Posts for 2019

We're back for Silicon Valley Season 4, and I promise you this is one firecracker of an installment! Though I watched it with mixed feelings (you'll see why by the end of this review), it was a thrilling ride.



It's a Season that more than lives up to the standards set by the previous Seasons, and this is also the Season that Erlich exits the show.

Warning - spoilers ahead, plenty of profanity ahead...

...but surprisingly tame by Silicon Valley standards. Really. I've become used to worse. It's like the scriptwriters decided to tone down the vulgarity and up the number of plot twists.

Also, I don't own the screenshots.

The Premise

Pied Piper has pivoted to a new product after a time skip - video chat. Richard gets an idea for a much better use for his algorithm and leaves the company to pursue that vision while the others focus on making the video chat a success. Meanwhile, their old nemesis Gavin Belson is ousted by none other than Jack Barker, leaving our intrepid band of tech geeks to be their own worst enemies.

The ubiquity of Internet devices is going to play a very big part in this Season as Richard hits his stride...

The Characters

Thomas Middleditch (last seen in a small but precious role as Sam Coleman in Godzilla: King of the Monsters) as tech geek extraordinaire Richard Hendricks. When he's talking to Russ about his ideas for a new decentralized Internet, you can see the gradual change as he grows more confident, more assertive. It's marvelous to watch.

Richard also undergoes a change in character, straying down a darker path. It comes early in the Season when he rejects Big Head's offer to give him unauthorized access out of principle, but goes "fuck it" once Dinesh pisses him off (to be fair, CEO Dinesh has that effect on quite a few people).


Later, his actions - and self-justifications for those actions - grow more extreme and less ethical as desperation propels him to perpetuate acts he would otherwise never have even contemplated. It's a fascinating sight and Middleditch does credit to the skill this requires.

TJ Miller as Erlich Bachmann. An astute political animal who can immediately tell right off that Laurie Bream is about to get ousted just by simple observation at a baby shower, and great at reading sexual vibes from women. This Season is Miller's last, and the writers have decided to highlight Erlich's fading relevance to the team... by throwing setback after setback at Erlich. It makes for great TV and Miller handles it like a champ, eliciting laughs all round as Erlich handles each and every occurrence with hubris and bombast. In fact, that scene of Erlich sitting in his palapa as it burns down all around him, seems to refer to the smoking ruins of his dreams.


It's pretty sad that Miller has decided to leave after all he's contributed to the past few Seasons, but exit he does, and in rip-roaring fashion.

Zach Woods as Jared Dunn. This Season has opened my eyes as to just how phenomenal an actor Woods is. Sure, he doesn't have that movie-star look or physique, but damn, that man can act. Watching his face transform is a study unto itself. From the times Jared goes from loyal, nurturing milquetoast employee to enraged warrior in just one heartbeat... it's terrifying and glorious. There's that scene where he and Richard express their exuberance while investigating Peter Gregory's notes. There's that little sideplot where he poses as a frat bro douchebag Ed Chambers on the phone. And that heart-stopping moment in Hoolicon where his befuddlement at Richard is finally, after almost four Seasons, replaced by rage, not just disappointment.


Jared really comes into his own this Season. No doubts about it. Despite having no tech skills to speak of, he's become indispensable to the Pied Piper team. Not just in organization and business, but as their conscience. Richard's conscience in particular.

Kumail Nanjiani has an interesting turn as Dinesh Chugtai. He starts off being self-centered, awkward and insecure as we've seen him in the last few Seasons, but once he becomes CEO, the transformation is remarkable. As in, he turns drastically more arrogant and smarmy, undergoes a wardrobe change and occasionally gets really sinister in tone. We see the effect of power and authority on him, and it's both sad and fascinating. And because it's Dinesh, just damn funny. Kumail Nanjiani does a great job of making Dinesh unlikeable. He's all of that, and then gets cut back down to size within the next episode, and becomes the sweet vulnerable Dinesh we've come to know (and detest a lot less).

Martin Starr as Bertram Gilfoyle. Just about everyone gets character development this Season except for Gilfoyle. Martin Starr plays him with the same amount of deadpan snark and nihilism as always, and he seems to have become the constant in a sea of change.

Matt Ross plays Gavin Belson with as much venom, megalomania and vindictiveness as with the past few Seasons, and this time Gavin takes his pettiness and opportunism to a whole new low. Jack Barker is among his first victims, and all due to something innocuous. But Gavin finally does himself in when he attempts to screw Dinesh over.

Still, all said and done, Gavin Belson is not only a trained tech but also a brilliant businessman, and when he finally puts his pettiness aside, one can see hints of what he's truly capable of. The exit he makes midway to find himself is bereft of his usual pretensions (even if that exit is made using his personal jet) and one senses he's truly had an epiphany as to how his pettiness has been holding him back.

