Blu-ray Review: 'Silicon Valley - The Complete Second Season'

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Silicon Valley - The Complete Second Season' on Blogcritics.

HBO’s Silicon Valley is releasing The Complete Second Season next week, just before the third run begins. Although not a novel approach to home video, it is certainly appreciated, as Silicon Valley is a hilarious comedy ripe for binge-watching, and had I not already seen all of the episodes on this release, I would likely be plowing through them. As it is, I am tempted to watch again anyway because the show is particularly good.

If you’re not familiar with Silicon Valley, it takes place in the tech mecca mentioned in the title, and follows a small group of programmers and their start-up company. Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) is the brains, developing a compression algorithm better than anyone else ever has before. Along with his pals, Gilfoyle (Martin Starr) and Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani), landlord and loudmouth Erlich (T.J. Miller), organized support man Jared (Zach Woods), and the advice of Monica (Amanda Crew), who works for their first investor, Richard founded a company called Pied Piper to sell his creation.

Season two begins with the Pied Piper team shopping around for new investors, wanting to scale up their product. At first, they’re riding high from a big win at the close of the freshman year. But then Gavin Belson (Matt Ross), the villain of the piece, CEO of huge corporation Hooli (think Google), shows back up and sues Pied Piper, claiming it was developed on his computers. Belson also has Richard’s friend Big Head (Josh Brener) in his employ, a useful pawn in the competition.

The rest of the second year becomes a back-and-forth struggle as Richard and company try to keep control of their invention, while those with a lot more money than they have try to wrest it from their grasp. It’s a classic David-versus-Goliath battle in the world of geeks, and only one of them can win. Will it be our heroes? Or will Silicon Valley show them struggle through defeat and have to come up with something else to rise from the ashes? Honestly, it’s quite uncertain through most of the ten episodes.

Complicating matters are two new faces for the sophomore season. Suzanne Cryer’s (Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place) Laurie takes over Peter Gregory’s company. Gregory’s portrayer, Christopher Evan Welch, sadly passed away last year, and his character is similarly written out. Cryer does a good job, but definitely brings a different energy than Welch had. Chris Diamantopoulos (About a Boy, The Office) enters as eccentric rich man Russ Hanneman, who soon involves himself in Pied Piper’s affairs, both as a help and a hindrance. 

Silicon Valley is a geeky look at a niche subculture that everyone knows about, but few venture into. The actual Silicon Valley is a world unto itself, and it’s great to get a sneak peek inside, especially with this very talented cast of humorous performers, who make dark situations look fun; there are laughs to be found in their misery. I cannot recommend the show enough.

As far as extras go, there are six audio commentaries that are very welcome, featuring creator Mike Judge (Office Space), the hilarious T.J. Miller, and others. There are also the obligatory deleted scenes, and a brief featurette about “The Art & Science Behind Silicon Valley.” In all, not a lot, and I couldn’t help but wish for more. But at least what is present is solid.

I can’t say there are strong, specific reasons for choosing Blu-ray over DVD. There aren’t a lot of special effects, outside of the very cool theme song, and the soundtrack is pretty basic, as it usually is for most sitcoms. But things just look so much better in HD, why would you want an inferior quality if given a choice?

Silicon Valley: The Complete Second Season will be available next Tuesday, April 19, at retailers everywhere.

SILICON VALLEY "Shuffle" in Wake of Death

Article first written for Seat42F.

A hanging question this past year about HBO’s SILICON VALLEY is, how will the show deal with the death of Christopher Evan Welch, who played Peter Gregory? That question is answered in the season two premiere, “Sand Hill Shuffle,” which takes place shortly after season one ends. Pied Piper considers which investor offer to accept, not confident that Gregory’s company is the smart move without its managing partner. During this, many mourn the death of Gregory, whose passing hangs heavy over the story.

SILICON VALLEY is a comedy, and as sad as everyone is over Welch’s passing, to not make his character’s death at least a little bit funny would go against the tone of the show. Some sitcoms have taken the more serious tact when losing a cast member, but it doesn’t make sense for SILICON VALLEY to do so, and so it doesn’t. From Monica (Amanda Crew) very slowly telling the story of Peter’s final moments, to eulogies being hijacked to defend products, “Sand Hill Shuffle” manages to elicit laughs, while still paying fitting tribute to the man. It’s a hard balance to strike, and this show nails it.

