At the White House Christmas party, Selina bargains for votes in hopes of breaking the election tie. Meanwhile, the staff is preoccupied with the annual '50 Hottest D.C. Staffers' list; Mike eyes a job outside politics; and Dan helps Jonah with debate prep in New Hampshire.
Cringe escalation sustains 79 jokes across a single congressional event with relentless character chaos.
Directed by Maurice Marable · Written by Billy Kimball
WAR
92.8
Wins Above Replacement
“Congressional Ball” ranks #12 of 65 Veep episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 84.0 — Elite. The episode packs 79 scored jokes at 2.0 per minute, averaging 7.3 on craft and 7.0 on impact, with Selina landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
And then I'm gonna have the IRS crawl so far up your husband's colon, he's gonna wish the only thing they find is more cancer.
Selina Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback This year? It's the 50 Hottest Staffers, Jonah, not the 50 people most likely to kill themselves before trial.
Dan Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch If you don't look like someone melted Play-Doh all over a flagpole, it does.
Dan Character Comedy ★ Rewatch You're not hot. Gary Welsh at State is. You're a typo.
Amy Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback My Donald. He has chemo today. (GASPS) Fantastic.
All Jokes — 79 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ How did you know I have a minivan? - Just a good guess.
Ugh, yeah.
Selina Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch I mean, my license expired a few years ago, but I get the general idea.
Selina Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch My Donald. He has chemo today. (GASPS) Fantastic.
Check out the tits in the third row. I could dribble those things like basketballs.
Jonah Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Drop the puck? - Common hockey term.
Oh, I just heard the buzzer. That is the end of the third period. See you at the next face-off.
Mike Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Well, I suppose putting a few pictures up of Muhammad never hurt anyone.
Selina Dark/Subversive Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch She's a lesbian, Mike. She's not a werewolf. Although either one would explain why she never shaves her legs.
Selina Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch When does the White House's most useless press secretary list come out? I can't wait to see who's number one this year. - I voted for Mike.
Selina Ben Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch I don't think you're in it this year, Ame.
Dan Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch There you go, Amy. Problem solved.
Dan Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Who's 22? The Elephant Man?
Gary Character Comedy Observational This year? It's the 50 Hottest Staffers, Jonah, not the 50 people most likely to kill themselves before trial.
Dan Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch I am on a career rocket ship to Mars right now, Dan, except I'm gonna leave Matt Damon there because the guy made potatoes in his own shit like a fucking animal.
Jonah Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Find a woman who was on it last year, but not this year. I mean, that's like a 'make her pay for dinner' situation.
Dan Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback If you don't look like someone melted Play-Doh all over a flagpole, it does.
Dan Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Well, it makes sense. He's got beautiful eyes.
Selina Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch And once you're all done with them, I'll move in and squirt a half gallon of ropey jism into their modeled congressional cornholes.
Roger Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Oh, you made it so far and then you just... (SIGHS)
Selina Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch No, Roger took my thing about ropey jism.
Tom Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Literally anything.
Ben Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Well, as the late, great Lionel Richie once said, 'Oh, what a feeling, I am dancing on the debt ceiling.'
Jonah Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch OKAY, A: Lionel Richie is not dead, AND B: what the fuck does that even mean?
Dan Setup/Punchline Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback you sentient enema
Dan Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Mother Mary dry humping a pillow. That is what I call natural talent.
Dan Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Feel my dick. I am rock-hard for you right now, mister. You think I'm kidding. Feel it.
Dan Cringe/Discomfort Escalation ★ Rewatch Granted, every town up here is just two dirty piles of snow connected by a covered bridge
Dan Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch I don't know. Maybe I was supposed to learn it in the second grade, but my teacher was a fucking bitch.
Jonah Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch If you were like 10% less black, I could make you president.
Dan Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Does she know I'm not the president of Cuba?
Selina Character Comedy Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Are you wearing cologne? A little. (SNIFFS) Smells like birdseed.
Do you want to play it more like a mystery?
Selina Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Okay, can you just speak English, Catherine? 'Cause I don't know what you're trying to say.
Selina Character Comedy ★ Rewatch We'll keep it under the gaydar.
