S01.E08: Optimal Tip to Tip Efficiency

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Season finale!

 

In the Season 1 finale, Pied Piper's guys are worried after Gavin Belson gives a stirring presentation at TechCrunch Disrupt, but Richard finds the inspiration to make significant changes while Jared plots a new direction for the company.

 

[scout1207]

I can't believe they just did a literal calculation of a dick measuring contest, complete with whiteboard and D2F (dick/floor ratio). Bravo!

[chocolatine]

Loved the season finale! The scene of the boys geeking out about the most efficient way to jerk off a roomful of men had me in stitches, as did the scene of Jared being mistaken for a child kidnapper.

 

I wonder whether it was intentional that the bald guy who offered Richard funding after the presentation was a dead ringer for Marc Andreessen, real-life Silicon Valley VC extraordinaire? If so, nice touch.

 

It's interesting that Monica said Peter is going to want to be more hands on since we know Christopher Evan Welch has passed away and Peter's role is not going to be recast. Probably in the second season Richard is going to accept a Series A round from another VC (Andreessen Horowitz?) so that he no longer has to work with - and therefore can date - Monica.

 

I can't wait for next season!

 

ETA:

 

I can't believe they just did a literal calculation of a dick measuring contest, complete with whiteboard and D2F (dick/floor ratio). Bravo!

 

I can totally believe it. At my job (and at previous jobs) we geek out like that over everything. That's just how our minds work. This scene was so funny because it rang true.

Edited June 2, 2014 by chocolatine

[JTMacc99]

Thank God for this show after the awful one that airs before it.

I laughed and laughed at the jerking off scene and almost fell off the couch when Jared introduced the girth variable.

it was very nice to see Richard be competent again. I'm a little sad for him that he will lose that date with Monica, but I accept that is the way the show needs to work.

[David T. Cole]

I wasn't fully on board with the pilot but the show definitely grew on me through the season and that dick-to-dick whiteboard scene was simply inspired.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I loved that not only did they come up with all these factors to take into consideration but they then calculated all that stuff on an entire whiteboard and kept going with it for an entire scene. I have enjoyed this show, but even if I had disliked it that scene alone would have made watching the entire season worthwhile.

[larapu2000]

I feel like the whole jerking off scene should win this show the Emmy for Best Comedy.  Inspired!  Brilliant!  

 

I also love that Richard STILL was super awkward and terrible as a presenter.  And most of all, I LOVED the "low tech" way he presented his idea.  The most innovative idea in the room was scribbled onto paper.  Beautiful!

 

Is Big Head's storyline going to actually go anywhere next season?  This show got a second season, right?  Please, Satan, say it's so.

[JTMacc99]

Yes, this show was renewed for a second season.

 

Another thing I loved was Ehrlich pulling the door back up as they backed out of the room once they realized that Richard was working. Heh. That's pretty much the way he goes through life: Charge forward because he's sure it is the right thing to do, and when it turns out that he wasn't exactly right, he just sort of picks up whatever damage he created and rests it back so that it kind of looks like it did before he got there.

Edited June 2, 2014 by JTMacc99

[Traveller519]

Oh my damn. What a perfect way to end the season. It had a bit of the "everything works out tin the end"-ness of Entourage there that was in the pilot, but I think that's as much a Sitcom trope as anything.

 

I did have a slight tic about the 3D video, but apparently he coded that one in his EDM induced session. The meat of the show was incredible from the Jared Pivoting to the Optimal Dick Jacking efficiency discussion to them breaking down the door.

 

The show definitely had it's growing pains to set up the plot in this first season, and there was a notable missing element with Peter Gregory for a couple episiodes, but they finished strong.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Traveller519

[Rinaldo]

The series has been a pleasant diversion for me all season, not much more and in one or two episodes slightly less, but something I'm glad to find waiting on the DVR. But this episode was glorious in all ways. The combination of Jared's ever-weirder man-in-the-street interviews with "optimal crowd dickjacking" -- which unlike many gags got more and more wonderful the longer it was spun out and elaborated -- made for an exhilarating season finale. Fantastic.

[Traveller519]

Looking back over the season, while there were many good bits in-between, I think you could really sell someone on the series by showing them the pilot and the finale. The two strongest episodes in my opinion.

 

There was some necessary character development, and understanding why Jared was so spun out, but even coming into the last episode if you know the premise of the algorithm you can put together the pieces.

 

I know the pilot is on YouTube in full. HBO getting the finale on there too may actually get some good returns for them.

[hincandenza]

I think Rinaldo hit it on the head; this was a pleasant diversion series, nothing I was on the edge of my seat for but something amusing and trifling, and sometimes quite welcome after that other, much bloodier and darker show before it.