A strong personality is needed to replace the eccentric Gregory, who is a great presence in season one. SILICON VALLEY finds this in Suzanne Cryer, who plays the antisocial new managing partner in the firm. She is different enough from Gregory to not seem like an imitation, but still brings some of the same off-putting characteristics that provide screwball comedy in a unique-ish way. While we are only a single episode into season two, I think Cryer seems like the perfect presence to fill the hole.

As Monica adjusts to new leadership, she is caught in a very difficult position. Obviously, she values her career, but she also has feelings for Richard (Thomas Middleditch). When her new boss makes a business decision that will likely hurt Richard, Monica sticks her neck out to protect him, warning him away from the deal.

I can’t help but feel that these two have to find a way to be together. Sure, this is TV, so there has to be drama between them preventing the romance. But that can’t last forever, right? There is no point in stretching this out for six seasons of will-they, won’t-they. Season two is the time to make the relationship happen, even if it’s not until the end.

Richard proves once more that he is the brains of the operation in “Sand Hill Shuffle.” While Gilfoyle (Martin Starr) and Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani) bicker over who is CTO, and while Erlich (T.J. Miller) beats the funding firms at their own game by being exceedingly rude, Richard actually considers the situation carefully, paying attention to everything that goes down. It’s Monica that recommends Richard not take the bigger deal, but it’s Richard that decides to make that happen while staying with the firm he wants to, even though they offer the most money, as Monica isn’t part of Pied Piper. Obviously, Monica provides the smarts here and deserves most of the credit for saving them, but as far as the tech company is concerned, Richard is the one who makes the right choice, just as he is the one who saves the day in season one.

It’s interesting that Richard is the savior. Everyone in the cast has their role, and his has been genius programmer. To also give him business sense defies convention a little bit, in my opinion. Normally, I’d appreciate seeing another main character, perhaps Jared (Zach Woods), save the day, but SILICON VALLEY always lets Richard do it. It’s an intriguing choice, and one that works for this particular program.

Basically, I don’t have any complaints about “Sand Hill Shuffle,” which is thoroughly enjoyable. It’s as funny as anything in season one, keeps the stakes alive with the cliffhanger that Gavin (Matt Ross) is suing Pied Piper, and advances the story and growth of Richard. It’s clear that the show has lost nothing during its hiatus, and despite the regrettable departure of Welch, SILICON VALLEY will live on, as good as ever.

SILICON VALLEY airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.

SILICON VALLEY An "Optimal" Comedy

Article first published as TV Review: 'Silicon Valley' - "Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency" on Blogcritics.

HBO’s new comedy, Silicon Valley, wrapped up its freshman run last night in “Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency.” The team is still at the Disrupt conference, their project having been fast-tracked to the finals to avoid legal action after a crazy judge ruins their first presentation. When Gavin Belson (Matt Ross) unveils a better version of Pied Piper, all looks lost. But some risque jokes among the dejected group give Richard (Thomas Middleditch) new inspiration, and the ending of the episode, while not surprising, is inspiring.

In retrospect, it always has to be Richard that steps up for his product, not Erlich (T.J. Miller). I love Erlich’s character, and he has plenty to do in this episode, but the technology and the brains belong solidly to Richard, and if he isn’t the face that wins the day, he’ll never be the real power in the company. Silicon Valley is the story of a meteoric rise of a hero, and in order to achieve greatness, a hero must overcome. Richard’s stammering delivery on stage may not be the stuff of legends, but what he’s come up with is, and “Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency” lets Richard triumph while maintaining his loser character, including a puking scene afterwards to prove he still has a long way to go.

Richard does almost get the girl, Monica (Amanda Crew), icing on the cake, but his win actually costs him any chance at a relationship, as they can’t date while working together. I will admit, her attraction to him does seem a tad dubious, given how bumbling he is around her, and pushing off their almost-certain relationship is even more forced, Silicon Valley follows the example of most TV shows in that it keeps its lead single no matter what. I wish the writers would go there or forever close the door, rather than leave this thread flapping in the wind, and maybe next season they will. There is enough tension without this.