Stephen Tobolowsky as "Action" Jack Barker. This Season, his sneaky side comes out to play as he stabs Gavin in the back after a few episodes of kissing his ass. Tries too hard to be more successful than Gavin once he occupies the CEO seat, and ends up alienating Hoover. Toblowsky chews the scenery in the few scenes he's in, in the later episodes.

Josh Brener is the befuddled Nelson "Big Head" Bighetti. As usual, Josh Brener plays the dimwit well, perhaps a little too well. But now there's an interesting twist - whenever Big Head fails to read the mood in the room and asks some dumb questions, his observations hit really close to home. He's like the Court Jester who acts like a fool, but whose tomfoolery contains uncomfortable truths. Again, his habit of lucking out continues in this Season and he gets opportunities he otherwise would not get if he were a bit more savvy.

Big Head is the quintessential programming everyman. He is onscreen proof against the perception that people who can code, are smart. Seriously, his id is "password" and his password is "password"?

Amanda Crew as Monica Hall. She acts as the voice of reason here, as opposed to the manic ball of energy that is Russ Hannamen. We get to see her slippery side when she attempts to screw Ed Chen over. Though, this is a period of trials for Monica. Woman can't seem to catch a break right up until the middle of the Season.

Comedian Jimmy O. Yang as Jian Yang. His presence acts as a foil to Erlich's, now giving him verbal beatdowns as opposed to simply baleful glares.

Jake Broder as Dan Melcher. He's been missing since Season One, and the man twice-cuckolded by Erlich is soon to be cuckolded by... Richard. You got to feel a bit sorry for the guy there. He's a boring and klutzy dude, but that's not a crime deserving of that kind of punishment.

Phoebe Neidhardt as Mia, or "MI4". Does the psycho hacker bit really well. She's not even hamming it up and is pretty much this side of believable.

Chris Williams as Hoover. Loyal and eager to please. Unlike Denpok, his loyalty to Gavin Belson does not go away that easily and is even the cause of Pied Piper getting bailed out of trouble later on.

Matt McCoy makes a welcome appearance as Pete Monahan the attorney. Jared and Dinesh consult him on a legal matter, and the dead-serious manner in which he treats the case (and to be honest, it's a very serious matter) just makes it all the more hilarious. I last saw him in a minor role in True Detective Season 2, and it was jarring because that's not a comedy.

Leisha Hailey as Liz Tinsdale. Not overly pretty but very pleasant. Does a passable portrayal of a woman fed up with the structure of her life and craving a little danger.

Haley Joel Osment as Keenan Feldspar. The fat grown-up version of the little kid from The Sixth Sense sells the role as a tech entrepreneur who has the gift of selling. His enthusiasm is infectious even as he's selling dog shit tech. Osment does a fabulous job here bringing that character to life. That is one hell of a talented actor.

Tim Chiou as Ed Chen. Smug (like almost everyone in Silicon Valley) and jovial, and I couldn't help noticing, pretty well-built. Turns out to be even more slippery than Monica.

Suzanne Cryer as Laurie Bream. Laurie is pregnant this Season, and treats it as business as usual. In fact, her baffled expression when Monica congratulates her, really sells it. Laurie's less of an antagonist this Season and her main role is to help move plot points along.

Ben Feldman as Ron LaFlamme. They found a way to include my favorite Silicon Valley lawyer midway through the Season, and boy does he deliver!
 
Bernard White is Denpok, Gavin's spiritual advisor. Weaselly fellow who tries all means and ways to latch back on to Gavin. Comes up against Hoover, who uses practical tech and security to serve Gavin, as opposed to Denpok's new-agey scamminess.

Allan Miller as Stuart Burke, a crotchety old dude that, despite knowing jack-all about tech, manages to parlay that into patent blackmail.

Andy Daly is the unnamed doctor. He gets a bit less time this Season, but handles his role deftly as always with expertly-delivered good-natured verbal jabs at Richard..

Chris Diamantopoulos has a couple cameos as Russ Hannamen. Crass, loud and vulgar, gives Erlich a serious run for his money. And surprisingly insightful. He tells right away that Richard isn't into the whole video chat platform despite Richard doing his damn best to sound enthusiastic. He's certainly a sight for sore eyes, right from the first episode. It's especially hilarious, if juvenile, just how many terms he knows for the word "gay".

Graham Rogers as Bryce, Gavin's "Transfusion Associate". Surprise, he's actually one of the few who remember Jared's real name, Donald. Despite that, he's an opportunistic dick, a tech wannabe and his relationship with Gavin is more than a little bit creepy.

Bridey Elliott as Winnie. Richard's ex makes an appearance near the end of the Season and proves to contribute to his downfall. To be fair, it's mostly Richard sabotaging himself due to being almost as petty as Gavin Belson. Still, I don't like the character much and don't think she contributes a lot by herself, so her appearance is thankfully short.