Selina Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Who doesn't love a cappella, right? It's like a magic trick 'cause there are no instruments, of course.
Selina Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch You mean 11:00? Over there? Seriously, can you really not tell time?
The fluffers have done their work. It's time for the orgy to begin.
Roger Character Comedy ★ Rewatch That's not his wife. - Okay. - This is one of my staffers, Nadia. - She's a prostitute.
Maybe you ride the pine on this one for a period or two.
Mike Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback You noticed the hockey references? Shit, I thought they were seamless.
Mike Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback You're the only woman who's ever threatened to grate my balls over a bowl of spaghetti.
Buddy Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Our first responders were terribly traumatized by what happened to the first responders in New York.
Buddy Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch The budget has a fatter, more womanly behind than myself.
Will Character Comedy ★ Rewatch God, I feel like somebody's playing a trick on him. They're about to dump a bucket of pig's blood on his head.
Amy Character Comedy ★ Rewatch I'm not saying you're gonna be in the top 20, but you would be a lock for, like, mid 40s.
Dan Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Look at him, he's smiling like his shit's all pine-fresh smelling.
Amy Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Listen, I wish I was hip enough to hang here with you all, but I've got to go deal with... - You're a busy girl. - Tell Liz I love her.
I got it! I got it! The widow saw me filming her and she got mad. She called me some truly awful things. - Oh, thank you, Satan.
I went to turn it on, but it was already on, so I turned it off. Then I went to turn it off, but it already was off, so I turned it on.
Richard Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch (SIGHS) I had such plans for you, Richard.
Dan Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Like Baxter.
Ben Callback Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Well, at least we know you don't need big balls. - Got large stones for sure.
I was warned that you would say some hurtful things.
Jaeger Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch she's got your balls in her hand and she's working your shaft just the way you like it. And moments before you're about to come all over her stupid Slavic face, she says, 'Nyet, after much prayerful consideration, I have to abstain from the upcoming blowjob.' Are you Nadia in this situation?
Selina Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback You're trying to get up the courage to ask me to dance. (LAUGHS) Guilty.
(WHISPERS) the Cocksucking Backstabber.
Selina Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Oh, right, right. Um... (WHISPERS) the Cocksucking Backstabber.
Selina Setup/Punchline Escalation ★ Rewatch How stupid are you, you motherfucking snake?
Selina Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch What? Charlie Baird? What does Charlie Baird have to do with any of this? - I don't know. He's got nothing to do with it.
Tom Selina Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch How stupid are you, you motherfucking snake?
Selina Escalation Character Comedy No straight man remembers a woman's shoes.
Selina Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Well, you got me. I'm gay, so...
Tom Character Comedy Misdirection ★ Rewatch Well, you got me. I'm gay, so...
Tom Misdirection Character Comedy All right, I wanted to fuck your brains out! - There you go. And now you're trying to fuck me tonight. - No, I am fucking you tonight.
Listen, I'm a high functioning alcoholic and you're a sloppy weekend drunk. Now get with it.
Ben Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch So why does your shirt say Jon H Ryan? - Fuck.
Although pocket pool is more my game.
People like you, you look like us, but there's a little piece missing. You're like a different species and one that I hope gets struck from the Earth because you're a bully and Jonah Ryan stands up to bullies.
Jonah Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Okay, you and Boo-Boo the ball-fondling bear here have exactly two seconds to get the fuck out.
Dan Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun The teenager selling cocaine in the bathroom thought so, too.
Dan Observational ★ Rewatch It's where Woodrow Wilson had some of his most significant strokes.
Selina Character Comedy ★ Rewatch You're playing a very dangerous game of chicken with the head fucking hen.
Selina Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun And then I'm gonna have the IRS crawl so far up your husband's colon, he's gonna wish the only thing they find is more cancer.
Selina Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Or do I need to shove a box of White House M&Ms up your stretched-out, six-baby vag?
Selina Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback You're not hot. Gary Welsh at State is. You're a typo.
Amy Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Fuck me, Amadeus.
Dan Character Comedy ★ Rewatch After the national elections, the president may have found herself with a bad lie in the rough, but after stabilizing the economy, the House vote is starting to look like a gimme putt.
Mike Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback