Ep 8. Debate

Vice President Selina Meyer is on top of the world - she's leading in the polls, and her staff is excitedly preparing for a debate against her rival, Senator Doyle. However, as the big day approaches, things start to fall apart. Sue's got a mole in her department, who's leaking information to the media. Amy's freaking out about her appearance, and whether or not she's wearing a bra. Gary's getting weirdly competitive about Selina's achievements, and ignoring his job duties.

Meanwhile, Selina herself is struggling to keep her head above water. When the debate moderator starts singling her out unfairly, she loses her cool and says something regrettable on live television. In the aftermath, she and her staff have to scramble to make things right, while also dealing with the fallout of Sue's leak.

As always, the dialogue crackles with wit and energy, and the performances are top-notch. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is absolutely hilarious as Selina, constantly tripping over her own words and trying to maintain her composure in the face of chaos. Anna Chlumsky is fantastic as Amy, a high-strung bundle of nerves who's always one step away from unraveling completely. And Tony Hale is both endearing and creepy as Gary, Selina's sycophantic bagman.

Although the episode is primarily focused on the debate, it also explores larger themes about the nature of politics and power. Selina is at her best when she's on stage, playing to the crowd and delivering clever one-liners - but when she's off-stage, she's easily rattled and unsure of herself. Similarly, her staff is constantly jockeying for position and trying to gain the upper hand, even if it means betraying each other.

Overall, "Debate" is a fantastic episode of Veep that showcases the show's strengths in both comedy and character development. While the plot is relatively simple, the episode manages to pack in plenty of laughs and surprises, while also offering a pointed commentary on the state of politics in America. Fans of the show will definitely not be disappointed!