Ronit J

Silicon Valley Synopsis:

Follows the struggle of Richard Hendricks, a Silicon Valley engineer trying to build his own company called Pied Piper.

Silicon Valley Series Review:

I’m a fan of Mike Judge. I haven’t watched Beevis & Butt-Head or King of the Hill, but Idiocracy and Office Space were absolutely genius! Plus, I had heard a lot about Silicon Valley. Seeing that it’s only 53 episodes of roughly 28 minutes each, I thought—let’s give it a shot!

My wife and I binged it in less than a month. Okay maybe 2 months.

What made Silicon Valley so special were its characters. From Richard’s nerdy focus on navigating the Valley’s immoral corporate playground to Jared’s undying loyalty and never-say-die attitude, to Dinesh & Gilfoyle’s never-ending banters, this show never disappoints. Even its secondary characters stand out in memorable ways, adding a unique flare to the overall tone and humour to the series. Each of these is further elevated by the actors realising these roles. Be it Thomas Middleditch as the mild-mannered Richard, Kumail Nanjiani as the goofy Pakistani coder, Martin Starr as the Satanist and anarchist Gilfoyle, or even Matt Ross as CEO and tech extraordinaire, Gavin Belson, not once do the actors stray from being the people they are playing.

Relentless and Moral: Not Every Start Up

What makes Richard Hendrick’s Pied Piper stand out from every other startup you might have come across is Richard’s focus on making the world a better place. While the Zuckerbergs and Musks of the world have more or less ruined an already dystopian internet, Richard Hendricks constantly pushes towards remaining objective and moral. Except for a few moral lapses in the later seasons, Richard’s undying spirit makes the show an almost fairy-tale watch.

Naturally, it’s not all seen through rose-tinted glasses. Richard’s insistence on doing the right thing constantly pushes the Pied Piper team into an array of absurd situations, some of which are easily avoidable if they just chose to be assholes. But no, Richard needs to have the moral high ground. And when he doesn’t, his team is there to keep him in check.

Silicon Valley presents an alternate view of the startup culture, one that doesn’t romanticise the hustle, instead focusing on the ideas, the visions, and the world-changing innovations that should make the world a better place. Like many of Mike Judge’s earlier work, Silicon Valley inspires its viewers to think and reflect. Not only about the tech industry, but as humanity as a whole. After all, the conflicts and drama that Silicon Valley presents are all within the tech sector, but the choices and consequences are all very human.

My only complaint—and this is a massive one—with Silicon Valley is its constant use of Deus Ex Machina. Almost every season ends with an impromptu inspiration or final, too-good-to-be-true twist that magically resolves an insurmountable problem. Richard has a moment of inspiration at TechCrunch Disrupt in the Season 1 finale, which results in Pied Piper winning. Pied Piper is about to lose a lawsuit and effectively become Gavin Belson’s IP, but in that final moment, the judge reveals that Belson’s contracts are exploitative and unenforceable, thereby letting Richard win. Only the Series Finale with Exit Event felt like the team actually struggled to find the solution.

A hilarious exploration of the tech startup industry

As much as the characters feel real, so does this world. From the way the coders devise solutions, to the many tech products and their flaws, both technical and corporate, feel well-researched. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to find massive piles of dossiers that the showrunners kept just so they can make this world look and feel real. There is a sincerity to the way the world around our characters lives and breathes.

In fact, knowing some of those stories makes Gavin Belson’s extreme outbursts feel real. The same is true for Russ Hanneman, although he was my least favourite character in the series. Where the struggle and scramble to survive are real, so are the excesses and candid wastefulness of the elite. Silicon Valley takes it all, and beautifully balances it out with humour and human drama. This balance of human conflicts in a tech setting was beautifully done. Even at times when the characters’ personal lives interfere with their work, the primary drama remains about the work, i.e. tech startup.

One thing I am deeply grateful for is that they didn’t just use Monica Hall as Richard Hendricks’ love interest. There were some hints in the end of season 1, but I’m glad they made her an independent character with motivations and faults of her own.

Side note: I wasn’t a fan of Elrich Bachman. I found him too obnoxious, and was actually glad he got written out of the show. I know many fans love him, but there was something just too annoying about him. But, between him and Russ Hanneman, I’d much rather have 2 Elrichs.

Silicon Valley Seasons Ranked

Of course, this ranking is purely based on my personal preferences. Let me know your rankings in the comments!

1. Season 1: Yup. I think Silicon Valley Season 1 was peak. The novelty definitely plays a huge role in me ranking it so high. Plus, I feel like the way the narrative unfolds, the hilarious antics, and the creative solutions all perfectly display the best of this series in its first season.
2. Season 2: I personally hated how they just got rid of Peter Gregory. Yet, Laurie Bream’s addition made up for it somewhat. Season 2 was very close to Season 1 in terms of humour, quality, and story. It still felt very fresh.
3. Season 6: Honestly, it’s the series finale that bumped up season 6 to this spot. The rest of the season was above average, but the ending to this series was just *chef’s kiss*
4. Season 5: I genuinely liked the fact that they got rid of Elrich. Season 5 felt like a breath of fresh air compared to Seasons 3-4. Not the finest, and there is a bit of a formula to the overarching story. Still, this was more enjoyable.
5. Season 4: A tad better than Season 3, Season 4 still felt like the writers weren’t sure of where the story was headed. Plus, the formula of each season becomes all the more apparent by this point. The novelty has worn off, and many of Richard’s fits feel less organic and more plot-convenient.
6. Season 3: I honestly thought this was a disaster. The way they got Jack Barker and just did a 180 on his character in the span of 2 episodes was annoying despite being realistic. The writing felt all over the place, and I just did not enjoy this one.

Silicon Valley Worth Watching?

Hell yeah! Of course, the seasons do dip in quality, but that’s true for most shows out there. But, Silicon Valley is a mere 6 seasons, and even at its weakest, it’s still leagues better than most comedies. Mike Judge is a genius, and it shows in this series.

In Conclusion:

Silicon Valley is a beautifully chaotic comedy about making it big in the valley. Full of thought-provoking ideas, a satire of the startup, corporate and tech industry, and memorable characters that will stay with you beyond the absolutely perfect the series finale.

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What did you think of my Silicon Valley Series Review? Any other show/movie/book you would like me to review? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time.