What I’m Watching: Silicon Valley (Season Finale)

Silicon Valley: Season 1, Episode 8 “Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency” (B+)

This was a very fitting finale, and a great way to reformat the show completely for what’s sure to be a wild and crazy season two. After Richard hit it big with offers from both Peter and Gavin in the pilot, now he’s evolved to something much hotter, and as Monica exuberantly rambled, he’s going to be in a whole new world with entirely fresh and grander problems. Things weren’t looking good at the outset here, though being pushed through to the finals as a settlement for what would have been a victorious lawsuit certainly helped. How Richard’s brilliant reconstruct came about was pretty hilarious, and the seriousness with which these hard-core programmers were discussing Erlich’s ability to ensure the satisfaction of every member of the audience was incredible. Richard offering to do the presentation himself was odd and a bit worrisome, and he did not get off to a positive start. There’s nothing more jarring than a big finish though, and he came through with that in a big way. Achieving a score over 5 after he said he could get one around 3 was a tremendous achievement, and the fact that it almost didn’t work provided just the right amount of suspense before a wildly successful conclusion. This season had some iffy moments, but when it was good, it was pretty great. I’m looking forward to seeing how this show can develop in season two and evolve to the next level. It’s just a shame that it will be without the late Christopher Evan Welch, who did such a good job of crafting the magnificent personality that was Peter Gregory.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Christopher Evan Welch as Peter Gregory