Veep appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Discs. I found visuals typical for Veep here.
Overall definition remained positive. This left us with shows that appeared accurate and well-defined. No issues with jaggies or moiré effects appeared, and the shows lacked source flaws or edge haloes.
Expect low-key colors here, with a push toward amber. The hues lacked much verve but they came across as desired.
Blacks were dark and tight, while shadows offered nice smoothness. The episodes consistently provided appealing visuals.
A chatty series, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio of Veep seemed fine for its ambitions. The shows focused on dialogue and didn’t use the soundscape to a vivid degree, as the spectrum added general atmosphere and not much else.
That was fine, though, and audio quality seemed good. Speech became natural and concise, while occasional snatches of music were full and clear.
Effects lacked much to do but they appeared accurate enough. As usual, the series boasted adequate but unmemorable audio.
Season Seven offers the usual array of audio commentaries. We get eight chats from the following array of participants:
“Iowa”: Director David Mandel, Writer Lew Morton, and Actors Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale.
“Discovery Weekend”: Mandel, Louis-Dreyfus, writer Erik Kenward and actor Timothy Simons.
“Pledge”: Mandel, Louis-Dreyfus, director Morgan Sackett and actor Anna Chlumsky.
“South Carolina”: Mandel, Louis-Dreyfus, Hale, writer Peter Huyck and actor Clea DuVall.
“Super Tuesday”: Mandel, Louis-Dreyfus, Hale, writers Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allen and actors Sam Richardson, Matt Walsh and Andy Daly.
“Oslo”: Mandel, Louis-Dreyfus, DuVall, Richardson, Hale, director Brad Hall, writers Ian Maxtone-Graham, Dan O’Keefe, Dan Mintz and Steve Hely and actor Peter MacNicol.
“Veep”: Mandel, Louis-Dreyfus, Walsh, Hale.
“Veep”: Mandel, Sackett, and director of photography David Miller.
Across these tracks, we learn about story/characters, real-life influences, cast and performances, sets and locations, and related topics. As usual, these tracks offer a mixed bag.
That means a lot of happy talk – lots and lots. We get praise for cast, crew, and the series in general.
However, we still find some good information as well, so we learn a reasonable amount about the episodes in between all the self-plaudits. The latter trend makes the commentaries frustrating, but they still deserve a listen.
By the way, the name “Trump” rarely appears during these commentaries, even though his influence stomps all over this season. I get the impression the participants were told to avoid mention of Trump, perhaps to avoid a constant series of complaints.
Seven Character Retrospectives fill a total of seven minutes, 21 seconds, and involve Louis-Dreyfus, Hale, Simons, Walsh, Chlumsky, Richardson and actor Reid Scott. The performers offer brief thoughts about their roles and evolution over the years. Don’t expect substance in these fluffy clips.
Inside the Final Season runs a whopping one minute, 36 seconds and offers notes from Louis-Dreyfus, as she gives us a rough overview of the year’s arc. It’s promo material and nothing more.
At its best, the seventh and final season of Veep offers clever, insightful material. However, it doesn’t work as well as the best Veep, and the concluding episode leaves me cold. The Blu-rays offer very good picture along with acceptable audio and some supplements. The series’ final season continues to entertain, but it leaves me a little disappointed.