For some reason the line I laughed out loud at this week was Big Head describing the phone conversation where he was offered the CEO job: "That's exactly what I said. Then I said no, and then we both hung up. I mean, I assume they hung up. I had already hung up, so--"
This show has me on the floor every time. The Glasshole comment from Jared had me in hysterics. I look forward to watching this and Veep every week.
Not to beat a dead horse, but I can't get over how awesome Jared is despite Gabe being my least favorite character in The Office. I hated him in that, and love him in this. I don't think I've ever experienced that with an actor or actress before, particularly a comedic one. So good.
I hated Gabe in real-time when the Office was still on, but on rewatch I appreciate him more. He's still a useless character but he has some really funny stuff.
Yeah, it's interesting how Gabe and Jared are basically the same character yet everyone hated Gabe and loves Jared.
Context is a huge part of it. It's not a fault in Zach Woods's performance, but the Office at that point was really a mess and from what I remember, Gabe wasn't really consistently written right off the bat, he didn't feel like a whole character, just a guy who serviced whatever plots they needed. Silicon Valley has been far more tightly and consistently written than those seasons of the Office, which even when they had their moments, were wheel-spinning and propping up a show that had gotten broader and zanier from a place of docu-style, muted, semi-realistic beginnings.
I imagine that characters/actors that Woods is bouncing off of on Silicon Valley as opposed to The Office plays into it as well.
yeah the seeds of jared are present in gabe - thinking about his "soundscapes" and his weird fetishization of asian culture, those are definitely things jared would do - but its definitely also part of the way this show is written and it's sense of humor. they stretch him to the point of being totally ridiculous, kind of almost like kenneth in 30 rock, whereas gabe just felt like a flaccid weirdo.
Those seasons of the Office weren't great, but Gabe was often pretty funny. "Believe me, no one is a bigger fan of sexual touching than me." His delivery was on point.
Yeah, see, it was actually his delivery that I hated. Something about it now is different. I can't quite put my finger on it. He has, like, a softer edge now, or something, and it just goes down smoother. I know that sounds weird, but that's the best way I can describe it.