- "I may have been wrong about being a board member and I may be wrong about being the Steve Jobs in our relationship, but I do know this - You are the Steve Wozniak, and no Woz should go and do a meeting like that alone."
- ―Erlich Bachman
Fiduciary Duties is the fourth episode in season 1 of the HBO series Silicon Valley. It originally aired on April 27, 2014.
Plot
At a toga party thrown by Peter, Richard drunkenly promises to make Erlich a board-member--a decision he regrets the next morning. After being unassigned at Hooli, Big Head finds others like him, who have made careers out of doing nothing. Richard struggles to put Pied Piper's vision into words for a presentation without Erlich; later, he discovers an interesting connection between Peter and Gavin Belson.[1]
Synopsis
Richard goes to meet Ron LaFlamme, Peter Gregory’s lawyer. The meeting freaks Richard out, as Ron reveals that Peter is funding several other compression start-ups. When Richard tries to explain his company, Ron loses interest.
At Hooli, the brogrammers work away on Nucleus and consult Big Head for help understanding Richard’s code so they can steal it, but of course Big Head is no help. A rep from human resources then tells Richard he’s moved off the Nucleus project -- but also, that he’s not being fired. Richard finds a whole world of guys who are “unassigned” at Hooli -- there’s a group of them who hang out on the roof all day and drink beer. They’re waiting out their contracts, doing what they call “rest and vest.”
Richard, Dinesh, Gilfoyle, and Erlich go to a toga party thrown by Peter Gregory. There, Monica tells Richard that Pied Piper is officially launched. Richard is still really grappling with his vision for what the company is -- a fact that becomes even more apparent during his awkward interaction with Monica at the party. Flo Rida performs, and Erlich gets on stage with him. Richard gets really drunk and wakes up the next morning to find that he changed Pied Piper’s board to include Erlich, who couldn’t be more excited. Jared tells him he doesn’t have to make the change, and Erlich loses it when Richard says that Erlich isn’t on the board.
Richard and Jared go to meet with Peter Gregory once again to explain what the company is, but Richard freaks out beforehand in the bathroom. Jared helps him get through it -- and even switches pants with him -- but ultimately Richard goes to the meeting with Erlich at his side. Erlich really wows Peter Gregory, and Richard adds Erlich back to Pied Piper’s board.[2]
Cast
Main cast
- Thomas Middleditch as Richard Hendricks
- T. J. Miller as Erlich Bachman
- Josh Brener as Big Head
- Martin Starr as Bertram Gilfoyle
- Kumail Nanjiani as Dinesh Chugtai
- Christopher Evan Welch as Peter Gregory
- Amanda Crew as Monica Hall
- Zach Woods as Jared Dunn
Supporting cast
- Caroline de Souza Correa as Anastasia
- Jimmy O. Yang as Jian Yang
- Jeff Sloniker as Hooli Roof Employee
- Harrison Thomas as Matt
- Ben Feldman as Ron LaFlamme
- Natalie La Rose as Herself
- Aly Mawji as Aly Dutta
- Brian Tichnell as Jason
- Gabriel Tigerman as Gary Irving
- Jonna Walsh as Brooke
- Flo Rida as Himself
- Matt Ross as Gavin Belson
Memorable Quotes
- Richard: Fuck Erlich. I turned down 10 million dollars to build this thing. You want vision? I will show you fucking vision!
Jared: I like this new angry side of you. Being around angry people relaxes me because I know where I stand. - Jian: I eat the fish.
Erlich: I understand you eat the fish. But when you clean the fish you can't leave the fish head and guts and shit in the sink. Because the whole house smells like a bait station. So you gotta put it in the trash and then take the trash out. Do you understand?
Jian: Yes. I eat the fish.
Erlich: Motherfuck! - Dinesh: I half-jokingly said to Gilfoyle last night, "It looks like Richard's sucking Erlich's dick." But that would be reasonable compared to this.
- Richard: You know, I wish this was Roman times. You know? Life was simpler back then.
Dinesh: Simpler for you, I would've been a slave.
Gilfoyle: There's still time. - [Preparing for a photo]
Erlich: Dinesh, leave it unbuttoned. We want you to look like shit. Makes for a better "before" photo.
Gilfoyle: But you're wearing a jacket.
Erlich: Yeah, because I'm the genius marketer. I'm not a code freak like you guys. Besides, I'm wearing sandals so I am iconoclasting a little bit. Oh good, Jared. What the fuck is with that vest? Right over here, as if you're sort of a late addition that won't stick around for the entire duration of the company, and then Richard, there you go, the man of the hour. - Richard: I should've worn more than my underwear and a bed sheet.
Gilfoyle: Underwear? Pussy. - Flo Rida: Y'all put your hands together for my brother! The illest, the chillest, emperor of Rome, big Pete Gregory!
[Peter Gregory enters on a chair held up by mock slaves]
Gilfoyle: He is the illest and the chillest?
Flo Rida: Big Pete Gregory!
Peter: Thank you, Florida. Welcome to the Peter Gregory foundation's fourth annual orgy of caring. The first three were fine. I hope that you enjoy the party. There is a second bar in back where the line is much shorter. Thank you. I'm finished now. [hands the mic off] - [Phone video]
Erlich: We're two halves of the same brain!
Richard: [drunk] You complete me!
Erlich: Don't ever say that again. Do you understand me? I'll beat the shit out of you.
[Later in the video]
Richard: I am asking this fat, beautiful man in front of God, and Flo Rida and this white, weird cocaine statue to be on the Pied Piper board of directors.
Erlich: Yes! A thousand times yes! - Gilfoyle: You don't put someone inside the company on the board. Then he and Peter Gregory can vote you out.
Dinesh: Yeah, you gotta find an outsider you can trust, like your mom.
Gilfoyle: I'd put Erlich on the board before my mom. Backstabbing bitch. - Richard: Are you dressed like Steve Jobs?
Erlich: Oh am I? Well, I suppose Steve and I have always shared a similar aesthetic. - Erlich: What else could I do Richard? You're my Wozniak, and I will always be there... [Richard pukes all over Erlich] Motherfu.. [cut to end credits]
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