 

At times, it was a bit too sitcom trope, at times had issues with sexism (whether reflecting Judge's own blind spots or because it was true to the tech culture I'm not sure) and other times just hilariously biting. Still, as a tech worker living in the shadow of Microsoft HQ, I did enjoy the spot on send ups of tech silliness, like "Office Space" so many years ago.  I was dying at the Lo-Mo-So bit from the previous episode, or this week's utterly perfect "I would totally end up having that exact same conversation with co-workers, and end up spending an hour whiteboarding efficient algorithms for jerking off a room full of strangers" sequence.

 

It's a real shame we lost Welch, as he was fantastic; I got a friend who comes over for our weekly Game of Thrones night hooked on this show, just from that "Burger King" scene a few episodes back.  I don't know if the show will work as well without the foils of twin, competing "Randolph and Mortimer" type billionaires playing games with our hapless protagonist's lives.  Although, if we were still even remotely in reality with the plot, Pied Piper would instantly have conditional offers in the multiple billions to just get bought out right now; as much as Gavin Belson was miffed at the end of the last episode that he was bested, if Hooli == Google,they'd be offering a huge stock swap to Pied Piper to acquire that game-changing algorithm (that Richard... foolishly put up on screen, le sigh).  $10 million?  Try $10 billion.  

 

As an aside, did anyone else think that the fact that Pied Piper utterly blew the doors off the "Weissman score" after Belson claimed Nucleus' couldn't be topped actually lent an unexpected credence to Ehrlich's fake rumor about his attack "totally not" being orchestrated by Belson?  I mean, if you did that in front of a bunch of journalists who'd seen your public attack, and then you do your demo and it makes Hooli look like a pathetic also-ran... well, the tech rumor mill would be eating this one up. :)

 

So I can't imagine what they'll even do in season 2, since there really isn't any "hero's journey" or struggle left to define our cast. It was hinted at with Monica's speech about Richard having to be a real CEO of a rapidly growing company, but from what we've seen he ought to just take the money and let the day-to-day struggle go.  I mean, compressing *video* at 3-5x?  Good lord, this isn't MeowMeowBeanz; every single manufacturer of media hardware or software would be lined up around the block to pay those licensing fees: it would usher in the next generation of home media, streaming media, etc.  They could make every sub-optimal business decision possible, and still be making so much goddamned money this show would basically turn into a teenage-boy-fantasy like Entourage.

 

chocolatine: I wonder whether it was intentional that the bald guy who offered Richard funding after the presentation was a dead ringer for Marc Andreessen, real-life Silicon Valley VC extraordinaire? If so, nice touch.

 

I actually had the same thought, except I thought it actually *was* Marc Andreessen in a cameo appearance.

[chocolatine]

I actually had the same thought, except I thought it actually *was* Marc Andreessen in a cameo appearance.

 

 

I didn't see his name in the credits, so I didn't want to misidentify him, but it could have very well been him. Glad I'm not the only one that noticed. :)

[bigdamntvgeek]

Loved the season finale, between Jared harassing the people on the street in his sleep-deprived attempts to "pivot" and the hilarious jacking-off whiteboard discussion, it was maybe the funniest episode of the season.

 

I wasn't sure how I wanted the show to handle Peter Gregory - Welch brought such a unique energy to that role that's going to be hard to replace. But I'm a little bit in love with the idea of Poehler or Janney now. Would be easier to distance from the Gregory character if they didn't just bring in another generic-looking white dude, too.

[Tara Ariano]

Not sure what happened to my post, but: Jeff's got your Season In Review!

[morgankobi]

Now that's how you do a dick joke.

[lucindabelle]

This just made me so insanely happy that as soon as I could I rewatched the entire season. What a perfect perfect episode and the dick jacking calculations were both hysterical and also showed us in e best show don't tell way how smart these guys really are.

On rewatch I caught the little ding when richard said onstage middle out that meant... Gilhooly just got it!

Monica and richard are so cute together. The drink drink thing and constantly... Adorable.

I just love richard, his quiet, humble gentility... He knows what he can do but he's not a dick about it...

Yes the lo tech presentation... Hilarious! (Although would they work on an overhead projector not being transparent?)

So many things good on the rewatch... The technical issues on the hologram... Benson buying huge obscene mural... Big head and his candy apple... So much love for this show.

But yes this last episode was particularly exhilarating. Nothing wasted. Even e guys worrying richard was offing himself, Ehrlich banging the door down..l because richard has headphones on and doesn't hear them. Every detail accounted for,

Peter gregory will be missed.

