Silicon Valley is a comedy focused on the founders of Pied Piper, a promising tech startup often met with ridicule and obstacles.
If you’ve never watched an episode of HBO’s Silicon Valley, you’ve been missing out. The boys of Pied Piper are back and shaking up the tech world, much like they have in previous seasons. Season’s 1-4 were hilarious and season 5 follows suit.
In season 4, when Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) is asked what he wants to build with his revolutionary compression algorithm, the Pied Piper CEO replies “a new internet.” What exactly does a new internet mean? According to Hendricks, a decentralized internet would mean no firewalls, no tolls, no government regulation, no spying, and information would be completely free. However, despite receiving a patent from Hooli CEO Gavin Belson, creating a new internet may be more difficult than Richard could have imagined. Even with assistance from fellow “Pipers” Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani), Gilfoyle (Martin Starr), and Jared (Zach Woods).
Season 5 picks up right where season 4 left off with the Pied Piper gang searching for office space. There is no lack of laughs as we see a lot take place in this season. Dinesh purchasing a Tesla, Jared’s new position at Pied Piper, and Gavin Belson searching for a manufacturer to make his “signature” box series are just a few of the hilarious season 5 highlights.
There’s a lot to like about season 5 and the addition of new supporting characters add to the hilarity. Neil Casey as K-Hole’s CEO, Colin, and Dan Mintz as the awkward CEO of Quiver, Dana, make season 5’s continuing storyline even more funny. I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but as season 5 ends it is clear that Hendricks and Pied Piper will be back for a sixth season. That and it was announced April 12, 2018 HBO had renewed the series.
One of my favorite things about the show is the characters. Each character is unique and adds something to the show’s storyline. While I enjoy all the characters, I would have to say Bertram Gilfoyle is my favorite. Gilfoyle, a Satanist and former illegal immigrant from Canada, often uses sarcasm, is overly honest, and rarely shows emotion unless it involves his tech. Martin Starr does an excellent job of portraying Gilfoyle and perhaps his best moments are when he is competing, pranking, and debating with Dinesh, which is quite often.
If I were to award an MVP of the season, it would be Zach Woods’ character, Jared Dunn. Jared has always been uniquely funny as Richard’s right-hand man, but in season 5 he really flourishes. Amanda Crew, Matt Ross, Suzanne Cryer, and Jimmy O. Yang’s characters Monica Hall, Gavin Belson, Laurie Bream, and Jian-Yang also return in season 5.
Overall, I rate season 5 highly and recommend starting the show if you haven’t done so. With a great lineup of comedic actors and a fun and interesting storyline, Silicon Valley shows no sign of slowing down.
