Two Days of the Condor

Last updated

"Two Days of the Condor"
Silicon Valley episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 10
Directed by Alec Berg
Written byAlec Berg
Featured music
  • "Changing of the Guards" by Pusha T
Cinematography by Tim Suhrstedt
Editing byJoshua Alan Baca
Original air dateJune 14, 2015 (2015-06-14)
Running time28 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Binding Arbitration"		Next →
"Founder Friendly"
Silicon Valley (season 2)
List of episodes

"Two Days of the Condor" is an episode of the comedy television series Silicon Valley . It constitutes the tenth and final of the second season, and the 18th overall episode of the series. The episode was written and directed by Alec Berg.

Contents

In the episode, while Pied Piper's livestream of a technician from the National History Museum falling down a ravine gains traction, Richard continues to fight a lawsuit from Hooli alleging that the Pied Piper IP is theirs. The livestream goes viral soon becomes an meme in the Philippines, causing Pied Piper's servers to catch fire. Meanwhile, the judge rules that Hooli legally owns the Pied Piper IP. Facing no other option, Richard tells Dinesh to delete Pied Piper. Richard learns that, due to specific language in his contract, Richard wasn't legally employed by Hooli, meaning Richard actually owns Pied Piper and its IP. Per Richard's request, Dinesh creates a script to delete Pied Piper; due to a bug in the script, the script crashes, saving Pied Piper.

"Two Days of the Condor" originally aired on HBO on June 14, 2015. The episode received generally positive reviews, with The A.V. Club giving the episode an A−. According to Nielsen Media Research, "Two Days of the Condor" was seen by 2.1 million viewers, second only to the season five finale of Game of Thrones, Mother's Mercy. For his teleplay, Berg received a nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

Plot

A Pied Piper livestream of a National History Museum technician falling down a ravine reaches 7,000 viewers as Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) awaits the decision of an arbitration case against him by Hooli, who alleged that the Pied Piper IP is theirs, due to the fact that Richard worked on Pied Piper while working for Hooli. A Hooli lawyer visits the Hacker Hostel to intimidate Richard, telling him to prepare the platform for Hooli's acquisition. Pessimistic, Bertram Gilfoyle (Martin Starr) discusses deleting Pied Piper's code to Richard, citing the Intersite ineptitude. Richard objects, wanting to see how big Pied Piper can get until its eventual demise. Erlich Bachman (T.J. Miller) puts the hostel up for sale, uncertain of Pied Piper's future. The livestream gains traction as links to it are shared on BuzzFeed and Reddit. Jared Dunn (Zach Woods) announces to the team that Manny Pacquiao, a local celebrity in the Philippines, had shared a link to the livestream to his two million followers. [1]

As the livestream becomes an internet sensation in the Philippines, the increased traffic puts strain on Pied Piper's servers, as Gilfoyle works to keep the breakers in the Hacker Hostel from tripping, and attracts the attention of Laurie Bream (Suzanne Cryer) and Monica (Amanda Crew), who comment on the livestream's popularity in the Philippines. As the Pied Piper team works towards keeping the servers online, Erlich declines an all-cash offer to buy the hostel, and helps Dinesh Chugtai (Kumail Nanjiani) keep the servers online. As the livestream crosses 300,000 viewers, the servers catch on fire. The livestream ends with the technician drinking his own urine on the livestream as a rescue team arrives.

Meanwhile, as Gavin Belson (Matt Ross) and Richard await the judge's decision, Gavin reveals to Richard that the Pied Piper algorithm was the only way to make Nucleus work and that he would have paid $250 million for Pied Piper had the arbitration case not happened. The arbitration judge rules that Hooli has a right to ownership of Pied Piper's IP. Hopeless, Richard texts Jared to tell him to delete Pied Piper's code. The judge adds a caveat to his ruling, however: a clause in Hooli's employment agreement forbade Richard from hiring Jared, which a ruling by the Supreme Court of California deemed unlawful, making Richard's employment under Hooli invalid and thereby Hooli has no legal right to Pied Piper's IP.

Realizing that he had told Dinesh to delete Pied Piper's code, Richard frantically attempts to call Jared to get him to call off deleting Pied Piper, but his phone dies before he can call him. Richard then attempts to get to his car, but his car keys fall into a sewer drain. Panicking, Richard goes to a coffee shop and borrows a phone before realizing that he doesn't know any of the team's phone numbers. Richard then boards a bus and borrows the bus driver's phone to send an email to Jared. Unbeknownst to Richard, his email never got through to Jared, as the Pied Piper team celebrated Pied Piper before eventually running Dinesh's script to delete Pied Piper. Fortunately for Richard, a bug in the script causes it to crash, preserving the algorithm.

At Hooli, Gavin faces the Hooli board, who belittle Gavin and discuss replacing Gavin with Big Head (Josh Brener). Meanwhile, Laurie approaches Russ Hanneman (Chris Diamantopoulos) and purchases his stake in Pied Piper, securing three out of five board seats in Pied Piper. As the Pied Piper team celebrate their victory over Hooli, Monica calls Richard to inform him that Raviga had acquired a majority share in Pied Piper and Richard has to step down as CEO of Pied Piper, effective immediately.

