Entertainment

Recap 'Veep' Season 5 Before Selina's Embarrassments Continue

by Caitlin Flynn
Lacey Terrell/HBO

It's been a long time (nearly 10 months, but who's counting?) since Selina Meyer & Co. graced our small screens with their hilarious ineptitude, cutting barbs, and never-ending series of ridiculous mishaps. At long last, Season 6 of Veep will premiere on HBO on Sunday, April 16 — and things will be a lot different now that Selina has been officially booted from the White House. There's one thing I do know for certain — the jokes will come fast and furious from the moment the premiere starts. So, take a few minutes to recap Season 5 of Veep so you're all up to speed.

When the season kicked off, there had been an unprecedented electoral college tie in the general election, which meant that a vote in Congress would determine the next president. Selina was absolutely furious that her charismatic running mate, Tom James, may become commander-in-chief thanks to an obscure amendment that actually exists in real life. Selina got straight to work wooing Congresspeople, while her team (welcome back, Amy!) successfully lobbied for a recount in Nevada. They also spent a lot of time bickering about the correct way to pronounce Nevada because, of course.

Here are the other highlights you may have forgotten.

Jonah Becomes A Congressman

Despite a gaffe-filled campaign that includes literally shooting himself in the foot, Jonah successfully wins a House seat after the sudden death of Congressman Harry Sherman. Selina hopes to use the fructose intolerant buffoon as a way to secure the presidency when the vote goes to Congress. Naturally, Jonah oversleeps on the morning of the pivotal vote and misses the memo that her plan has changed and he's supposed to vote for O'Brien in order to block Tom James' path to the presidency. Based on the Season 6 trailer, Selina has neither forgiven nor forgotten Jonah's error — she vows to destroy him in ways that are so creative they'll honor her for it at the Kennedy Center. Game on.

Selina Loses The Nevada Recount On The Day Of Her Mother's Funeral

Selina's mom falls into a coma, and she considers it a major inconvenience — until Kent tells her that a death in the family will increase her poll numbers. Unfortunately for Selina, the "death bump" isn't enough. Right before she's about to deliver her mother's eulogy, Kent and Ben inform Selina that she lost the Nevada recount — and, as a result, she's no longer ahead in the popular vote, either. Everyone is incredibly moved when Selina begins to sob uncontrollably at the lectern — little do they know that she's crying over her fading chances at the presidency.

Catherine Finds Love

Catherine spends more time in the White House than usual because she's filming a documentary for her senior project. Selina kicks her out of the room at least five times each episode, but there's a major upside for Catherine — she finds love with Marjorie, Selina's body double.

Laura Montez Becomes President Of The United States

It looks like Tom James is going to become the next commander-in-chief, but Selina's current VP Andrew Doyle successfully lobbies votes for Laura Montez and she becomes president instead. Selina spends her last night in the White House drinking with Richard Splett (the unsung hero of Veep) and opining about how she should have won. For his part, Richard Splett wishes everyone could win.

Gary Has A Meltdown Of Epic Proportions

#NeverForget the moment Gary lost his cool and shouted at Selina's entire staff for their "garbage" work that destroyed this "magnificent woman." After he stormed out of the room, Ben summed it up pretty well: "That just kind of made the whole year worth it."

What's next for Selina? Well, all we know is that she's concerned about buying her own stamps and getting a new driver's license. (The struggle is real.) Showrunner David Mandel assured Bustle that Gary will be right by her side, but other than that? It's anyone's guess. My only prediction is that Selina will be even more of a terror than usual when Season 6 premieres.