S04.E06: Customer Service

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

On the hunt for financial support, Richard looks outside the tech bubble, and crosses paths with a contentious figure from Pied Piper's past. Erlich reaches out to Monica and Laurie in search of a new endeavor. A launch gone wrong finds Dinesh and Gilfoyle at war as Jared tries to keep the peace.

Promo:

[woodscommaelle]

This show always ends with the best music. I totally dug that song.

[chocolatine]

I thought it was a hilarious callback to David Melcher, though it would have been even funnier if it had been Erlich again to sleep with his third wife (to be). The scene where the fiancee told Richard how bad the sex was somewhat made up for that though.

I know I can't expect anything revolutionary out of this show, but it would have been great if Laurie's and Monica's new firm focused on female-founded startups, since those only get 7% of all VC money. I know the show has to keep them tied into the action, but now theirs is going to be a bro shop like any other VC.

The Dinesh/Gilfoyle dynamic is starting to get old, and Russ's appearance wasn't as funny as I'd hoped it would be.

[woodscommaelle]

13 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

The Dinesh/Gilfoyle dynamic is starting to get old, and Russ's appearance wasn't as funny as I'd hoped it would be.

Yeah not my favorite episode.

[Traveller519]

With limited episodes this felt a little episodic, not appearing to move much forward in order to get the phone gag with Dinesh and Guilfoyle and Richard to sleep with someone he shouldn't have. It will be interesting to see if it pays off as a "chess-piece moving episode" in typical HBO fashion.

I did enjoy how the preview, episode description, and opening served to combine for a fake-out to lead you to believe this was a Russ-centered episode, then actually call back to someone else from  the show's canon. I also appreciate them going with a different business model now with the pre-sales. It's risky, but the product seems to be working thus far.

Edited May 29, 2017 by Traveller519

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Erlich WOULD be the guy who dumps his stuff on top of a reserved sign on a table.

[Eyes High]

6 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Erlich WOULD be the guy who dumps his stuff on top of a reserved sign on a table.

Counterpoint: who reserves a table at a coffee shop?

[Nordly Beaumont]

I loved the opening with everyone feeling Gavin's eyes on them. And then Jared saying it's good to face your fears "I was afraid of intruders and then thought 'if he's going to kill me he's going to kill me'..... because he kept whispering that"

"We'll piss in everyone's car! Am I using that right?" I'm gonna miss TJ Miller!

Of course Richard would actually say the word "gulp"!

For some reason I thought Haley Joel Osment was tall. He's wee. I guess I haven't followed his career too closely!

[woodscommaelle]

Oh and yay: Alice from The L Word! ❤️ 

At first I thought Haley Joel Osment was Cal (Piper's brother) from OITNB. Nice cameos from both.

Edited May 29, 2017 by woodscommaelle

[hoodooznoodooz]

Leisha Hailey was much less annoying here than on the L Word and those yoghurt commercials. 

[msani19]

5 hours ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

And then Jared saying it's good to face your fears "I was afraid of intruders and then thought 'if he's going to kill me he's going to kill me'..... because he kept whispering that"

That line had me laughing for a long time! Oh Jared. 

[riprock]

Monica is a named partner?! As far as I know the only thing she's done is invest her own money in Pied Piper and serve on their board in her capacity working for Laurie. 

In contrast, at least Erlich working at the new firm has some grounding, seeing that he created Pied Piper's (failed) Series B round out of nothing and he runs an incubator. On the other hand, Laurie has only treated him with disdain. This setup doesn't feel hilarious or promising.

I like the idea of Richard having to work with a "boring" company, but this part of the plot is decidedly not a satire of the real Silicon Valley: there's nothing specific to the valley about accounting companies or affairs. Remember the server farm? The box? The porn company? This feels so uninspired.

I did like Russ peeing in Jian Yang's car and the sight gag of Jian Yang eating cereal behind Gavin's picture, then shuffling off without a word.

The Dinesh / Gilfoyle storyline better not be over here. Dinesh is the software guy. The cloud must have Gilfoyle's dirty laundry somewhere.

