Election Night (Veep)

Synopsis

On election night, President Selina Meyer gathers with key campaign staffers, her running mate Tom James, and her daughter Catherine in a hotel suite to watch returns on CNN. Ex-staffers Amy and Dan appear as pundits alongside anchor Greg Hart and pollster Matty Curtis. Selina's friend Karen joins them at her invitation, while staffers Jonah and Richard prepare the campaign rally. Sue remains in the White House with a friend, stating she will leave politics if Selina loses.

After Wisconsin is initially called for opponent Senator Bill O'Brien, the call is rescinded, and Selina's team celebrates winning Colorado. Tom privately asks Selina to also serve as treasury secretary; she responds angrily but does not refuse. Sue and Amy arrive as Pennsylvania is called for O'Brien, putting Selina significantly behind. Tom encourages her not to quit, but Selina prepares to concede.

As she calls O'Brien, Dan informs Mike that Pennsylvania was the wrong call; Mike rushes back to prevent the concession, and CNN calls Pennsylvania for Selina. Jonah asks if Tom can go to the rally, but Selina refuses. Fox calls Washington state for Selina and Ohio for O'Brien. If Selina wins Virginia, they will be tied.

Staffers read online that in a tie, each state gets one House vote, the first to 26 wins, and the Senate chooses the vice president; if the House ties, the vice president-elect becomes president—in this case, Tom James. Selina is flabbergasted and begins to cry.

Critical reception

The episode received positive critical reception. Jessica Goldstein rated it 5/5 stars for Vulture. Kate Kulzick of The A.V. Club wrote that the episode fired on all cylinders, with comedy informed by character and ranging from subtle reactions to profanity-fueled takedowns. The writers won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, and director Chris Addison won an Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series award from the Directors Guild of America.