Silicon Valley is terrific because of its mix of dirty jokes and interesting personalities. There is a lot of conflict among the characters; Gilfoyle (Martin Starr) and Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani) even think about abandoning the company mid-episode, and that drives the story. It’s not a group of guys that inherently like each other at the start, but they are united by shared purpose and dreams of fortunes. As they go through these trials together, they will probably grow into fast friends, but that’s likely to happen without any of them realizing it, a welcome departure from people who really want to be together.

The show makes sure to serve each of the characters well. Erlich trying to start rumors about Belson to the press, dancing around anything that could seriously get him into trouble, is hilarious and a totally perfect moment for him. Gilfoyle and Dinesh wrestling with their consciences is terrific, convincing themselves they aren’t dickheads as they are being dickheads. Even Jared (Zach Woods) tosses in a great contribution to the jerk-off equation when he brings up girth, finally feeling like part of the group. Each is a distinct individual, and each has their own piece of the plot, getting development and growth for their characters.

It’s fantastic that Richard’s inspiration comes from the team calculating how Erlich can jerk off 800 dicks most efficiently. It’s a throwaway line at first that the guys, tired and slap-happy, can’t help but double and triple down on, until it grows into a beast of his own. This gives Richard his eureka moment, but it also beautifully illustrates the dynamic of the group and tone of the series, taking something ridiculous completely serious and geeking out over it. It’s a perfect sequence, saving a last-minute save from being too cheesy or stylistically abrupt.

A glaring hole in “Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency” is the missing Peter Gregory (Christopher Evan Welch), weirdest of the weird and Pied Piper’s benefactor. The reason the part is absent is because the actor passed away from cancer prior to completion of the season. Rather than write him out immediately, Silicon Valley treads water, keeping him alive by mentioning where he is, but fans will likely miss his fantastic performance. What the show will do from here is still up in the air, and he is not easily replaced.

Even without Gregory, though, Silicon Valley delivers a nearly flawless season finale, with plot and characters well served, twists feeling fresh even when they shouldn’t, and a good, new starting place for next year to pick up from. I’ve been impressed with the entire first year of the show, and sticking a landing like this should solidify it as a must-watch by the time it returns.

A second season has been ordered, and Silicon Valley will likely be back on HBO in early 2015.

USA is PLAYING HOUSE

Article first published as TV Review: 'Playing House' - 'Pilot; Bird Bones' on Blogcritics.

USA premieres Playing House, this week with a two-episode premiere, the network’s second-ever sitcom. In the first episode “Pilot,” Emma Carter (Jessica St. Clair, Bridesmaids) gives up her career to move back home and help her pregnant best friend, Maggie Caruso (Lennon Parham, Confessions of a Shopaholic), raise her baby after Maggie kicks out her no-good husband. In the second episode, “Bird Bones,” the girls make an effort to befriend Emma’s ex-boyfriend’s wife.

If Playing House seems familiar, you may be thinking of the short-lived series Best Friends Forever, also starring and created by Parham and St. Clair. Maggie and Emma are very similar to those characters, Parham once again portraying a woman in a relationship, while St. Clair is the single girl. Once again, the focus is much more on the friendship than on their romantic entanglements. The chemistry between the two women is really the backbone of the show.

In “Pilot,” Maggie’s husband, Bruce (Brad Morris, Cougar Town), is caught cheating on her in a big, public way, establishing why Emma would quit her successful career to come back to a town she hates. On one hand, I’m disappointed with the cheating setup, because Maggie’s marriage had seemed so solid. I had assumed Bruce would be killed off, which might have been a more emotionally satisfying turn of events. On the other, Playing House is solidly a comedy, and even the dramatic moments are played for laughs, thanks to a raccoon or other outside influence, so by making Bruce a cheater, they don’t have to get too deep or sad.

“Bird Bones” takes a similar tact as Maggie and Emma have brunch with Tina Rodriguez (Lindsay Sloane, Horrible Bosses), the wife of Emma’s ex, policeman Mark (Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele). This could be a charged sequence in which Emma worries about past wrongs, and the girls feel deeply bad about how they treated Tina in high school. Instead, the women accidentally get soaked in Tina’s shower, then help her sort through a room full of junk that she secretly hoards. Laughs are much more important that development for these characters.

