After two seasons Silicon Valley had begun to back itself into the sort of corner Entourage did: the show would build with a series of misfortunes and by the end there’d be some improbable way it all winds up working out in favor of the protagonist. Season three begins in the same sort of way; everything seems to be pushing towards the sort of improbable win for Richard (Thomas Middleditch), Erlich (T.J Miller) and the guys when the show does something interesting.
It essentially resets itself going into the fourth season, which debuts in a couple of weeks.
When we meet the guys this season Richard is struggling with his removal as CEO of Pied Piper. As the show progresses his dream of making his computer program into something that changes the world seems to be on the verge of failing. This is where the show begins to get interesting because it takes a wild left turn in the finale, leaving us with a new setup going into the fourth season.
The choice to do so is really interesting because the show was beginning to fall into the Entourage staple of everything looking doomed until something magical happens and everything aligns the way it needs to. It gave Silicon Valley the same sort of vibe, where things go wrong but would be totally corrected (and everyone would be better off in the end) for it. It began to affect the show because the stakes didn’t feel as significant as they should be.
When the audience assumes everything will right itself, the wrongs that happen don’t feel as meaningful throughout because of that expectation that has been built in over two seasons. The show is on point this season, comedically, as well, as it’s sailing in the groove that made it one of HBO’s bright lights in the second season. The show is genuinely funny and consistently engaging; Mike Judge has essentially taken the King of the Hill type long for storytelling style and adapted it to the Bay Area.
It leaves season four in an interesting vantage point; it reset itself to a certain point and now we get to see how it plays out.
Some deleted scenes are included but nothing else of note.
HBO presents Silicon Valley. Starring T.J Miller, Thomas Middleditch, Martin Starr. Run Time: 360 minutes Not rated. Released on DVD: 4.11.2017
