I thought the Veep livestream with JLD and Reid Scott was so interesting and enlightening, and I wanted to post some of my (admittedly jumbled) thoughts about it, just as a way to process it all.Â
Mostly I was completely struck right by the fact that immediately RS commented on how the characters changed from the first season to the seventh season, especially Dan and Mike. Like, he basically summed up (and incredibly specifically!) exactly what changed…reflecting on how S1 Dan would never have a moment like S7 Dan, throwing stones in a lake and wondering about his future, how he would never question what his future was. He literally said S1 Dan would never be so vapid. And JLD chimed in with RS’s observations about Mike, how he’s a lot more acerbic and sharp in the earlier seasons, compared to later—I think they did actually use the word dumb to describe S7 Mike.Â
RS used the word “growth” to describe these changes (I think he meant in the sense of, like, “evolution over time” as opposed to “progress”, but who knows). It was very evident that he doesn’t view the changes in Dan’s character as something that “bad” as in, negative for the show or a betrayal of how he viewed Dan’s character. He described Dan’s ending in the show pretty definitively and with good humor, joking “good work Dan” when JLD brought up his twenty-year old wife, emphasizing that Dan ended up in the right place, that he would never run for office once he discovered his true fate as a Laguna Beach real estate mogul.Â
I think it’s very illuminating how RS describes himself too, pretty dark and sardonic (it was interesting and kind of cute how he said he didn’t mind the social implications of the lockdown at first, purely as opportunity to hole up and be with his family and not be out in the world….) It seems like he sees the character through a similarly dark lens, and enjoyed taking him to a darker (and dumber) place in the later seasons. And perhaps Dan’s more human qualities, especially in regards to Amy, are not what unlocked the character for him. When he acknowledged Amy and Dan’s Sam-and-Diane-esque qualities, he also qualified the comparison too, saying he enjoyed how the show kind of inverted the classic love-hate journey…both he and JLD talked about the enduring dysfunction of everyone on the show, and their inability to maintain healthy relationships.Â
I don’t know. I don’t really have a response or anything to all of this. It was just intriguing hearing him talk about the show so frankly, and I was impressed by how thoughtful and reflective he was. As I’ve said before, this kind of stuff is fascinating but also distinctly extra-textual, and there’s never really one interpretation of a text, anyway. More broadly, I think it speaks to the fundamental difference of being outside something, in the process of creating it, versus engaging with a “finished” creative product. It just changes your perspective. As anyone who has ever created any piece of art can attest to, you always see it differently than your readers or viewers. Just in Veep’s case, that change in perspective has been exacerbated by the dramatically different artistic approach to the final season.
I also think it’s interesting how these individual chats highlight how distinct the relationships between the different members of the ensemble are. I didn’t see JLD’s chat with Tim Simons, but the one with Tony Hale had a very different energy. It was a lot more banter-y…they have a very established rhythm, simply because they literally spent seven years filming almost every scene together. And RS and JLD naturally had a different chemistry together that manifests in a different way…at times, this felt almost like an interview, like, literally JLD thinking of questions to ask to keep the conversation going. Not that it was awkward or bad, not at all! They’re obviously incredibly close, their goodbyes were so heartwarming…I loved when she asked about his kids, it’s so clear they bonded over being the parents of two boys. It just translates differently to this kind of setting.
And tbh, an hour is a long time to vaguely reminisce, especially if they’re scrambling for questions. Although I feel like there were plenty of questions coming in?? Idk, I have no idea how these Instagram livestreams work. Also, now they have to do one with Anna Chlumsky..although I feel like the Dan/Amy content would just be more of the same. I mean, there are only so many scenes they remember filming together…only so many ways they can talk about the abortion scene and why Dan and Amy didn’t end up together. But otherwise it would be so much fun! I would love to hear their perspective on being the only two women in the ensemble.Â
In conclusion, Reid Scott is a very intelligent and deeply observant person who can apparently also perform incredibly handy tasks like re-upholster furniture and on top of all that loves history and reads books by women. Basically a Renaissance man with a perfect face. Do they sell Reid Scotts in stores? I refuse to believe there is only one out there. There needs to be at least one more available model for me.Â