So, I'm kinda already wondering how this season is going to end. I feel that it's either going to be Richard getting his company back in full or Richard burning it all down.
I only know Tubolowsky from Californication, and I honestly didn't like him in that. I love this show so I'll give him a chance, but I'm not too sure I'm going to like Jack Barker.
I overall enjoyed the episode but I didn't think it was a "great" episode. Definitely wasn't bad but it didn't have me laughing at an all time high. The Let Blaine Die SWOT analysis, that made that episode an all time great (as one example of a great episode in my opinion). This one wasn't on that level for me.
And with the 2nd episode, maybe we're getting a direction as to where the season is going. Although, I'm disappointed that Barker just seems to be all about "the almighty dollar" but I guess it makes sense as someone like him didn't get to where he's at by not just focusing on how to make money as oppose to playing the long game.
The 2 highlights of the episode- the doctor to start the show (him and Richard always have great scenes together) and during the commercial that Dinesh was shown as "the foreigner".
Yeah, the horses made me laugh and I did probably laugh the hardest at "the foreigner" joke. I think the story is getting interesting too with the Nucleus people now catching up with Richard, and the sales force slowing Richard down. Now that they've cracked middle out, Richard is going to have to come up with some new algorithm that nobody can replicate or they are fucked.
I just watched Deadwood for the first time last month and I loved Tobolowski in that. So when he appeared in this new season I did a fist pump. He is awesome. Even thinking of him watching the horses screw makes me laugh out loud.
I love this show and the cast. But with each season I find it less and less funny. Season 1 was utterly fantastic, season 2 was very good, and I have to been weakly impressed with season 3 - and I am aware I am calling that out WAY to early. The comedy aspect is either fading or morphing into something else, but I am still super interested in the tech, silicon valley aspect of it. If you re-watch season 1 though, there was just a hell of a lot more comedy in this comedy show. I mean, there was horse fucking joke in the latest episode...was that suppose to be..funny?? I really didn't need to have a close up of a thrusting stallion, thanks. I am not into dude, bro, Entourage gross out humor, that better not be a foreshadowing of jokes to come...can't help but feel like the comedy used to have a lot more cleverness to it's immaturity...
Veep for me is WAY funnier, the jokes are thick and fast and super smart, but I find the tech world more interesting than politics - so..
The dick algorithm is the probably the funniest scene I've ever seen. Not sure how you Top that so its hard to be more or as funny as the first season.
@aberry89 I agree with your take that the show does seem to be trending from less comedy. I enjoyed Season 2 and the start of Season 3, but the three funniest moments for me are all from Season 1:
Erlich's mushroom trip
The garage art depiction of Erlich as the Statue of Liberty being plowed(while giving a big thumbs up) by Dinesh
Dick Algorithm
And that's leaving out Gavin's reaction at each level of technological failure during Hologram to Hooli Chat to Cell Phone conversation with Big Head. It's very easy to imagine Jim or Aron as the tech support guys in that scene.
Smart, funny show. Well written characters that I care about too. Hate having to remind myself it's a TV show when I momentarily start getting worried over what's happening to them
Tonight's episode was hilarious from opening to ending. I wasn't expecting the plan to fail from the jump, can't wait to see the guys get grilled next week.
See, I had a major problem with how it ended. Yes, Richard is somewhat of a screw up, but I mean, come on! With him tripping and his files going all over the floor and land in the hands of an "enemy" who immediately recognizes what it is and gives it Barker, I mean, that's just all too easy for me. I mean, regardless of the shredder thing, who brings in the files for revolution like that. At least, carry them in a bag that is closed or something. To me, that was just bad/lazy writing to move something along.
The highlight of the episode was the guys (especially Jared) ripping on Dinesh's chain.
@dochielomn Jared getting licks on Dinesh was very funny, especially his first dig and him realizing he just busted someone's balls for probably the first time.
This episode was brilliant. In fact, I wanted to watch it again because I felt like I missed half of the jokes, I was laughing so hard. The entire gold chain subplot was hysterical (I even laughed, guiltily, at the ones that usually ping my racism discomfort). Personally, I loved setting up the whole Ocean's Eleven arc and then immediately subverting it. You know Ocean's Eleven, right? It's the "2001 casino heist film starring Julia Roberts and 11 men.” Never change, Jared. I mean, the heist arc would never work, would it? I would rather have Richard realize that he does have power and that Jack needs him and his team, but also, don't they need to worry about getting ahead of the competition, which now has the code to produce their own version of Pied Piper? If I understand that correctly, then doesn't that give Richard even more leverage?