[EyesGlazed]

This just made me so insanely happy 

Me too!  I watched the whole episode with a huge grin on my face and frequent guffawing.  I don't generally watch sitcoms or shows without strong female leads, I know nothing about Silicon Valley and I fear and loathe algorithms . . . but this show has me completely hooked and in love.  What inspired writing and what a great cast.  Can't wait for S2.

[ALenore]

IO9 called the finale "The Greatest, Most Scietifically Accurate Dick Joke of All Time". http://io9.com/the-greatest-most-scientifically-accurate-dick-joke-of-1585017235.  They apparently got actual Stanford engineers to make the formula. 

[Hybiscus]

This just made me so insanely happy that as soon as I could I rewatched the entire season. What a perfect perfect episode and the dick jacking calculations were both hysterical and also showed us in e best show don't tell way how smart these guys really are.

 

I did the exact same thing!!  And I've rewatched the finale numerous times. The low tech, the stumbling-mumbling, the way he pointed out Hooli stole his technology but also gave them credit, and his own belief that the file didn't completely compress.  As the compression was going on, I actually got goosebumps!  That's how pulled into the moment I was.

 

Was there a dick joke in the show?  ;-D

 

hincandenza:

 

So I can't imagine what they'll even do in season 2, since there really isn't any "hero's journey" or struggle left to define our cast. It was hinted at with Monica's speech about Richard having to be a real CEO of a rapidly growing company, but from what we've seen he ought to just take the money and let the day-to-day struggle go

 

I thought the same thing about Supernatural.  The first season was so good, I wondered how they could top it.  But they did.  There's plenty of "hero's journey" to explore. Richard is going to struggle mightily.  It's not about the money for him, but he's a techie, not a manager.  All the characters re nicely defined now  (well, except Monica) and that's what makes the show entertaining.  I'm sure there will plenty of fodder for laughs and groans. 

Edited June 6, 2014 by goinggone

[larapu2000]

Yes the lo tech presentation... Hilarious! (Although would they work on an overhead projector not being transparent?)

 

It wasn't an old-school overhead projector, it was actually a camera that films and then projects overhead.  

[lucindabelle]

On some boards people complain that Monica would never go for Richard, that it's a cliche, etc. etc. I just want to say that EVERY SINGLE EPISODE I watch him going I looooove him. He's so cute, he's so sweet. OK, at this point I am nearly old enough to be his mom, because I'm about Mike Judge's age, but I would have dated him in a heartbeat (and I am pretty cute, objectively speaking). He's handsome, shy but not in an off-putting way, he's REALLY smart (the ying yang corrections, the teutonic shift joke)-- without being condescending. He's GENTLE. In the best best sense.

 

He has more game than he knows.

 

I went to Stanford and most of the engineers (you could not avoid them) were not tall and cute like that. I do have a little preference for Irish-looking gingers (don't know if he's of Irish descent, just looks it). I love me some Richard.

 

Also, I actually believe the two actors do have chemsitry; I've seen it since the beginning. So I do care where it goes and am rooting for them. When he said "I did it for YOU Monica," I got chills.

 

When I go home today I'm watching that finale again. That dick joke on the whiteboard is one of the funniest and most revealing things I've seen in basically ever.

[Hybiscus]

On some boards people complain that Monica would never go for Richard, that it's a cliche, etc. etc.

 

That's because the nerdy guy always gets the cool girl.  The nerdy girl never gets the cool guy unless she has a makeover.  Would Richard go for an average-looking woman?  Probably.  But television audiences wouldn't stand for it.  Even in real life, the standards for what's attractive in a man has less to do with his appearance than with his brain and personality.  To wit (also from the above post)

 

He's so cute, he's so sweet. OK, at this point I am nearly old enough to be his mom, because I'm about Mike Judge's age, but I would have dated him in a heartbeat (and I am pretty cute, objectively speaking). He's handsome, shy but not in an off-putting way, he's REALLY smart (the ying yang corrections, the teutonic shift joke)-- without being condescending. He's GENTLE. In the best best sense.

 

He has more game than he knows.

 

 

Ok, getting off my soapbox now.

[smcallah]

Yes the lo tech presentation... Hilarious! (Although would they work on an overhead projector not being transparent?)

 

 

Not an overhead projector but a "HoverCam."

[lucindabelle]

Ah, thanks for the overhead projector clarifications.

It is true that womenare rated more for visual attraction and men for other assets. I don't think this is something that can be changed very much culturally; there's too much evidence that men are aroused visually more than women are. This is why there are rows and rows of soft-core porn masquerading as romance novels in any supermarket, and women dancing on pool tables for men. (Yes, women see men striptease, but only in groups and in parties. There just is no equivalent of the peepshow.)

