I’VE decided that I am going to LET them dictate to me. Because that is MY decision.
This episode does one of the things I really love about this series. It picks a small part of the process and focuses on it to comical effect; the swearing in scene in season two was a real strong example. This time, the process involves picking the people who are going to stand behind Selina when she announces her candidacy for President. Of particular note is the titular Alicia, a single mom pushing for government backed child care. The episode is partly from her perspective and it’s compelling to see a normal person pushed into the insane world of the Veep crew. Tracie Thoms gets off a great guest shot in that role. And Matt Walsh gets some well-deserved time in the spotlight when his harried press secretary finally loses it: “I’m trying to help you, you stupid cow,” he bellows and we’re just glad it was “cow” he said. Really good episode. 3 ½ stars.
tl;dr – episode tackles the logistics of photo ops with its typical merciless sense of humor and features a great guest appearance from Tracie Thoms as an average lady thrust into an insane world. 3 ½ stars.