Friday, July 15, 2016

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

Silicon Valley: Season 3, Episode 10 “The Uptick” (B+)

If you asked me to plot out a season of this show from where it would start to where it would end, I couldn’t possibly dream it up. What’s really great about this episode is that it completely negated the worrisome development that occurred last year and totally vindicated Jared both because everyone knew what he had done and no one cared. Erlich initially got interest by talking about the uptick, which prompted Laurie to try to sell the company, and then she did it but sold it to Bachmanity rather than to Gavin. It’s fun to think that, while Patrice’s tell-all did nothing since Gavin just bought the blog, Erlich used the profits to bail out Pied Piper. The instant transformation of Pied Piper from compression platform to video chat utility is crazy, but I guess that’s just what startups can be like. I’m very pleased to see that Big Head is staying in the picture, since, despite his complete inability to seem even remotely intelligent, he is a genuinely nice, good-natured guy. This has been a very enjoyable season full of game-changing redirects, and I think this show has really honed its sense of self, mirroring the happenings of the area for which it is named and just riding the next big wave as things happen. The ensemble here is terrific, with Dinesh and Gilfoyle playing particularly entertaining roles, and Laurie and Monica contributing just as much to make one of the most eccentric and enjoyable comedies currently on the air.

Season grade: A-
Season MVP: Thomas Middleditch as Richard

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