What I’m Watching: Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley: Season 3, Episode 8 “Bachman’s Earning’s Over-ride” (B+)

It’s a wonder that Erlich managed to keep his secret as long as he did, since Richard would have given it away immediately and Erlich’s ego usually leads to much boasting. I like the way that it all played out, with Richard initially suspecting Monica and then quickly getting to the root of the truth which is that it was his supposed best friend and Pied Piper stockholder who had to sell his shares to get back to a point of financial solvency. The people who interview for jobs at Pied Piper really are full of themselves, and this latest candidate was quite eager to exploit what he thought he knew about the company to his advantage. Laurie was blunt with him about what happened, and it was interesting to see Richard start to feel bad that Erlich pretty much ended up getting nothing. Appointing him Director of PR after he bared his humiliation and fell on his sword publicly was a smart move, though Erlich didn’t waste any time declaring himself Chief Evangelism Officer, which is sure to be confusing. I enjoyed the brief interaction we saw between Gavin and Jack, who were nearly friends but then agreed just to play games via their excessive internet while in the air on separate private jets to the same destination. Gavin getting fired has been a long time coming, and I hope he’ll continue to be part of the story in some way since he really is a unique and unforgettable character.