Flula Borg as Joel, CEO of PeaceFare and Winnie's new boyfriend. Idealistic and well-intentioned, comes off as an all-round good guy. So Richard looks like a dick for trying to sabotage him.

Patrick O'Connor as Nelson Bighetti Sr, Big Head's dad. We don't see much of him, but there's nice interaction between him and his dim-witted son Big Head, and his antagonism towards Erlich.

Henry Phillips as John the server guy. We see him once, as a running gag at the end of the first episode. Damn, that level of deadpan is astonishing!

Emily Chang as herself. We only see her in a couple interview segments, but her inclusion adds a certain level of real-world presence in the show.

The Mood

Things are starting to heat up this time round, and the occurrences come at you fast and furious. Things happen and then revert in the course of one or two episodes, though ultimately a lot of these sideplots, as in the previous Seasons, actually do contribute to the main arc. There are crisis mode tech moments too. Ultimately, it's a lot of drama interspersed with comedy.

What I liked

This scene where Richard poses as an Uber driver to sell Pied Piper chat to a venture capitalist is already funny enough on its own due to how obviously forced the impromptu sales pitch sounds, but when the part comes for him to demo the Add Friends feature, Martin Starr's deadpan "hello... friend" delivery really seals it. You can just imagine Gilfoyle thinking, no, we're not friends.


Although many characters, especially the main ones, go through some interesting developments this Season, they are comfortingly consistent in the way they act. The changes aren't just sprung on the viewers - they're logically presented as the way those characters would become after undergoing three Seasons of whatever they had to go through.

The little game of one-upmanship between Hoover and Denpok was great. What made it sweeter was that these two are minor characters at best, and finally given the chance to really shine after so many Seasons.

The creepy music that plays when Richard goes to visit Gavin Belson at his home. Also, the entire scene of Richard and Gavin having an earnest moment about the potential of Decentralized Internet. Because at heart, Gavin Belson isn't just a ruthless corprorate suit - he's also a tech geek in his own right just like Richard. Bonus points for Richard drawing formulas on the very expansive forehead of Gavin's portrait!



Gilfoyle says this... while drinking a beer.


Seriously though, this is a great segment for our favorite Satanist geek. When Richard and Gavin join forces, Gilfoyle wants in but he's too proud to sell himself to them, so he resorts to snarking at their shortlist of tech candidates... hard. Richard, Jared and even Dinesh all see right through him! It's a moment that makes Gilfoyle startlingly human.



The episode with the Patent Troll, not least because it includes an appearance by Ron LaFlamme! But it does give insights to the opportunism in Silicon Valley, disgusting frat bro rituals and a heartwaring sight of Richard refusing to bow out of principle. And also, this episode ends with Gilfoyle hacking Jian Yang's smart fridge (and misspelling his name).



I'm in two minds about the scene where Richard puts a "pineapple" in Dinesh's backpack and tells him to hit the killswitch in the most densely populated area he can find. Dinesh being a Pakistani and all, this is a parody of a suicide bombing and is in extremely poor taste. And yet... it might just be so bad that it's good.

In the final episode, Jack Barker starts rambling on about the Cojoined Triangles of Success to a bunch of China factory employees and next moment we see that he's been taken hostage. These Chinese sure take no shit!

What I didn't

That open-door-to-men-using-the-urinal running gag was cute... but got tiresome quickly. Wasn't that great a joke to begin with and they could have just skipped it.



Generally, the frenetic pace of this Season. A lot happens within an episode. Sure, they somehow make this work, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the rate of twists in the story. Something starts to happen, and then it all comes undone by the next couple episodes, sometimes even within the current episode in which it happens. Though, if the show creators are trying to make a case for just how hectic tech life is in Silicon Valley, they're certainly succeeding.

The Mandarin spoken between Ed Chen and Jian Yang is horrible.

In fact, the entire thread about Jian Yang's See Food app seems pretty pointless except maybe to illustrate Erlich's decline. Though I like the fact that Jian Yang seems to be using Sublime Text Editor as a code platform while demoing the app.



Speaking of "pointless", so is the entire sideplot of Dinesh and Gilfoyle when their phones are accidentally merged with each other. Fisticuffs occur and even Jarrod is caught up in it... so unnecessary.

The one-night stand between Liz and Richard feels really sudden. The fallout is funny, but not entirely credible.

OK, what was the point of this little gag again? Gilfoyle having cat eyes. Fine. So what?

Conclusion

This is a really good installment of the Silicon Valley show, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Though I enjoyed it way more than I did the preceding Seasons, I realize that this Season was so good only because of the foundation laid by the previous Seasons. The characters are consistent with how they've always been portrayed. Things move a little too fast for my liking, but ultimately this Season feels more weighty, more... substantial. There's still a lot of comedy, but now the drama quotient has been upped a great deal.

My Rating

9 / 10