Production

Silicon Valley executive producer Alec Berg wrote and directed "Two Days of the Condor" Alec Berg at SXSW 2016.jpg
Silicon Valley executive producer Alec Berg wrote and directed "Two Days of the Condor"

"Two Days of the Condor" was directed and written by Alec Berg, an executive producer for Silicon Valley. The episode was seen as a critique of predatory lawsuits seen throughout Silicon Valley, and the contrast between Hooli and Pied Piper was noted. [2] [3]

Chris Diamantopoulos makes a guest appearance in the episode as Russ Hanneman, who is portrayed as a sleazy billionaire obsessed with the "three commas club", a reference to the three decimal separators separating the number 1,000,000,000 in his net worth. [3] [2]

Reception

Ratings

In its original broadcast on June 15, 2015, on HBO, "Two Days of the Condor" was viewed by 2.11 million viewers, [4] about a 13 percent increase from the previous episode, "Binding Arbitration". [5] "Two Days of the Condor" received a 1.1 rating share among viewers between 18-49. It was outperformed by the Game of Thrones season five finale Mother's Mercy, which was seen by 8.11 million households, although the episode outperformed Family Guy on Adult Swim. [4]

Critical reception

"Two Days of the Condor" was a surprisingly riveting, heartbreaking, and hilarious piece of television that sends Silicon Valley's second season out with a bang.

Cliff Wheatley, IGN [2]

"Two Days of the Condor" received generally positive reviews. Cliff Wheatley of IGN described the episode "riveting, heartbreaking, and hilarious piece of television that sends Silicon Valley's second season out with a bang" and gave the episode a 9.5 out of 10. [6] Writing for Vulture.com, Odie Henderson called the episode's script "excellent" with "a streak of pettiness running through it". [7] Additionally, Henderson drew parallels to the season two episode "White Hat/Black Hat" in regards to the race against time elements seen in both episodes. In a review for The A.V. Club, Les Chappell praised the episode for its high-stakes, although had reservations regarding the relationship between Laurie and Russ, writing, "One major regret of the episode is that we were denied a scene between Laurie and Russ, after 'Bad Money' all but assured us one was coming when Laurie refused to ever be in the same room as him." In addition, Chappell noted Erlich's development in the episode, referring to him doing technical work for Pied Piper. [8]

The connection between business culture in Silicon Valley and the episode were noted by Washington Post writer Alyssa Rosenberg, who wrote, "'Silicon Valley' gives lie to the idea that the tech industry is a pure meritocracy, or even that it functions with anything close to perfect efficiency", going on to reference a scene in the episode where Gavin informs Richard that Pied Piper's algorithm is the only way to make Nucleus work as an example of true meritocracy. The episode's ending, with Raviga's hostile takeover of Pied Piper and Richard being forcefully exited from Pied Piper, was also noted. [2]

Awards

Alec Berg was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for writing "Two Days of the Condor", accounting for one of the three Primetime Emmy Award nominations Silicon Valley received that season, alongside the season two episode "Sand Hill Shuffle" and the series as a whole. [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pied Piper of Hamelin</span> German legend

The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piper Laurie</span> American actress (1932–2023)

Piper Laurie was an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films The Hustler (1961), Carrie (1976), and Children of a Lesser God (1986), and the miniseries The Thorn Birds (1983). She is also known for her performances as Kirsten Arnesen in the original TV production of "Days of Wine and Roses", and as Catherine Martell in the television series Twin Peaks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Judge</span> American actor, animator, and filmmaker (born 1962)

Michael Craig Judge is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, and musician. He is the creator of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-Head, and the co-creator of the television series King of the Hill (1997–2010), The Goode Family (2009), Silicon Valley (2014–2019), and Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus (2017–2018). He wrote and directed the films Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996), Office Space (1999), Idiocracy (2006), and Extract (2009), and co-wrote the screenplay to Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022).

House is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on the Fox network for eight seasons, from November 16, 2004, to May 21, 2012. Its main character, Dr. Gregory House, is an unconventional, misanthropic medical genius who, despite his dependence on pain medication, leads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton–Plainsboro Teaching Hospital (PPTH) in New Jersey. The series' premise originated with Paul Attanasio, while David Shore, who is credited as creator, was primarily responsible for conceiving the title character.

