In just one episode, Silicon Valley turns Pied Piper into Piperchat — a “Sizzler buffet for the sexually deranged.” Dinesh takes on the role of CEO from Richard, shellacking his hair with ill-advised products and taking on as many interviews as he can. Feeling salty, Richard investigates the new company’s user data and discovers their video chat is being used primarily by children — and, as we learn in the episode’s final scene, one adult user named Carl.
Watching the Pied Piper programmers scramble to fix their mistakes plays out as hilariously as it always does, but the cherry on top of their misery sundae is tossing the entire debacle off on Gavin Belson, who seizes Piperchat without realizing that it’s crawling with adult users, who are video-chatting illegally with children.
Gilfoyle and Erlich react to Richard's rage on 'Silicon Valley' Season 4.
It’s been relatively smooth sailing in Season 4 so far, and Silicon Valley has a clear objective in mind: keeping the dudes in one room so they can banter back and forth. The show’s cast comprises more improvisers and stand-up comedians than veteran sitcom players, and each episode really rings when Mike Judge lets his cast rip into each other.
Even Jared (Zach Woods) get a couple weird pot shots in as he tries to redefine his relationship with Richard. Though he insists they can’t talk shop anymore because Dinesh is his new boss, Jared says he’s more than happy to talk “pussy” with Richard. In his first attempt to do so, he says the model on the swimsuit edition cover of Sports Illustrated has a lovely smile, and Richard is visibly uncomfortable.
As long as the show leans hard into character quirks, and further away from satirizing the more esoteric elements of start-up culture, it’ll breeze right into Season 5.
Silicon Valley airs on HBO, Sundays at 10 p.m. Eastern.