It’s a broad style of comedy, but it works well because the relationship between the females at the center is so well-established and authentic: a modern day Lucy and Ethel, except with both on equal footing. They are two real-life friends who really enjoy one another, and that shows on screen.

I’m really glad they have been given a second chance at a series because I liked their first effort and this one feels much the same, perhaps with even more freedom to be edgy, Playing House airing on cable instead of a broadcast network. The tone may not be for everyone, but the good news is that it’s established right away so you’ll know within the first few minutes whether to invest your time or not. For my part, I think it’s definitely worth it.

The supporting cast is strong and in demand, which could hurt the long-term viability of Playing House. Key has his own successful Comedy Central series which he writes and stars in, as well as just completing a run on FX’s Fargo. The cast also includes Zach Woods (The Office and one of the stars of HBO’s Silicon Valley) playing Maggie’s odd brother with a crush on Emma. These types of players will certainly add to the appeal of the show, but could make it hard to schedule many episodes in a year, though thankfully cable usually asks for fewer installments than, say, NBC.

With Sirens and Playing House, USA has made a serious foray into the comedy world. A bit more intelligent than most TBS sitcoms, which is probably the closest thing to compare them to, these are enjoyable shows with talented people. More like this batch and we’ll soon forget the network used to just be fluffy, funny, light weight procedurals.

Playing House airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on USA.

SILICON VALLEY a Place of Geeky Good Fun

Article first written for Seat42F.

The title of HBO’s SILICON VALLEY pilot is “Minimum Viable Product,” but the series is more than minimally viable. Tackling the world of computer programming in a high brow manner, the show (from Beavis & Butt-head creator / Office Space director Mike Judge, among others) follows a group of intelligent, nerdy guys who find themselves both in and other of their element while pursuing their careers and dreams. It’s funny and authentic.

The main character, at least in the first episode, is Richard Hendrix (Thomas Middleditch, CollegeHumor.com, The Wolf of Wall Street). Richard creates a website he’s passionate about where people can check their music to see if it infringes on any copyrights. This may sound like a narrow pet project that would be hard to garner interest in, and it is. But while some bullying co-workers are checking it out to find fodder to pick on Richard for, they discover his search algorithm is revolutionary and could change the entire internet landscape.

Richard is such an interesting character, and surely one familiar to most people. He is very focused on his passion, not even realizing the true implications of his creation. Even when he does, he’s mild-mannered enough to waffle on making any decisions. But he’s also got enough spine to distance himself from the competing voices and consider what he really wants, and that’s what he goes with. It makes him complex and different from most people on TV.

Even though it’s hard to see Richard get knocked down by his peers, it does feel realistic that the valley would have a high school-esque hierarchy. True, even the “cool” kids in this environment were probably geeks growing up, but with a lack of maturity, meaningful female partners, and discipline, the employers being lax to encourage creativity, it makes sense that base human nature would flourish.

This continues even in Richard’s home. His best friend, Big Head (Josh Brener, Glory Daze), is a true pal, but leader of the house, Erlich (T.J. Miller, The Goodwin Games), is more interested in using Richard to get his piece of the pie, demanding a 10% cut of whatever is created while living in his “incubator.” Another roommate, Gilfoyle (Martin Starr, NTSF:SD:SUV, Veronica Mars), also seems disinterested until Richard offers to let him work on the site, and then he comes around.

The house itself generates most of my favorite scenes in the first episode. It’s like a clubhouse, boys living like they would without parents, a free-wheeling place for guys to just hang out with guys. It may get more serious soon, as Richard’s baby is nurtured into a full-scale business, but hopefully the dynamic of the residents, meaning the four listed in the preceding paragraph plus Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani, Franklin & Bash, Portlandia), the token Indian, will stay intact because it is fantastic.

Even outside the dwelling, the world is fully fleshed out and interesting. From buses owned by, and playing ads for, the business the employees riding it work for, to the boss’s observation that all the dorks move in basic sets of five, to the guy arguing that no one should go to college at a TED talk, this is a vision whose every detail has been considered and executed well. It’s a place that makes fun of itself.

