Silicon Valley Season 4 Episode 10: The 5 Best Jokes in “Server Error”

Silicon Valley is a saga about one man’s journey into the heart of darkness of the world’s weirdest and most insular industry where everything is “disruptable” and nothing makes sense.

But also: jokes.

After each episode of Silicon Valley this season, we’re cataloguing our five favorite jokes. What constitutes a “joke” is often subjective. So don’t concern yourself too much with the proper definition of “jokes.” These are the five moments that made us laugh the hardest, ranked in order.

Well that’s a wrap on Silicon Valley, season 4 or as it could have been called “Journey Into Richard Hendricks’ Heart of Darkness.” It was certainly a dark season for Richard. After spending so many years being labeled a “pussy” he overreacted and spent almost the entirety of this season lying, cheating (in many different ways) and stealing to get his idea for a completely independent internet off the ground.

It culminates in this finale in his lowest moment yet. Hooli vows to replace all 9 million phones in circulation which means the network Pied Piper placed on those phones will disappear. Richard tries to offload that information onto Gilfoyle’s server, Anton and then bring Anton directly to Stanford University to offload the many petrabytes of data. Of course, Richard is in a stressed state after accepting Jared’s resignation and in their rush, the Pied Piper boys forget to close the back door of the truck, sending poor Anton onto the asphalt for several miles and hundreds of pieces.

Richard finally cracks, accepts that he’s been an asshole, apologizes to Jared and vows to be a better person. First step on that journey will be apologizing to Melcher for losing all his data. Except…Pied Piper hasn’t lost all of Melcher’s data. When Gilfoyle hacked Jian Yang’s smart fridge with Pied Piper software that smart fridge communicated with hundreds of other smart fridges, creating a nascent version of the network that Richard dreamed of. Onward, Pied Piper with a better, less douche-ier version of your leader!

5. BREAKING NEWS: Hooli CEO Jack Barker taken hostage at Hooli factory.

Wow, what a cut. Jack Barker has gone to China to encourage the Hooli factory workers to work jusssssst a little faster to go from producing 2 million phones to 9 million. Things seem to be going well to Jack and he’s just about to talk about his conjoined triangle of success when we cut to a news bulletin informing us that Jack has been taken hostage. Honestly, this joke could have been #1 if it just cut to that news bulletin right after Jack announces he’s going to China.

4. “I know it must look like our company is in complete disarray. But I can assure you: it is.”

Per usual, Jared is full of great lines in “Server Error.” “I will not lie. I already have upwards of 50 burnt perineum on my conscience” is a particularly great one. His message to his potential replacement is by far his best, however. Is Jared trying to sabotage new employees so he can keep his job or is he just so earnest that he cannot lie to anyone about anything? Probably the latter.

3. “Oh Ashley hey! Well it won’t be the last time you stop traffic. When you’re older, of course.”

Richard has a long, proud legacy in season 4 of putting his foot in his mouth. He’s such an awkward little dude that even the most benign of greetings comes out as something terrifyingly inappropriate. And he saves his worst conversational mishap for when he’s at his lowest. Sure, Richard is at his wit’s end trying to get a U-Haul filled with Anton to Stanford but that can’t really excuse accidentally sexualizing his young neighbor.

2. “Why are you laughing? You look so insane right now.”

Gilfoyle’s cat-eyed contact lenses are the best visual gag of the episode and maybe the whole season. After he breaks his glasses taking off his sweater in the server room (maybe to fuck Anton, like Dinesh thinks he does), he puts in the contacts from his Halloween costume. At first it’s incredibly jarring but you eventually get used to it, what with him wearing the contacts the entire episode. Near the end though he laughs in amazement at what Anton has accomplished and can’t help but look completely unhinged.

1. “Hey. This guy fucks.”

Richard comes over to apologize to Jared in a very tender moment. To Richard’s surprise, Jared has company and we hear the sound of some female laughter. “Is there a girl in there? How many girls are in there?” After Richard’s sweet admission of guilt he can’t help but chuckle and bring back Russ Hanneman’s infamous estimation of Jared’s abilities. “Hey. This guy fucks.”