This episode was brilliant. In fact, I wanted to watch it again because I felt like I missed half of the jokes, I was laughing so hard. The entire gold chain subplot was hysterical (I even laughed, guiltily, at the ones that usually ping my racism discomfort). Personally, I loved setting up the whole Ocean's Eleven arc and then immediately subverting it. You know Ocean's Eleven, right? It's the "2001 casino heist film starring Julia Roberts and 11 men.” Never change, Jared. I mean, the heist arc would never work, would it? I would rather have Richard realize that he does have power and that Jack needs him and his team, but also, don't they need to worry about getting ahead of the competition, which now has the code to produce their own version of Pied Piper? If I understand that correctly, then doesn't that give Richard even more leverage?
@pavlovsbell Why couldn't it have worked? The original Ford Mustang was developed in secrecy from CEO Henry Ford II because he never would have approved the project because the Ford Edsal was such a gigantic flop.
I'm not sure how this would give Richard much leverage, he already went over Jack's head and failed to change anything. Jack clearly doesn't care about anything but short term profit, he wants to increase the company's short term value so he can bail with his 8 figure bonus, long-term consequences be damned.
@ghm3 I didn't expect them to be able to carry off a long con within the company because they just don't seem savvy enough. As for the leverage bit, I was thinking that if EndFrame launches their product first, then wouldn't that make Pied Piper's box even less interesting? But you're right, Jack doesn't care about that, and now that I think about it, aren't the two applications different enough that they are not in direct competition? What if getting caught is actually part of the plan to get demoted or released from the company? Isn't the "Meinertzhagen’s Haversack" ruse actually distracting or tricking someone with fake plans? Maybe the actual plan is to get BigHead to bankroll them or to buy a controlling interest in... EndFrame? Or Pied Piper? I don't know, I'm trying to figure out how they are going to tie in the disparate threads into the story of Pied Piper, but it's very likely that I don't know what the hell I am talking about.
I love how this episode built up this whole long con heist and smashed it to pieces at the very end. LOL so great, thanks for never being predictable Silcon Valley
Snooze fest ep 3. I was thinking about the montage song from World Police. Montage = no story ideas weak sauce. I bailed on Veep looks like Sunday nights are getting shorter.
I think this show is very funny at the scene level. There are some very funny scenes. But I couldn't care less about the big picture. It's been variations on the same theme of business people versus engineers.
I had no doubt that they would fuck up at some point, but it caught me off guard how quickly the entire planned when in flames. I'm also loving every time Jack says something, Richard corrects him, and then Jack agrees.
"...and what do those triangles make when combined"
"A square?"
"A box! You can't make that shit up!"
"But you literally did make that up."
"Yes I did. And now they teach it in business schools."
I was half expecting them to spend the whole episode lost in the data center. Getting separated and each one of them having some kind of mental break/existential crisis. It would have been Silicon Valley's Breaking Bad Fly episode...
Mixed feelings on the ending. I was looking forward to them trying to keep the skunk-works going for multiple episodes and the thing slowly unraveling before our eyes, but blowing up the whole plan in 2 seconds was a good twist.
There are some theories going around that they were meant to be found out. There are some screenshots of Richard wearing knee pads, which is either a production oversight or a tell that he was meant to trip over and let them see it.
There are some theories going around that they were meant to be found out. There are some screenshots of Richard wearing knee pads, which is either a production oversight or a tell that he was meant to trip over and let them see it.
Just saw the pictures. It was probably a production oversight, but that would be pretty cool if true. That kind of plan doesn't seem like Richard, though. Maybe Dinesh or Gilfoyle, but probably Ehrlich, and all he did during the montage of putting together Skunk-Works was smoke weed and eat pizza. Still, pretty cool if true.
The other aspect of it is the original Meinertzhagen's Haversack. It wasn't just about committing to a fake plan to fool observers. Meinertzhagen intentionally dropped a sack with fake plans set up specifically to fool the Turks.
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And with the 2nd episode, maybe we're getting a direction as to where the season is going. Although, I'm disappointed that Barker just seems to be all about "the almighty dollar" but I guess it makes sense as someone like him didn't get to where he's at by not just focusing on how to make money as oppose to playing the long game.
The 2 highlights of the episode- the doctor to start the show (him and Richard always have great scenes together) and during the commercial that Dinesh was shown as "the foreigner".
And that's leaving out Gavin's reaction at each level of technological failure during Hologram to Hooli Chat to Cell Phone conversation with Big Head. It's very easy to imagine Jim or Aron as the tech support guys in that scene.
See, I had a major problem with how it ended. Yes, Richard is somewhat of a screw up, but I mean, come on! With him tripping and his files going all over the floor and land in the hands of an "enemy" who immediately recognizes what it is and gives it Barker, I mean, that's just all too easy for me. I mean, regardless of the shredder thing, who brings in the files for revolution like that. At least, carry them in a bag that is closed or something. To me, that was just bad/lazy writing to move something along.
The highlight of the episode was the guys (especially Jared) ripping on Dinesh's chain.
Mixed feelings on the ending. I was looking forward to them trying to keep the skunk-works going for multiple episodes and the thing slowly unraveling before our eyes, but blowing up the whole plan in 2 seconds was a good twist.