Silicon Valley (HBO)

Here’s a secret: they do. Silicon Valley is a thinly veiled documentary. Just like Spinal Tap.

The first episode of this season felt a bit “forced”. All the funding gibberish mixed with the absence of David Gregory made it a bit stiff. However, the the 2nd one was right back on track, and it looks like the season is going to be great!

OK, you could see what was coming (so to speak) as soon as the arm was attached to the monkey, but it was still hilarious.

What Keko chooses to do with the arm…

What the hell is up with Jared’s nighttime oddity?

That SWOT board was hilarious.

Somebody actually took the time to freeze it and write down all the cards:

STRENGTHS

UGLY CAN CAR BLOOD SOAKED AND TOTALLED

BLAINE IS DEAD

BLAINE IS NO LONGER ALIVE

SAVES ASSHOLES FROM MAKING MISTAKES IN MATH

DEATH CAPTURED IN HIGH-RESOLUTION SLOW MOTION; HOLDS UP ON REPEATED VIEWINGS

ONE LESS GUY NAMED BLAINE

WEB TRAFFIC GOES VIRAL

BLAINE’S LAST MOMENT IS REALIZING HIS FACE IS GONE

AS A GIANT DOUCHE, BLAINE TORMENTED ETERNALLY IN HELL

A DEAD BLAINE IS A BLAINE THAT CAN’T REPRODUCE

BLAINE SHITS PANTS FROM FEAR, PANTS DISCOVERED UPON DEATH

SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

IMPRESS HOT SATANIST CHICKS BY BOASTING ABOUT BLAINE’S DEATH (GILFOYLE ONLY)

AFTER HITTING BUILDING, FLAT BILL OF CAP MIGHT ACTUALLY BEND

WEAKNESSES

BLAINE DIES SUPER FAST

GINA MARRIES BLAINE IN HOSPITAL OUT OF GRIEF

GINA KILLS SELF OUT OF GRIEF

GINA ENTERS CONVENT OUT OF GRIEF

UNFORTUNATE WINDOW WASHERS MUST CLEAN BLOOD OFF BUILDING

BLAINE’S BLOOD HAS AIDS AND GETS ON KIDS

BLAINE DIES SLOW BUT WE CAN’T SEE IT BECAUSE ONLY FAMILY ALLOWED IN HOSPITAL

BUILDING IS STRUCTURALLY DAMAGED

BLAINE’S FUNERAL TELEVISED; PREEMPTS “STAR TREK: TNG” MARATHON

PEOPLE WEAR T-SHIRTS WITH BLAINE’S FACE ON THEM

OPPORTUNITIES

GINA NEEDS CONSOLING

FUCK GINA?

BIRDS GET TO EAT PIECES OF BLAINE

CARBON FOOTPRINT REDUCED BY ONE BLAINE

GRIEF THREESOME WITH GINA & BLAINE’S HOT MOM?

BLAINE’S ORGANS HARVESTED FOR HOT GIRLS WITH CANCER WHO THEN GRATITUDE-F— US

DEFECATING ON BLAINE’S GRAVE

DIGGING UP BLAINE’S GRAVE, DISHONORING REMAINS AGAIN

DEATH LEADS TO REGULATIONS ON STUNT INDUSTRY – LIVES SAVED

DISHONORING BLAINE’S REMAINS BY PUTTING FUNNY HAT ON BODY, DRAGGING IT BEHIND CAR

URINATING ON BLAINE’S GRAVE

TAKE HIS WALLET AND SHOES IF NOT TOO BLOODY

MASTURBATING ON BLAINE’S GRAVE

EJACULATION

THREATS

AFTER THIS, NOTHING IS EVER AS MUCH FUN AGAIN

VENGEFUL BLAINE SUPPORTERS ACCUSE US OF CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE

OVER TIME GINA BECOMES MORE CLINGY AND LESS HOT

PEOPLE FIND OUT AND IN YOUTUBE DEATH VIDEO, WE GET FLAMED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION

GUILT (DINESH ONLY)

WE CAN ONLY WATCH HIM DIE ONCE

INVESTIGATION AND TRIAL SETS BACK PIED PIPER BUILD

PHILZ COFFEE CLOSES FOR A DAY TO HONOR BLAINE’S MEMORY

For one brief moment, I thought Blaine wouldn’t turn around and see the board. But that wouldn’t have been as painfully hilarious as him reading it. I love this show.

A little voice in the back of my head was still wondering why they brought that board with them to Homicide, but whatever, it was hilarious.

I got the impression it was created while they were at Homicide.

I dunno, I thought they clearly started it at Pied Piper, since they began there with Jared’s existing chart and started taking all his stuff off there to repurpose it. But again, funny enough I didn’t worry too much about it.

They made the board at Homicide. And yeah, it started out as a really funny framing device for Blaine’s apology and moved to the sublime from there.

Thomas Middleditch’s consistently broken, awkward deliveries and body language for Richard in this show is just inspired. Sure it’s majorly exaggerated, but I can completely relate, and seeing the reactions from the other characters is golden.

“Now that I’m spelling ‘billion’ with an ‘m’”

I started watching this show because someone people at work said that the main character is exactly like someone we work with, and 3 episodes in: They’re right!

Just a side note, or an observation, if you will: Thomas Middledtich could play a young Roger Daltry (who? You know, the lead singer for The Who) in a movie about The Who.

Good call, Chuck. I don’t think I’ll be able to unsee that now!

-Tom

YES. So much this.

This show. Words cannot express how much I have come to love this show. The first season was hilarious as a Spinal Tap style sendup of the Valley and coders and startups and all the quirkiness of the characters. But this season, holy shit, this season has risen to an entirely new level of awesome with the addition of Chris Diamantopoulos to the cast as Russ Hanneman.

The top & bottom teeth smile. “This guy!” I cannot stop laughing every time Russ is on screen. “I have doors that open like this now, not like this!!!” Triple Comma Tequila. And the Delete key bit, I had to pause the DVR because we were laughing too hard to hear what everyone was saying. Throw in absolutely brilliant bits like the Blaine SWOT board, Baghead at Hooli and Erlich’s ever increasing vulgarity during the funding meetings and this is now my favorite 30 minutes of television in a long long time.

All the praise has got me to invest some time in this today, I am 3 episodes into season 1, and it is indeed glorious!

Peter Gregory is amazing in the 3rd episode, Burger King!

UPDATE: Damn this show is good, after I finished the 3rd episode the next day I watched the remained of the season. :)

I had to go back to the Wiki to verify that yup that Schrödinger’s cat is what they said. Hard to believe they made an entire funny episode around it. They have some serious nerds among the writers.