Take Three: Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley: Season 1, Episode 3 “Articles of Incorporation” (B)

HBO renewed this show already for a second season, and I think I’m on board too, even if the episode wasn’t one-hundred percent solid. It’s clear that there is plenty of opposition to the name Pied Piper, and that Richard is really its only proponent. That said, it is his company, and he worked pretty hard to be able to keep the name, showing off some impressive negotiating skills when he thought his life was in danger. Casey Sander, who portrays Bernadette’s father on “The Big Bang Theory,” was great as Arnold, the owner of the other Pied Piper who agreed to sell the name to Richard for $1,000 before changing his mind and then demanding much more before settling for the original amount with or without gas money. Leave it to “co-founder” Erlich to royally mess things up by publishing widely that the company was doing incredibly well, hiring a fake intern and making Richard’s life miserable. His séance in the desert didn’t go too well either, resulting in what appears to be a child kidnapping. Dinesh and Gilfoyle’s switched roles are rather amusing, particularly because Dinesh gets so irritated by every thing that doesn’t irk Gilfoyle at all. All of them shouting their names to prevent from being attacked was hilarious. My favorite part of the episode was every moment involving Peter Gregory, who did his best Kyle MacLachlan impression and dissected everything about Burger King’s business model and menu, only to reveal himself not to be quite as crazy as everyone initially thought. He’s definitely eccentric, and it’s a good thing he has Monica to watch out for him.