Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a national treasure that we must protect at all costs because a) Elaine Benes, of course, but also b) for managing to make John Slattery (i.e. Roger Sterling of Mad Men) her newest presidential side piece. If you watched tonight's episode of Veep (and I hope you did), you may have noticed Slattery sliding into President Selina Meyer's DMs in all of his silver foxed glory.
In "Nev-AD-a," tonight's second episode of the fifth season of the newly renewed comedy, we watched Selina Meyer schmooze as only she can. At a banking task force meeting, Meyer is introduced to Charlie Baird (Slattery), a billionaire banker whose charismatic disposition is not unlike that of Slattery's iconic advertising mogul on Mad Men. Per Kent's descriptor, the meeting of the big money magnates is a "veritable 'who's who' of Wall Street." And if we know there's one thing Meyer loves above all else, it's money and power. Naturally, Baird is an instant hit. Exchanging witty banter and digs at Selina's running mate, Tom James, Meyer at first finds him merely entertaining. But the real heat doesn't build until later on in the episode.
Swinging her authority around as per her wont, Selina requests a private extended "banking task force meeting" for which Charlie Baird is the only invitee. Offering a tour of the White House apropos of nothing, Meyer leads Baird through the West Wing and to a broom closet, spinning a rumor about President Warren G. Harding and his teenaged mistress having consummated their relationship there. Using her titillating tale of infidelity as a barometer for Baird's interest, Selina then offers to escort him to "the residence," i.e. sexy town. And naturally we're not shown what happens next, but it's easy enough to venture an enducated guess. This, I'm sure, is just the beginning of what will likely be quite the saga if Slattery's going to be hanging around. After all, this is the woman who summed men up thusly:
Best of luck, Baird. God knows you'll need it.