The TED talk guy, Peter Gregory (Christopher Evan Welch, Rubicon), is Richard’s first investor, allowing Richard to keep ownership while growing the brand. He has a pretty assistant, Monica (Amanda Crew, Whistler), whom, of course, Richard is smitten with, providing the romantic pairing of the show. And there’s Richard’s boss, Galvin Belson (Matt Ross, Big Love), and his assistant, Jared (Zach Woods, The Office), who represent the corporate types, looking to buy out Richard and reap the rewards of his work. So the outside influences are firmly established, too.

HBO’s half hour series tend not to last long and have very niche viewership. Yet, I can’t help but think that SILICON VALLEY, perhaps because of the age in which it airs, provides enough connections to the world to bring in the viewers. Considering it follows Game of Thrones, which will have the nerds already on the right channel, it’s got a plumb viewing spot, too. I have high hopes for this to succeed.

SILICON VALLEY airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.

VEEP Learns How "D.C." Works

Article first published as VEEP Learns How "D.C." Works on TheTVKing.

HBO's Veep ends its second year with "D.C." Selina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is ready to announce she won't run for re-election with the president in two years, and so lets her staff go. Then, learning the president is resigning, she asks them all back to gear up for her own run, only to have it fall apart as rumors spread around Washington and the president decides to campaign after all. Of course, none of that matters when the president comes to Selina and announces he's done, so she can try for the presidency.

I have a feeling these back and forth types of situations go on all the time in Washington D.C. It's a city of wheeling and dealing, and one where betrayals happen frequently if someone things they can further their own career. With so many power-hungry, ambitious people in one place, there is bound to be lots of drama.

Veep makes these attitudes hilarious somehow. Even as Selina's staff scrambles to find a life raft off of her sinking ship, we root for them. Selina is a mess, as is very clear in almost every scene in which she appears. Because of this, one can understand and sympathize with those wanting to find a more stable environment where they won't constantly be putting out their fires.

Well, it's easy to pull for most of the staff, anyway. Dan (Reid Scott) jumps ship early and with gusto, even sharing a speech he writes for Selina with Chung (Randall Park, Larry Crowne). I don't know if it's because he doesn't have the history working for Selina, and so never seems as loyal as anyone else, or because he shows so few scruples in his interactions, but Dan is the most unforgiveable of the bunch. Unfortunately for him, this gaff either proves the others are rubbing off on him, or he is just as much of a mess as everyone else, and so belongs there.

It's interesting to see the parallels in "D.C" between Selina and Andrew (David Pasquesi, The Mob Doctor) and Amy (Anna Chlumsky) and Ed (Zach Woods, The Office). Amy hates seeing how Andrew affects Selina, and how they use one another. Ed and her aren't quite so passionate, but they do use each other, much as Selina and Andrew do. Perhaps Amy is emulating her boss more than she thinks.

The plot that doesn't really work for me this week is Gary (Tony Hale) being torn between Selina and his girlfriend, Dana (Jessica St. Clair, Best Friends Forever). It not only feels too much like Hale's character from Arrested Development, but also doesn't really fit the persona of Gary, whom we've only seen worship Selina. Perhaps it's believable that he would latch onto someone else, but we didn't see that evolution, and Dana's interest in Gary doesn't come across as realistic.

Overall, though, Veep really works in the most unexpected of ways. Louis-Dreyfus is a comic genius, surrounded by other heavy weights. Each nuance and tick lands, and even the most pathetic becomes funny in their capable hands. It may be the earnestness with which the cast plays, which also includes Matt Walsh, Timothy Simons, and Sufe Bradshaw, commits to every situation and moment, or the level of authenticity they bring to their selfish screw-ups, but there are usually several things to laugh out loud at each and every week.

This has only been helped more by bringing in Kent (Gary Cole) and Ben (Kevin Dunn) this season. Like when Parks and Recreation added Ben and Chris, having two established, talented actors expand the world of the show, as well as compliment the core group in their every scene, only makes the series better. I credit them both for season two being a marked improvement over season one.

I don't know what season three will look like, exactly. We may actually get to see Selina run for office, which will be cool, since Veep begins after she loses the first race. With the set up the series has provided, there are a myriad of directions and possibilities to explore, and each has their advantages.

Whatever the reason, Veep is doing very well, and I can't wait to see it come back next spring for a third go-round.