The rest of Washington D.C. got an inside look at how President Selina Meyer and her team works, since they had to testify before a Congressional committee about all the wheeling and dealing they did to kill the Families First bill. Plus, the data breach rears its ugly head again in “Testimony,” Season 4’s penultimate episode.
All of “Testimony” was either set in the Congressional hearings or in depositions. Everyone got their turn, but the episode opened with selina telling the press that she did not use lobbyists to kill the bill.
While the swearing in ceremonies were previewed at the end of “B/ill,” they were shown once again after the Veep title. Ben goes first, rather unenthusiastically telling the panel that they “sweated full transfusion of blood” to get Families first passed. Of course, the truth was that they tried to get it killed once they figured that the bill would be dangerous to Selina’s re-election campaign.
Amy and Dan are testifying with Jonah, providing the episode’s best moments. Amy insists that they were “consulting,” not “lobbying,” even though both words mean literally the same in Washington. Jonah describes Amy as a “strong, independent and flexible woman,” while Dan is a “strong five-and-a-half, weak six.”
Later, Dan and Amy are asked about the incredible “Jonad file,” where everyone catalogued their Jonah insults. I have to say, my favorite was “Supercalifragilisticexpialid*ckcheese.” Jonah then revealed his favorite insult from college - “Tall McCartney.”
Ben is asked again who was responsible for the data breach and assumes that Dan’s firing will please everyone. But since Dan was fired for his role “in relation” to the breach, the panel asks him why someone innocent would be fired. Well, “Washington needed a sacrifice.”
Leigh Patterson, the random young girl who was first fired for the breach, is a surprise witness. She reveals that the data was also used to target bereaved parents with campaign emails. This then leads to Ken and Bill being called to testify together. Bill quickly realizes that he’s being “snowballed,” which requires them to explain the difference between “scapegoated” and “snowballed.”
Dan has clearly made a deal with investigators and tries to give them more information - which Leigh already has done. So in his deposition, Dan brings up Gary the bag man. Gary actually did have a role, since he accidentally offered Dan and Amy money for their work. Gary’s testimony goes nowhere though, as he goes from positioning himself as the “pipeline” to Selina to just the “man who prompts.”
The next issue for the investigators is whether Catherine’s fiance Jason is a lobbyist or consultant. Catherine bluntly admits that he is one, but Selina fumbles the question in her deposition. When Selina realizes that it would be better if Jason and Catherine split, she tells the investigators that they already called off their wedding. Selina figures out that she is just bungling everything, so she gets a statement to read about the Jason/Catherine relationship.
During Sue’s testimony, she reveals that they have been using voice memos, but she passes the buck to Mike. That leaves Mike to explain how the voice memos work. Offscreen, he must have been forced to play the panel Selina’s memos as they force Ben to listen to one. Ben insinuates that Selina might have been too sick to govern, but he’s sure that she could “govern herself through leprosy.”
Even though it doesn’t have much to do with the case at hand, Jonah is asked about his molestation by a Congresswoman who clearly has an agenda. This sequence goes on for quite awhile (and is just hilarious), but it does lead to Richard revealing that Jonah was originally supposed to be the scapegoat, not Dan.
Everyone, even Catherine, begins to put the blame on Bill, who is poised to become the third person fired for the data breach. During the credits, Bill insists that he’s innocent. Meanwhile, Jonah picks up a new crusade - to tell the world about workplace sexual assault among men.
In the final episode of the season, it’s election time! Tune in next week to hear the results!
image courtesy of INFphoto.com