Anyone else catch it after GoT? Not a bad pilot, the show definitely has promise. And holy crap a fairly accurate representation of tech nerds and not some bastardized dipshit version like Big Bang Theory. I like where its heading.
If that's the case, I'll check it out. I know nothing of the industry so I want it to at least be relatable. I recognize Martin Starr and "Stainer" from Shes Out Of My League and HBO is still the kingpin powerhouse in drama but it desperately needs more comedy.
I was pleasantly surprised. TJ Miller was great (his overpronounciation of Aviato was hysterical) and the premise has some legs, especially the absurdity of Silicon Valley right now. Reviews that I've read have been favorable and people have wished they would go even harder at the industry. Also, interesting and sad that the actor that plays Peter Gregory passed away in December. Not sure how that will play into the plot.
I liked the first episode. Unlike that other shitty show, these guys at least seem half-real. They swear, drink beer and talk like actual human beings. Good dialogue, considering Mike Judge created it (I am not a fan of him). Do all tech offices look like a treasure troll shit Skittles everywhere? What a fucking eyesore of an office building. What is the deal with that, is it supposed to be "anti- white collar" or something? Truthfully I don't know much at all about SV except that's its Hollywood for techies and is an ocean of fake douchebags. What primarily does Silicon Valley do to earn so much scorn?
Yep, it's pretty spot on. I don't work in the industry, but many of my clients are and they hit the nail on the head with the BS culture stuff. Hooli is a satire of Google, but many of the brand name tech shops are basically corporate cults and worship the founder. The tech scene is so incredibly insulated and removed from reality and society, it's amazing how accurate they portrayed it. The scene where the guy is looking out the window and stereotyping the "group of 5" programmers was dead on.
The vibe and parody aspects of it are pretty spot on. 8/10 there, the only problem being that it feels a bit cardboardy (the main Office Space guys felt like real human beings even if it was a parody, this isn't quite there). Maybe it lacks subtlety and warmth (think King of the Hill), but time will tell there. But for a show with two dimensional characters to survive, there's gotta be some pretty good jokes, and that aspect wasn't really there in the pilot. The incubator owner and the Peter Thiel guy (but not as predictably) were the only ones bringing the funny for me. 5/10 on a jokes basis. Overall, not mindblowing or quite worth the fluffing it's gotten in the press recently. But definitely worth seeing where it goes.
My only issue with it is the whole compression algorithm thing. I get that it's a plot device, but to build one from scratch takes a lot of time and a very solid foundation of computational mathematics. There's no way in hell he wouldn't know what he had immediately.
Isn't the implication not that he didn't know what he had in the literal sense, just that he didn't realize how valuable it was because he's head-in-the-clouds nerdy to recognize business applications?
This past episode and the one before it were great, some really funny moments. The third episode really solidified what type show it's going to be, a nerd version of Entourage, which is what everyone wants it to be. I'll agree that it's too bad that the guy who plays Peter Gregory died because hes a great character. Glad to hear season 2 has been green lit.
I think if the main character had been the actor who plays Bighead, the show would be a little better. The main actor seems to be dead inside, with nothing going for him. When he yells, I expect little circuits to fall out of his mouth, and to explode in a combustion of robot/zombie fury. The beauty of Office Space and King of the Hill was that the main character was the most normal guy in a sea of very strange people, which allowed them to test the limits of abnormality themselves. In this case, it seems like the main character is just as, if not more, weirder than the rest of his group. I'm still going to keep watching because I like when they say things about algorithms.
I mostly agree with you, I just think the show needs some time to build up and shine. Man that sucks the actor playing the Bill Gates type guy died, his story this week was great. TJ Miller (incubator guy) and Matt Ross (aka Alby Grant aka Luis Carruthers) tear up every scene they are in. I also agree that the main dude is somewhat miscast or misplayed. He's a little too nerdy/unconfident, he really reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite except less eccentric. Not balls out hilarious yet but really could given time.
He was just a misunderstood repressed homosexual. How could you feel bad when he was trying to have people murdered and killing puppies? Ive always liked the actor way back to his bit role in PCU. Guy takes on some versatile parts.
Oh fuck, that was him! The one who got electrocuted when Pigman overloaded the amp. "Play Metallica... And they will come!"
I like the main character. Any sort of nerd that has ever tried to stand up for himself relates to this guy. Sure, he's a stuttering autistic now, but I imagine that over the life of the show, there will be a lot of character growth. Also, I'm going on record as saying that Dinesh giving Bertram shit all episode about being an illegal was one of the funniest things I've seen on TV this year. Edit: I nominate Stephen Root to play the next iteration of Peter Gregory.
Agreed, the Bighead guy is hilarious. I like this show quite a bit, and it's still new. I remember Deadwood and even Veep took a few episodes for the characters to find themselves, but I'm pretty optimistic that this is a solid cast, and the writing has been really good so far.
Agreed. I think its honestly one of the most accurate portrayals of a group of nerds Ive seen. Theyre not outright dopey, or idiotic caricatures, just socially awkward.
I don't think the character is unrelatable, I think the actor is. A soft-spoken, doesn't-know-how-smart-he-is nerd is all well and good, but when I think the actor's eyes are going to steal my soul and eat it like oatmeal while simultaneously uploading his consciousness to the cyborg cloud, that's when I have a little problem with the casting. Definitely a place for a robot nerd on the show, but not as the main character. Especially because Peter Gregory is already there.
Another pretty good episode. Erlich has really become hilarious. He was a bit grating for awhile, but he's great. His constant referencing of his 10% stake at Peter Gregory's office was pretty funny. The mural was a bit cheesy, but I liked the David Choe referencing and grounding to keep to relevant and not just a wacky aside, and the weed reveal was hilarious. Unfortunately, I see that getting swept along when that would like lead to significant jail time. Amanda Crew has really grown on me. I thought she was just ok in Sex Drive and other things, too toothy, but she looks fucking fantastic. Also, the best subtle part for me in the whole racial PC humor dynamic was Erlich's over-pronunciation of Pakistani.