What I’m Watching: Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley: Season 1, Episode 6 “Third Party Insourcing” (B-)

All elements of the plot of this episode were pretty silly, but it was still quite entertaining anyway. Up to this point things had been exaggerated in a more literal way, while this installment demanded far more suspension of disbelief. The revelation that the famed Carver was actually an arrogant little kid named Kevin was amusing at first and then quite horrifying, when he made Richard feel self-conscious about his habits and then almost ruined the entire system because he didn’t have his Adderall. Getting slapped in the face by another kid when he tried to buy some Adderall was a definite low moment for Richard, and then the violence only continued when Erlich slapped the guy right back and scared him into getting them what they needed. That was a bit too stark and startling for my tastes, and I didn’t find the Satanist meeting or Gilfyole’s trickery of Dinesh and, less intentionally, Erlich, regarding his girlfriend’s desire for them. Gabe’s plotline was completely out-of-this-world, and I actually found myself laughing quite a bit at it. His excitement at the self-operating car was great, and then things got crazy in a way that has literally stranded him on an island where no people live and everything is operated by machines. I wonder if anyone will ever realize he’s there? I’d love to see this show incorporate some of this episode’s far-fetched technological innovations into more grounded storylines. I think there’s plenty of potential for it if it doesn’t try to reach too far.