[PinkRibbons]

The only thing I can imagine Guilfoyle having that he doesn't want Dinesh to see is genuine love letters/texts between him and Tara. I still can't get over how Guilfoyle of all of them has a lasting committed relationship and has had it all this time. Have Satanist babies already, come on!

[Duke2801]

On May 29, 2017 at 11:14 AM, Nordly Beaumont said:

I loved the opening with everyone feeling Gavin's eyes on them. And then Jared saying it's good to face your fears "I was afraid of intruders and then thought 'if he's going to kill me he's going to kill me'..... because he kept whispering that"

"We'll piss in everyone's car! Am I using that right?" I'm gonna miss TJ Miller!

Of course Richard would actually say the word "gulp"!

For some reason I thought Haley Joel Osment was tall. He's wee. I guess I haven't followed his career too closely!

Hmmm "wee" is not the word that came to mind when I saw him. Holy crap he's like 300 pounds! ?

Those lines from Jared and Ehrlich made me lol also. Is TJ Miller leaving the show? 

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, Duke2801 said:

Is TJ Miller leaving the show? 

Yes.

[kieyra]

On 5/29/2017 at 0:19 PM, woodscommaelle said:

Oh and yay: Alice from The L Word! ❤️ 

At first I thought Haley Joel Osment was Cal (Piper's brother) from OITNB. Nice cameos from both.

Sweet Jesus. I never in a million years would have figured out who that was. He looked like he'd escaped from one of the Hobbit movies.

[chocolatine]

28 minutes ago, kieyra said:

Sweet Jesus. I never in a million years would have figured out who that was. He looked like he'd escaped from one of the Hobbit movies.

I only recognized him because he was in the Entourage movie a couple of years ago and looked pretty much the same.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Dinesh had it right with smashing the phone. When Guilfoyle tossed the phone into the toilet, I was thinking that these are the type of guys to be all up in the latest tech which would be phones that are water proof, or can handle being dunked briefly.

TJ Miller seems to be in more and more movies these days, even if they are bit parts. I wonder if that is why he has decided to leave, his schedule is just getting too busy.

Erlich always stumbles into something good, it's too much of a repeat, in my eyes, of Big Head...whom we didn't see this episode. 

[Duke2801]

10 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Yes.

Awww man that stinks! I really enjoy him on the show.  It won't be the same without him.

[Moxie Cat]

23 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Yes.

A little shady, IMO. There are only, what, 10-12 eps? Plenty of "regulars" are only in a few episodes, like Tobolowsky and Diamantopolous (apologies if I misspelled either of those). Even Big Head wasn't even in the last two episodes. Erlich won't be back at all? I wonder what more is going on.

That said, Erlich is easily my least favorite character. I'd be way more upset if Jared and his awesome, weird lines and backstory went away.

Edited June 1, 2017 by Moxie Cat

[msani19]

From what I read, TJ Miller decided not to continue with the show on his own. Who knows if there's more going on behind the scenes that contributed to that decision. It was interesting watching this episode knowing he wasn't coming back and hearing all the "you're looking for something to do" lines, then wondering if they were trying to make a point that his character had served his purpose. The show has definitely helped his profile. He has a new NetFlix special and who knows what other offers may have come in.  That being said, it will be very different without him and his Bach-insanity :-)

[riprock]

Maybe TJ's departure will force the showrunners to break the cycle of the last few seasons. In Season 1, he was a stoned, but intelligent businessman ("emphasis on 'business... and on 'man', come to think of it"), but then the dynamic turned into Richard doing brilliant things while TJ nipped at his heels. I would welcome a change to the status quo.

[Glory]

Dinesh's "If you took even one selfie, I will find it." FUCKING KILLED. I was laughing so hard. I couldn't even. 

Guilfoyle is still my man. No shame. 

Did anyone notice Richard's arm flail thing when Liz pushed him up on the counter? He was like a rag doll. Excellent bit of physical comedy. So. Awkward.