That said I do think Richard's really, really cute. None of his other qualities would work for me if I didn't also think he's just very pretty.

So to me he's not the equivalent of the nerdy girl, because he's very handsome.

He's clean-cut, simply dressed. Monica's hot, but I'd be willing to accept Richard with an equally scrubbed, nice-looking girl. That just doesn't translate to nerdy or schlubby. I know Apatow's done that kind of thing sometimes to the point of absurdity, but I don't see it here. He's tall and easy on the eyes.

Gifloyle, now, no.

Edited June 10, 2014 by lucindabelle

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Monica would never go for Richard

When I first read this, I thought you were talking about Monica and Richard on Friends!

 

 

 

IO9 called the finale "The Greatest, Most Scietifically Accurate Dick Joke of All Time". They apparently got actual Stanford engineers to make the formula.

I love that they actually got real nerds to work out formulas. Awesome.

 

ETA: The link in the article to the Twitter picture is actually for the Weissman score which was a rating for the compression rate mentioned in both Richard's and Hooli's presentations, not any of the math they did in the jerking discussion.

Edited June 11, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Edna Crandall]

Gifloyle, now, no.

 

Disagree. Would bang, for sure. Although I probably think Dinesh is the cutest of the code boys. 

[lucindabelle]

Hah! No accounting for taste. Thanks! I think I'd go for Ehrlich before either finest or gilfoye, but I'd have to be pretty smashed. Richard? Stone cold sober.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Okay, here is some actual math behind the tip to tip efficiency.

[ironclown]

Well, with respect to the paper of Chugtai and Gilfoyle, typesetting in LaTeX certainly legitimizes everything. Only thing missing was it being uploaded to CiteSeer, if the guys there had a sense of humor.

 

I'd say this was the best executed dick joke I've ever seen, and that it spurred Richard to develop a novel algorithm was the icing on a wonderful cake. Serendipity is always a wonderful thing.

 

I am definitely looking forward to the second season!

[radishcake]

LOVE IT!

[TVSallyS]

That's because the nerdy guy always gets the cool girl. The nerdy girl never gets the cool guy unless she has a makeover. Would Richard go for an average-looking woman? Probably. But television audiences wouldn't stand for it.

It is a cliche, it is irritating. And I am not saying that an average looking woman has never ended up with a model gorgeous guy (of course she has), and that it wouldn't be nice to see a tv show depict this now and again, but the reason TV shows depict the reverse in higher frequency I think is because it happens in reality with higher frequency. The nerd landing the hot girl is not just a made up cliche perpetuated by the media (yes, there are a lot of those). There's tons of research showing that on average (again, not true of every individual who can have unique preferences, but it is true on average), men care more about looks than women and women care more about social "resources" than men (intellect is clearly a resource). People think it could be in part an evolved innate instinct - way back in the day of jungle life, women who cared more about resources happened to pass on their genes more often (having someone to protect and provide for their offspring while they were pregnant and caring for the baby better ensured the baby's survival), and men who cared about youth and physical cues to high fertility happened to pass on their genes more often (women have a smaller reproductive window and have to survive the physical challenges of child birth, so it matters more that she is young and healthy, has "child bearing hips", etc.)

Anyway, none of that means that every individual is hard wired to prioritize things that way, and different individual experiences can still lead to the development of a wide range of individual preferences. People think it's just why you see an "on average" gender difference in priorities. It would be nice to see some variety represented, but I guess if more people drink coffee in the morning than maple syrup, you are going to see mostly coffee drinkers depicted on TV. It probably just makes sense to producers to do that.

It would be interesting, though, if the media overrepresented the "hotter-women-less-attractive-smart-man" pairing, though. Do they depict it with even higher frequency than happens in reality? I am not sure they do. I often have difficulty generating even one example of a couple I know where the guy is much hotter. Actually I think research shows on average those pairings don't last as long as the reverse. I guess there are two separate issues - whether reality irritates us and we want TV producers to change reality by providing more examples of alternatives, or whether we actually think TV is presenting a skewed perspective on reality and that is what is irritating us. In this case I am not confident that is true. I don't know.

Edited July 1, 2014 by TVSallyS

[lucindabelle]

I know a few examples of hot guy, plain woman. they are all Irish, men marrying mum-types, and most of them cheat (not all, of course).I've also

 read that people gravitate to same level of attractiveness, think there may be something in that too. I've never been attracted to a supermodel type guy, because I'm n ot a supermodel girl, but I am attracted to fairly hot, because I'm fairly hot.

But I agree, men are more visual.

[JTMacc99]

I've also read that people gravitate to same level of attractiveness, think there may be something in that too.

I gravitate to level of attractiveness I think I should be if I could just drop a couple pounds and dress better.