A rare moment of bonding.
As Catherine's documentary is completed, Congress decides who will be President.
We finally see Catherine's documentary.
The entire episode is presented as Catherine's film studies project, ''Kissing Your Sister: The Story of a Tie". It includes talking head interviews with staff, narration from Catherine, and previously unseen footage taken over the preceding season. Secrets are revealed, and the details of Catherine's relationship with Marjorie are finally shown.
Tropes:
- Age Insecurity: Discussed when talking about opponents to beat in elections, as Selina often does. Selina feels certain that she'll be less politically powerful the older she gets, and if an opponent becomes president and wins two terms, she'll be old to beat them.Selina: My political window just slams shut the second I can’t wear sleeveless dresses!
- Black Comedy: Catherine once again cries on camera, and unfortunately looks hilarious when she does.
- Brick Joke: At the start of the episode, we see Kent meticulously aligning the books on his bookshelf with a ruler so that the spines are even. During the credits, we see Ben angrily pushing random spines back in to disrupt the symmetry.
- Butch Lesbian: Selina references this trope when comforting Catherine:Selina: There are other fish in the Sapphic sea. There are more lesbians in the Secret Service, even.
- Butt-Monkey: The cast spend a solid thirty seconds during the credits hurling insults at Mike.
- Call-Back: The episode is full of them, as it compiles footage from the whole season:
- The B-roll of a fax machine in Jonah's campaign office makes an appearance.
- It's revealed Catherine was in the closet of the Green Room when Selina and Tom James had their ... argument in there at the Congressional Ball.
- Selina once again talks about her father. This time, she reveals that her father did a lot of work with Bebe Rebozo, Richard Nixon's semi-notorious dirty-work bagman.
- Mike was right to be worried about another secret meeting being held about firing him.
- During an interview with Selina filmed in the White House residence, Charlie Baird briefly walks into the background of the frame naked before scrambling back out again.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Bill Ericsson, when asked about Selina as president, says she's a truly awful president, and probably a pretty bad mother too, making him perhaps the only person to ever say so about her. He notes that Catherine would probably know better than him.
- Coming-Out Story: When Catherine goes to Marjorie's family's for Christmas, she finds out that Marjorie isn't out yet, and she introduces Catherine as a "friend". Not having the best history with being valued, Catherine is very hurt and the two break up. But by episode's end, Marjorie decides to tell her parents despite how angry they'll be because she cares about Catherine more than about what they'll think.
- The Confidant: When things are at their most dire, Selina sends everyone out of the room except for Amy and asks her advice. Although it's not spelled out, it's clear Amy is the only one who she knows will give her good advice, empathize with her situation, and won't tell anyone.
- Humble Hero: It's revealed that Kent spends his time with an outlaw motorcycle club in his spare time.Kent: I find that my involvement in the club keeps the ... internecine skirmishes of Washington in perspective
- In Medias Res: The film starts as Team Selina is watching the beginning of the House vote from the Oval Office, before jumping back to review the aftermath of the tied election and other events of the season.
- It's All About Me: Dan reveals more of his self-serving nature by admitting that he doesn't know if he has any grandparents that are still alive.
- Metaphorgotten: Catherine, bless her.Catherine: They say a tie is like kissing your sister. But it took a tie for me to get to kiss the sister I never knew I had.
- Pet the Dog:
- Selina doesn't exactly nail comforting Catherine (she initially thinks Catherine is crying about her possibly losing the presidency), but she at least avoids making things worse and does manage some words of encouragement when she learns of Catherine and Marjorie breaking up.
- We also see some private moments from Selina after she loses the vote. She goes to the Red Room to be alone, but is caught unawares when a tour group comes in. Despite her deep sadness she's able to suck it up and turn on her political charm mode to have a good interaction with them. When they begin to applaud her she drops the mask for a moment and seems to be sincerely buoyed up by her fans' expressions of love, which might be one of the only places she gets love without complication.
- Refuge in Audacity: Career politician Furlong polishes off his interview by asking the now-out lesbian Catherine what the best lesbian porn site is.
- Running Gag:
- Mike's subplot about trying to adopt a baby, then not being able to adopt, then being able to adopt again, and the resulting escalating financial trouble. He also keeps forgetting to check the walls for lead.
- Everyone decides independently to describe Amy as shrill.Amy: Did they say shrill?
- "Shaggy Dog" Story:
- After laboring hard all season, Selina still loses her re-election bid.
- Jonah - after messing up and not getting to work on time - moves heaven and earth to get to the floor and vote in time ... only to get a call too late about changing his vote.
- Stylistic Suck: Catherine's documentary isn't bad, per se. But since we're used to the professional-level work of Veep's usual mockumentary style, it comes off as amateurish by comparison.
- Summon Bigger Fish: Done metaphorically. Eventually Selina realizes she mathematically can't win in the House of Representatives, meaning that whomever the Senate elects as VP will become president. Convinced that James would win the Senate vote thanks to all his connections from his time as a senator and that he will easily win two terms if he becomes president, she decides to try and swing the House vote to O'Brien since she feels more confident about being able to beat him in only 4 years.
- Title Drop: The title card of the documentary appears after a clip of Selina and Gary talking about the nature of ties.Gary: My bowling coach used to say a tie was like kissing your sister.
Selina: Well, this feels like my sister took a shit on my chest. - Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Catherine accidentally reveals to Doyle that Selina has promised Secretary of State to someone else, which convinces him to side with Montez in the following episode and cast the tie-breaking vote for her to become president.
