I watched the first 2 seasons of this show and made it a couple episodes into season 3 before I had to stop. I want to start by saying that at times this show is absolutely hilarious. I especially like T.J. Miller, Martin Starr, and Zach Woods. Woods in particular shows his range as he plays such a different character than Gabe (The Office). Gabe was creepy. His character on this show is funny and at times even lovable. "Did you know you speak German in your sleep?"That being said, I have some issues with how the writers handle the plot. As my title states, even when the team wins they still find a way to lose. Yes this is a comedy so it's expected that some shenanigans will occur. I also get that Pied Piper can't just become a powerhouse company overnight, but the characters are constantly doing silly things to sabotage themselves. It's obvious these things happen purely for the sake of plot (or in this case to not advance it). I started to really notice this in season 2. The episode "Adult Content" demonstrates the problem. Everything is going great for the guys and then the dumb billionaire comes in and sets his giant bottle of tequila down on the delete button. This deletes 3/4 of the content of the porn account that the characters were trying to get a contract for. I don't know much about computer tech/programming, but I find it hard to believe that these guys would have the program open in a manner where pushing the delete button would delete the very content that they were using their program to run. Once again I get it's a comedy, but I can only suspend my disbelief so much.I tried to keep watching, but then when I got to season 3 the same sort of plot shenanigans started happening with the CEO they brought in. Really, you need to completely change Pied Piper because it's too hard to sell? Get better sales people... If the show was episodic this might be a bit more acceptable, but it's not. The plot needs to progress not create situations where the characters are just shooting themselves in the foot again and again. It's like they don't have writers good enough to keep the story going, so instead they don't allow anything to progress.

For people who love the tech world, this is a very good show to follow. The best part about this show is its closeness to reality. The show beautifully displays how volatile the tech world is, how awkward smart people can get and how funny the stories behind some revolutionary innovations are. When I started the first season, I expected it to be some show about how some guys do wonders in the bay area, how they get rich with their tech, hangout. I thought it would be an " entourage " type show for nerds. I was totally wrong and that's what made me like this show.Sometimes while watching mainstream shows, I cringe when I see how ridiculously the lead character's love life changes and how unrealistic the scenes can get. Its different here, the characters in this show are actually relatable. They're goofy, awkward, smart, dumb, they win sometimes, they fail sometimes, its awesome. This is the only show where I felt " that's a good use of 25 mins of my life " after watching an episode. Just tolerate the first two episodes of s01 and you'll binge till the latest episode.

The general consensus on this newest season of the hit HBO comedy series is that this was perhaps the weakest season, but compensated with an incredibly satisfying conclusion. For the most part, it sticks with the same patterns of the first four seasons. The characters have victories and setbacks in equal measure, inching toward making their dreams for Pied Piper a reality. However, after four seasons of making mistakes, it seems like the characters should be learning not to make such rash decisions anymore. Though creator Mike Judge has said that the level of chaos on the show is actually accurate to real life in Silicon Valley, there is still something that feels overly familiar about the causes of all the characters' problems. However, this is somewhat forgivable because of the way that the chaotic nature of the show creates a lot of uncertainty and suspense as to whether one situation or another will work out well for our characters and what it will cost them. The loss of TJ Miller's character Erlich Bachman is felt, and I think that is a definite factor that makes this season weaker than the others.Despite these drawbacks, there is plenty to like about this fifth season. Richard has reformed from his descent into corporate deception in Season 4, and in this season he has to deal more with running a larger-scale version of Pied Piper. The war with Gavin Belson continues as he struggles to maintain his position at the head of Hooli. Jared and Monica's roles are diminished, but they still hold vital roles in the company. Dinesh and Gilfoyle gain a bit more independence and begin having conflicts with the new Pied Piper employees instead of just with each other. However, their rivalry remains intact, and this season features perhaps their funniest struggle yet. Big Head and Laurie Breem get a little more attention and significance than usual. This is by far Jian Yang's best season as his ambitions make for a lot of good laughs beyond his continued hatred for Erlich. A few new characters are introduced, but none that are particularly memorable.This season shows Pied Piper as a more fully realized company that isn't just trying to get off the ground. Where Richard and company used to try to convince VC's to fund them, they are now trying to recruit other companies to join their platform. The series goes into some new technological territory, featuring Teslas and crypto coin in major ways and even brings up data-harvesting like the kind Facebook has been employing. Richard's creation of a new, decentralized internet also brings a new tech element that could be read as a call to action for real tech companies.So while this wasn't the best that we've seen from Silicon Valley, I do not think that it is an indication of the show's decline either. I am already anticipating Season 6 and hope that we will get Erlich back, but even if we don't, I trust that creators Mike Judge and Alec Berg will bring us something pretty good.

Finally, an ensemble superhero show for the awkward, smart and socially inept. What a stacked deck of great characters trapped in dizzingly absurdist vacuum. A must see.