The Workprint’s Silicon Valley Season 2 episode reviews can be found here.
I’ve missed the guys at Pied Piper – their hijinks and shenanigans was a necessary palate cleanser after each hour of Game of Thrones this season. And while there were no standout jokes that could compare to season one’s “middle out hand-job equation”, I really enjoyed the ups and downs of their sophomore season. New characters like Laurie and Russ Tanneman were perfect additions as Silicon Valley continued to develop the core group making their quirks even better. So when presented with the opportunity to rewatch this season all over again for Silicon Valley’s release on Digital HD, I humbly accepted.
I’ve missed these guys. Even the blowhard Erlich, played by the amazing TJ Miller, whose character I should stop trying to find a deeper level to and come to accept that he’ll forever be the one I laugh and shake my head at.
Silicon Valley is a series that lends itself to binge watching. Unlike other sitcoms that more or less “reset” at the end of each episode, this show’s narrative through line carries the viewer from week to week. And since many of these episodes end in some form of cliffhanger (usually caused by a colossal fuck up on Pied Piper’s end) the need to find a comfortable stopping point is natural. The only problem is that these natural stopping points never comes, so it’s quite easy to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon noon binging on all ten episodes in a brisk five hours. Even though the number of episodes is on the lighter side, having more of them would bog down the story in frivolous plots. If anything, I wish that the entire season was released this way every year, but it’s probably better that it’s parsed out for me and I don’t have to use self-restraint.
However, that isn’t to say that the season release of Silicon Valley is without it’s own problem. The biggest issue I had was that it didn’t have a single extra or special feature. Normally I’m fine with this, but with my affinity for the show I wanted a little something extra to sink my teeth into. I’m not asking for much. I actually hoped for two things in particular. The first being a Blooper/Gag Reel. Given the show’s banter and arguments there’s bound to be some great ad-libs and character breaks hidden away in the archives. Second, one of my favorite aspects of the show is how grounded in reality it is. It’d be great to see a feature on how Silicon Valley was able to court some of the tech industry’s heavy hitters to participate in a show that makes of fun of them.
The second season of Silicon Valley is a great time. Now that I’ve finished watching it all over again, I can experience that withdraw period I blocked from my memory…
“Silicon Valley” Season 2 is now available on Digital HD.
