If you missed last week, catch up on our episode review here.
You know, when I sat down to watch this episode, I had a lot of thoughts about what I might see. I wondered if I would see conflict between Richard and the new CEO. I wondered if I would see Erlich feeling left behind. I saw all that, and more than I could ever imagine. I think I’m traumatized…
The episode has some emotional turns for Richard as he questions his trust in the new CEO Jack Barker (played by Stephen Tobolowsky). That is some great casting. Tobolowsky is a fantastic actor, but right now, I’m questioning his ability to run Pied Piper the way Richard envisions. In fact, the new Pied Piper seems to keep chipping away at the product that is what got them the start-up money in the first place. So they have a product that will amaze people, but in the eyes of “business” people, it’s not enough of a commodity. Richard finally gets the gumption to stand up for himself, and boy does that backfire something awful.
Erlich has his own emotional turmoil as he watches his little babies leave the nest. I half expected him to have bagged lunches for them every morning as they left for work. He clearly feels left behind, and unfortunately he has his own turmoil at home. Erlich asked Jian Yang to vacate the premises so he can foster a new “incubee,” and Jian Yang was not so thrilled about this idea. However Erlich has a brief lapse of awareness, he reveals the secret of California law that tenants have way more power than homeowners. So Erlich has just shat the bed and now he has to liein it…
But why am I so traumatized? Good question, allow me to elaborate. When you’re watching a show about tech, you expect to see computers. You expect to hear about programs and lingo you don’t understand. Okay, I expect to hear about programs and lingo I don’t understand. You know what I don’t expect to see? Horse sex. Why? Why, writers, why? There’s such a build up to a poignant moment, and then two horses doing it. I can never unsee that.
It will be interesting to see what lies ahead. Richard’s idea is slowly being unraveled and even though he escaped Gavin, we don’t know that the worst is behind him. In terms of tech, it seems like the worst could be ahead. But most of the time I’m not sure what they are talking about anyway. From the frequent frowning and annoyed arguments, it doesn’t seem good.
Stay tuned to HBOWatch for our weekly reviews on all things Silicon Valley and be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below!
