By Garrett Allen
Staff Writer
Season five of “Silicon Valley” is a continuation of Pied Piper’s struggles, but the absence of TJ Miller is felt in more ways than one.
Produced by HBO, “Silicon Valley” is a comedy television series created by Mike Judge, John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky. The series focuses on five young men who founded a startup company in Silicon Valley. In this season, the crew works on helping to build their startup Pied Piper while tending to the various wacky problems that arise.
The main arc of this season comes from the new conflicts that dominate this new stage of protagonist Richard Hendrix’s career. Repeatedly stymied in his efforts to hire new employees, he attempts a partial takeover of a failing start-up, only to see it snatched up by another upstart company who is pioneering a pizza delivery app.
“Silicon Valley” has a unique ability to put its characters in precarious situations, and allows viewers to enjoy the comedy that ensues. Each character is filled with quirks and problems of their own, and each episode aims to expose them for comedic effect. Whether it be Jared Dunn’s insistence on doing the right thing, or Richard’s inability to close a deal, each episode has the perfect amount of absurdity.
While often times hilarious the episodes from last season followed the same pattern where a problem put the company on the brink of going under, to the cast solving it and everything going back to seemingly normal. Despite the similar episode plotlines, this season does a great job of keeping each episode entertaining with its humor and relevance to the storyline.
The biggest change from last season to now was TJ Miller’s abrupt exit from the show. Miller’s character Erlich Bachman was always there to provide comedic relief in even the more serious moments and was one of the most loved characters in the show. Although they did a good job tying his absence into the plot, it is obvious the show is missing a key element without him.
Even though the show seems to be missing something with Miller’s exit, it does allow more screen time for other characters. Before, it was difficult to incorporate each character into every episode, but with Miller’s absence, there is much more time for characters like Dinesh and Gilfoyle to contribute to the comedic aspect of the show.
With another season in the books, the Pied Piper crew continue to work on expanding their business. Although the absence of Miller did change the dynamic of the show, it allowed for the writers to expand into new territories that the show has used to stay fresh. With great writers and a growing fanbase, “Silicon Valley” is here to stay.
Released on March 25th, “Silicon Valley” season five can be seen on HBO GO.
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