Even when it wants to be otherwise, Silicon Valley always feels like a boy’s club, if just that most of its main characters have XY chromosomes. Although this new season introduces a new primary female character with Laurie Bream (Suzanne Cryer), and builds on Monica’s (Amanda Crew) stance, the HBO show often feels male-centric.
While it’s safe to say this new episode, “The Lady,” doesn’t change the gender positions too much, as the title suggests, there’s finally a nice, strong female character permanently (one hopes) under Pied Piper’s roof with engineer Carla (Alice Wetterlund). She isn’t afraid to stand toe-to-toe with her male counterparts, even as Jared (Zach Woods) tries his hardest to awkwardly make her feel empowered and especially when she joshes Gilfoyle (Martin Starr) and Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani). She also likes to swear and call people out as much as the others, and makes for a fun edition to an already exciting new season.
As Pied Piper’s grows, so too does is business structure. More employers are needed, and this is especially true when it comes time to hire an engineer in the beginning of "The Lady." As Jared and Richard (Thomas Middleditch) walk through a slough of awkward meetings with dog-friendly people and those who identify their work from 2009 through the present, excluding 2012, “crushin’ it,” they find their best option in a self-identified humanoid cyborg whose also named Jared. Despite his robotic nature, everyone agrees his credentials are the most qualified, except for one person: Erlich (T.J. Miller).
Screwed by this cyborg of a man before, Erlich wants their potential engineer position-filler away from the Pied Piper name. Richard refuses this request, however, as Erlich doesn’t have full power in the company just because they are housed under his roof. Bad blood is spread in this moment, and it doesn’t help Richard or his company’s stake when it comes time to join Richard in a board meeting alongside Russ Hanneman (Chris Diamantopoulos), Russ’s girlfriend and Monica. Erlich takes his power and anger to screw Pied Piper out of $35,000 in useless merchandise Russ suggested they get, and also tries to bank of Russ’ popularity in a charity banquet filled with fellow millionaires. Of course, though, when Erlich and his guest Jian Yang (Jimmy O. Yang) go to the event, they find themselves lower than they’ve ever been before.
Meanwhile, Gavin Belson (Matt Ross), as promised last week, continues his plans to take down Pied Piper. His course of action comes with Hooli [XYZ], a co-operation Dr. Davis Bannerchek (Patrick Fischler) flew to Silicon Valley with his family to fill to head director position and Nelson “Big Head” Bighetti (Josh Brener) — or “Baghead,” as Benson calls him — in a “co-dreamer” spot. Big Head's position is, of course, a PR stint by Hooli to boost their recognition as the place where Pied Piper was invented to get the upper hand legally. Although, the former Pied Piper-employee already was in a position where he could do whatever he wanted under Hooli’s dime, but now he can do whatever he wants, “but in a much more significant way.” He gets to do nothing still, but now he has a fancy office, an assistant and an upcoming profile in Wired. Of course, Big Head has no idea what to makes of any of this.
It’s been really interesting to see how show creators Mike Judge, John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky handle Erlich this season. He is a man who has always prided himself on falsely earned convictions, yet season one has most justified him by having his power trusted and ultimately his earned charisma. Even this season’s premiere coasted on this with Elrich’s brash talk earn the respect of potential sponsors. Yet as the episodes continue, Erlich finds his ego more readily bruised and his swagger not as in check as he thinks.
It’s not that the creators do this, however, but how they handle this. Erlich is not one to admit defeat, but he has proven himself this season as one who is hard-pressed to keep his knees strong when he takes a blow. As such, although he prides himself as a man’s man of the original Pied Piper, in turn he may be their weakest link not just theologically but socially. He is not cunning, dashing or hard-boned as he thinks, and he starts to realize, or at least accept, this as the season progresses, especially in “The Lady.” It’ll be curious to see how this is continued once season two reaches the halfway point.
But to get back to the point at hand, “The Lady” isn’t as quick and sternly funny as past episodes this season, especially last week’s “Bad Money,” but it’s refreshing. It feels more complete than episodes before, and that’s because we see the playing field more even. Carla is a fun addition, eager and ready to play tough, but clearly someone with a history in having to establish herself. The way she handles the unstable gender rules Zach’s — or O.J., a.k.a. Other Jared or Original Jared, as the Jared in question likes to think of it, is called this week by most of the crew, especially Carla, even though he admits they can call him by his original name, Donald — plays is most amusing, but it’s the confidence in the part Wetterlund gives which makes her so fun thus far.
Especially as Cryer’s role feels less and less focused on as the season continues, it feels good to finally see a female character in charge of whom she is and what she can do that isn’t the only-occasionally seen Monica. She’s a fun character, and shows a lot of promise in her brief tenure this week. Let’s see what she can do, and more importantly it’ll be great to see her interact with personality-opposite Russ in the near-future.
“The Lady” —which, in fact, does not refer to Carla, but rather a device Russ invented and uses on his son, Aspen, to go to bed and also to disrupt fatherhood, as he puts it — isn’t as quick or consistent as episodes past, but it’s the most evenhanded Silicon Valley’s has felt since at least the top of the season. Director Alec Berg, who also directed “Bad Money,” feels the most confident with the characters here both new and old, and also makes room for them to play but also bounce off their peers. Silicon Valley is among quite a few shows on TV right now who has figured out its groove and isn’t afraid to be its own thing, but it’s nice to see that it’s own thing can now include more members of the opposite sex in profitable ways.
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