VEEP - The Complete Fifth Season

I was a little leery to jump into a binge-watch of "VEEP: The Complete Fifth Season," as political vitriol and blundering are all too real and omnipresent these days. But Oscar nominee Armando Iannucci, new show runner and executive producer David Mandel, and history --making five-time Emmy-winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus continue to provide a comedic balm for national PTSD in the country formerly known as America.

The ten episodes (which ran from April-June 2016, received the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy) cover Selina Meyers' few months between a confusing election and unsure inauguration. The Blu-ray set contains deleted scenes and audio commentaries, and the box cover encapsulates the electoral uncertainly with a Shepard Fairey homage titled "Maybe!"

In episode 1, "Morning After," Selina heads a lily-white panel on race, sports a giant zit and intercepts Chinese (rather than Russian) hackers while Mike McLintock (Matt Walsh) pursues a Chinese baby adoption. Amy Brookheimer (Anna Chlumsky) is jockeying to find her way back into the White House as Dan Egan (Reid Scott) looks elsewhere for work. Selina's daughter Catherine (Sarah Sutherland, daughter of Kiefer) starts a season-long framing device, an always-intrusive amateur documentary.

Amy, Dan, Richard (Sam Richardson -- check out the character's blog at https://www.splettnet.net) and his new assistant Jonah (Timothy Simons) travel west in "Nev-AD-a," to assist in a crucial vote recount. Selina takes up with billionaire banker Charlie Baird (John Slattery) and continues to clash with her #2, snarky Tom James (Hugh Laurie).

Selina has her own Twitter (during an important meeting) consequences in "The Eagle," despite the efforts of her coterie and sycophantic body man Gary Walsh (Tony Hale).

Catherine's "Mee-Maw" features prominently in episode 4, which could help Selina's image despite the struggling recount effort.

Around "Thanksgiving," the team stumps for an unlikely New Hampshire congressional candidate.

Directed by Louis-Dreyfus's real life husband Brad Hall, episode 6, "C**tgate" faces a nationwide economic disaster while Selina asks Amy to find out who called her a cunt. Catherine comes out in a relationship with Selina's doppelganger secret service agent Marjorie (Clea Duvall).

At the "Congressional Ball," Selina sucks up to representatives and finds Tom undermining her, while the employees check their ranking in the "Hottest DC Staffers" list.

Chinese officials secretly come to Selina and her complicated family at/in "Camp David" while Amy and Dan hold their noses to continue to stump for Jonah.

"Kissing Your Sister" is presented as Catherine's narrated documentary as Mike prepares for fatherhood but not for potential job changes.

As "Inauguration" approaches, Jonah has more trouble with his balls, Catherine gets a makeover, and Selina tries to free Tibet but gets no credit. Event at her abrasive worst, it's cathartic to see a female president.

The new, seven-episode season begins on April 16, hopefully concurrently with a real life impeachment.

"VEEP: The Complete Fifth Season"
Blu-ray set
$17.61
http://www.hbo.com/veep#/