Chlumsky in a scene from "Veep" The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon A member of the band Journey said "Don't Stop Believing" was inspired by the time he borrowed money from his dad to pay his dog's vet bill. Apparently the dog was hit by a midnight train goin' anywhere. I read that more New Yorkers are biking to work. Which is good news for the environment but bad news for their co-workers who have to hear them brag about it. The Late Late Show With James Corden Italian sports car manufacturer Bugatti just sold a one-of-a- kind supercar for a record price. They sold the car of $18.9 million. $18.9 million for a car. It's $19 million if you want the optional floor mats. Today is Day 3 of Jonas Brothers Week. We love having them here so much we started calling it Jochella. Jimmy Kimmel Live Today Forbes released their annual list of billionaires. Or, as Bernie Sanders calls it, the list of "People We'll Eat First." Jeff Bezos is worth $131 billion. Almost all of that from selling tube socks. It's amazing. Late Night With Seth Meyers A woman in Utah over the weekend delivered her baby in the middle of an intersection with the help of two bystanders. And here in New York, a woman conceived, gestated and delivered a baby while waiting for the F train. Weekend Update With Colin Jost and Michael Che Paul Manafort, who looks like he was born divorced, faced up to 24 years in prison, but only got four years, probably in a minimum-security, white-collar facility with a bunch of his friends. The guy stole over $50 million, and he basically got sentenced to college. Late Laughs Home Care & Hospice Quality Care in the Comfort of Home www.knutenelson.org | (218) 454-1542

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