All Hell Breaks Loose (<i>Charmed</i>) 22nd episode of the 3rd season of Charmed

"All Hell Breaks Loose" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the third season of the American television series Charmed; it is also the 66th overall episode in the series. The episode was originally broadcast in the United States on May 17, 2001, on The WB. It was written by Brad Kern and directed by Shannen Doherty. As well as being Doherty's last episode as director, it was also her last appearance on the show as the character Prue Halliwell, although the character would later return in the comic book series. In the episode, The Charmed Ones deal with their secret of being witches going global and all of the news reporters swarming them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pied Piper (song)</span> 1966 single by Crispian St. Peters

"The Pied Piper" is a pop song written by the duo The Changin' Times, consisting of Steve Duboff and Artie Kornfeld, who first recorded it in 1965. Their version reached #87 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, when British pop singer Crispian St. Peters recorded it, he scored a major hit during the summer of 1966. It went to #4 in the United States, #5 in the United Kingdom, and #1 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart refrigerator</span>

A smart refrigerator, also known as internet refrigerator, is a refrigerator which is able to communicate with the internet. This kind of refrigerator is often equipped to determine itself whenever a food item needs to be replenished. This is still partly managed by human involvement but the next evolution of smart technology is the Intelligent Refrigerator, which incorporates inventory tracking for all items inside, along with a seamless payment system. This involves connecting the refrigerator to an online retail store, ensuring a consistently stocked refrigerator at home for domestic use. For commercial use, additional features such as payment terminals and locks are integrated to manage tasks like unattended retail and queue busting.

<i>Silicon Valley</i> (TV series) 2014–2019 American television series

Silicon Valley is an American comedy television series created by Mike Judge, John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky. It premiered on HBO on April 6, 2014, and concluded on December 8, 2019, running for six seasons for a total of 53 episodes. Parodying the culture of the technology industry in Silicon Valley, the series focuses on Richard Hendricks, a programmer who founds a startup company called Pied Piper, and chronicles his struggles to maintain his company while facing competition from larger entities. Co-stars include T.J. Miller, Josh Brener, Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Woods, Amanda Crew, Matt Ross, and Jimmy O. Yang.

"Minimum Viable Product" is the pilot episode of the television comedy Silicon Valley. It originally aired on HBO on April 6, 2014. The episode was written by series creators John Altschuler, Dave Krinsky and Mike Judge and directed by Judge. HBO made the episode available for free on YouTube.

Immortality (<i>CSI: Crime Scene Investigation</i>) Two-hour series finale of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"

"Immortality" is the two-hour series finale of the American procedural crime drama television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. It was written by series creator Anthony E. Zuiker and directed by Louis Shaw Milito and originally aired in the United States on CBS on September 27, 2015.

<i>Silicon Valley</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American comedy television series Silicon Valley premiered in the United States on HBO on April 6, 2014. It consists of eight episodes, and concluded on June 1, 2014.

<i>Veep</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the American political comedy television series Veep premiered on April 12, 2015, on HBO in the United States. It consists of ten episodes each running approximately 28 minutes. The season's showrunner and series creator Armando Iannucci exited at the conclusion of the season.

<i>Silicon Valley</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American comedy television series Silicon Valley premiered in the United States on HBO on April 12, 2015. The season contained 10 episodes, and concluded on June 14, 2015.

<i>Silicon Valley</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American comedy television series Silicon Valley premiered in the United States on HBO on April 24, 2016. The season contained 10 episodes, and concluded on June 26, 2016.

<i>Silicon Valley</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the American comedy television series Silicon Valley premiered in the United States on HBO on April 23, 2017. The season contained 10 episodes, and concluded on June 25, 2017. This is the final season to feature T.J. Miller as Erlich Bachman.

<i>Silicon Valley</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American comedy television series Silicon Valley premiered in the United States on HBO on March 25, 2018. The season contained 8 episodes, and concluded on May 13, 2018.

<i>Silicon Valley</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth and final season of the American comedy television series Silicon Valley premiered in the United States on HBO on October 27, 2019, and concluded on December 8, 2019. It consisted of 7 episodes.

"Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency" is the eighth and final episode of the first season of the American television comedy series Silicon Valley. The episode was written by Alec Berg and directed by series co-creator Mike Judge, and originally aired on HBO on June 1, 2014. Berg received a nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards for writing the episode.

"Exit Event" is the series finale of the comedy series Silicon Valley. The episode was written and directed by Alec Berg and originally aired on HBO on December 8, 2019. In the episode, the Pied Piper team attempts to sabotage the company's million-dollar launch in order to prevent the decentralized system from potentially abolishing internet privacy.

References

  1. ↑ Manjoo, Farhad (June 14, 2015). "'Silicon Valley' Season 2 Finale Recap: Paying the Pied Piper". ArtsBeat. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Rosenberg, Alyssa (June 15, 2015). "'Silicon Valley' urges us not to give up on the tech industry". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Johnson, Dwayne (June 15, 2015). "'Silicon Valley' Season 2 Finale Review: Pied Piper Faces Its Fate". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Kondolojy, Amanda (June 16, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Tops Night + 'Silicon Valley', NASCAR, 'Botched' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Ratings Review: SILICON VALLEY (Season Two)". TVaholic. August 4, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  6. ↑ Wheatley, Cliff (June 14, 2015). "Silicon Valley: "Two Days of the Condor" Review". IGN. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  7. ↑ Henderson, Odie. "Silicon Valley Season Two Finale Recap: The thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat". Vulture.com. New York.
  8. ↑ Chappell, Les (June 14, 2015). "Silicon Valley: "Two Days of the Condor"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  9. ↑ Lange, Ariane (September 21, 2015). "Here Are All The Winners At The 2015 Emmys". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series Nominees/Winners". emmys.com. Television Academy.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.