Eastbound and Down
videogum.com/509172/goodbye-kenny-powers/tv     4/16  by Gabe:
In the midst of all of the TV last night, which was so much TV, there was, of course, the Eastbound and Down series finale. We haven’t talked that much AS A FAMILY about this season, but that’s because we didn’t need to. It was great. Within the first 10 minutes of the very first episode of season 1 I texted my friend Max and told him that Eastbound & Down was a “game-changer.” And for the past three seasons, it has consistently been the funniest show on television. The end! 30 Rock is so smart and Portlandia has a heart of gold, but when it comes to straight up LAFFS, it was always Eastbound. (The show was actually very smart and full of heart, as well, but we’ve got to save SOMETHING for the other shows.)
The first season was so perfect that the second season gave reason for concern. Would the show still be as sharp and funny? Answer: yes. Different, but yes. Season 2 was great. The show became increasingly absurd over the years, perhaps, but everything changes, and the reality of an actual Kenny Powers probably couldn’t have sustained more than those initial episodes because we know how the real story ends: the way this one began: on someone’s couch, with a terrible hangover, ghosts of bad decisions past, and no actual prospects.
 This year went further off the deep end but in a way that was entirely enjoyable. .. But, so, and then, of course, there is last night’s series finale, which was basically perfect: redemptive without being cloying, hilarious and brash and stupid and genius. What a great show. R.I.P. to it.

-I’ve always been a fan of the bird bath scene from Season 1.
KP: “I’m just mad at my arm trying to buttfuck me back here.”
Dustin Jr. : “I hated that bird bath.”
KP: “I broke that birdbath for you, cuz I knew you hated it. Cuz we’re the same. I hated that fuckin thing too.”


Veep
videogum.com/513341/wait-did-we-talk-about-veep-yet/tv     4/24  by Gabe:
Some of us, and I really don’t want to get into finger-pointing because it’s rude and it sets a bad tone so let’s just leave it at some of us, were traveling this weekend and were not able to be here yesterday and again, you know, the past is the past so let’s just get on with it, but so we didn’t catch up on the Sunday night television until Monday night when we were back home and I shouldn’t even say we because people are just going to make assumptions on who that implicates when really it could be anyone and I’m obviously just speaking in the abstract. The point is: does HBO even know there are seven nights in a week because it seems like maybe they only think there is one night.
.. I read a criticism of the show this morning that it was unrealistic and focused too much on the brokenness of Washington without showing the genuine idealism of so many of our elected representatives and it’s like, well, HAHAHAHAH. I mean, come on, guys! Like, OK, you’re not WRONG exactly, but a) it’s only been one episode and one can easily imagine a new strand of generosity and human emotion woven into the plots because that would be a good and pretty traditional way of rewarding the audience for investing in these characters