Silicon Valley: Hooli-con

June 19, 2017 4:48 AM - Season 4, Episode 9

Erlich goes on a trip to get his mojo back while the guys head to Hooli-Con, where Jared faces a moral dilemma; Gilfoyle and Dinesh are distracted by Keenan; and Richard becomes obsessed with an ex's new beau.
posted by noneuclidean (11 comments total)

Really liked the Jared/Richard dynamic this episode. It hit home how much Richard has changed over four seasons, and not for the better.

So does everyone's phones blowing up mean they're going to lose all of Melcher's data?
posted by noneuclidean at 4:55 AM on June 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

At this point I'm pretty sure the series ends with Jared sobbing as he smothers Richard with a pillow.
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:39 AM on June 19, 2017 [15 favorites]

The data-loss potential was unclear. As long as people aren't actively using the app, and it's just sitting there in the background, the data might be okay. But if everybody suddenly deletes the app (which Richard promised they won't do) then poof, it's gone.

While I prefer smart-as-a-whip, business Jared, moral-centre Jared is greatly appreciated too. I just hope by the end of the show, they've managed to but Jared in a good place, both professionally and personally. He really deserves it out of all of the characters.

I'm still not quite convinced Gavin can find enlightenment and give up his old ways. I'm expecting him to revert fairly quickly.

Dinesh is pretty much irredeemable at the moment. I don't know what the writers can do to salvage his character, at least for me.

I can't believe there is just one episode left in the season. It has been such a short run. It feels as if it had barely started up again.
posted by sardonyx at 6:12 AM on June 19, 2017

The data-loss potential was unclear. As long as people aren't actively using the app, and it's just sitting there in the background, the data might be okay.

I don't think any of that matters if the phone is on fire. My impression was the new VR software, Pied Piper software, or combination was causing the phones to blow up like a Galaxy Note 7.
posted by Gary at 11:21 AM on June 19, 2017

I love Flula Borg so much, and I have no idea why.
posted by Etrigan at 11:41 AM on June 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

I got the impression that it was only a small percentage that caught fire. The rest, if they're shut down, and the Hooli ap isn't activated should (theoretically) be fine.
posted by sardonyx at 11:47 AM on June 19, 2017

Fair enough, I'm assuming this is the latest reset to the plot and it will eventually break all the phones. Then they'll need to be bailed out by ____Jian Yang? Bream? Bighead's dad?____ who will fund the company and take over for Erlich.
posted by Gary at 1:30 PM on June 19, 2017

But then again, I'm just wildly guessing and speculating. It's fiction after all and anything can happen. Bighead's dad as the replacement for Erlich would be an interesting development.
posted by sardonyx at 1:38 PM on June 19, 2017

Ugh, for me this episode was like 5 minutes of story and a bunch of distractions.
posted by rhizome at 2:12 PM on June 19, 2017

When Richard was trying to walk past the unlocked laptop I was actually yelling "Richard, no! Keep walking, you fucking idiot!" at the TV. Like a horror movie.
posted by potrzebie at 11:07 PM on June 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

Wow, they did a good job making the convention look like Dreamforce. Someone on Reddit did a side-by-side. According to a NY Times profile of Mike Judge and the show, they set up their own convention inside the LA Convention Center, but invited real companies to have booths. There are definitely real shots of Moscone in SF, however.
posted by radioamy at 7:43 PM on June 20, 2017 [2 favorites]