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

Silicon Valley: Season 5, Episode 1 “Grow Fast or Die Slow” (B+)

I’m a huge fan of this show, one that is nominated year after year for Emmys but has only managed to win two technical trophies. There was a lot of talk of how T.J. Miller departing the show might mean that it wouldn’t be as good anymore, but I think that it’s a productive development since Erlich was usually more of a distraction than anything. What his absence means is that Jian Yang is renting out Dinesh and Gilfoyle’s rooms during the day and trying to officially acquire everything Erlich left behind by getting a body shipped to prove that he’s dead. My favorite part of this show is always how quickly all the technical developments change the fortunes of those involved in the rat race, and that started out with Gavin’s purposefully vindictive hiring of all 63 people that Richard had met with, who he promptly discovered were only skilled at the very thing that he wasn’t allowed to have them work on because he gave Richard the patent. Dinesh and Gilfoyle were unimpressed with Richard’s failure of leadership thanks to his inability to stop them from sucking, but he came through in a big way that was ultimately marked a less-than-triumphant public display of vomiting. Richard trying to lowball Kira didn’t work, so instead he opted to bankrupt Sliceline swiftly and then acquire both companies, something that an unbelievably competitive Laurie, who got pregnant just to prove to Monica that she wouldn’t have to take off work, somehow approved because she’s setting up her partner Monica to take the fall for any bad advice she gives. What a season this is sure to be!