‘Silicon Valley’ Is All About The D

I think it’s safe to say that we as a society love a good penis joke. We may stick up our noses and pretend not to care when genital jabs are taken, but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t at least chuckled at a well placed “That’s what she said” (or “That’s what he said”). However, HBO’s critically acclaimed comedy, Silicon Valley, takes dick jokes to a whole new level. These penis jokes are more than funny; they’re a smart reflection of the show’s characters while being a tongue-in-cheek criticism of the real Silicon Valley. Warning: Mild spoilers and NSFW GIFs. 

Currently in its third season, Silicon Valley follows a group of very intelligent programming man-children as they attempt to launch their startup company, Pied Piper. Whereas Seasons One and Two focused on Richard’s (Thomas Middleditch) increasingly difficult journey as he fought for his algorithm and painstakingly secured his early-stage funding, Season Three focuses on a more established Pied Piper that is now outside of the founding five’s control. Already it’s been a stressful season, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up. However, as I was watching the most recent episode, something stood out to me. Silicon Valley is more peen-obsessed than most shows.

It’s not the volume of penis jokes that makes the show stand out (or up). The female-led Broad City makes far more genital jokes per a minute than Silicon Valley ever has. Rather, it’s the show’s intense dedication to elaborate dick jokes that sets it apart. I would argue that all the drama and tension of Season One culminated in the nerdiest penis joke ever to grace television. In case you’ve forgotten that specific dick joke, Gilfoyle (Martin Starr), Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani), and even “Jared” (Zach Woods) spend the night before TechCrunch determining the most efficient way Bachman (T.J. Miller) can jerk off every member of the audience. The joke quickly transitions from a wry observation to an intense formula that takes everything from dick to floor ratio to girth into account. Welcome to the Golden Age of television.

Even Pied Piper itself became a never-ending well of penis jokes. Who could forget the intensely graphic and disturbing garage door painting that was Pied Piper’s first logo? Or the PG but still incredibly phallic image of a piper that became its second logo? Last night, Silicon Valley plunged in again, dick first, with another penis joke. After a staff meeting that goes awry, Richard goes to find Pied Piper’s new CEO, Jack Baker (Stephen Toblowsky). Unfortunately, he finds his boss just as Baker is overseeing the mating of his prize mare. There’s a lot of horse sex, and it goes on for longer than you’d think.

It’s a highly uncomfortable scene that makes us relate to Richard and his weird life even more. But it’s also a visual joke that’s perfectly on-brand with these characters. The characters of Silicon Valley, with the possible exception of Monica (Amanda Crew) and Jared, exist in a constant state of adolescence. This is in line with the way pop culture likes to portray its nerds — emotionally stunted and immature — but in a way, it’s a characterization that rings true. If you were starting a company with your closest and most vulgar friends, I’m sure the first thing that would go out the window is HR-level political correctness. Silicon Valley’s constant parade of penis jokes is a reflection of the maturity of its central characters. You can even see emotional arcs occur through different characters’ responses to dick jokes. For example, during the Season One jerking off algorithm, the over stressed Richard almost immediately leaves to work through his latest breakthrough. Sure, that breakthrough was directly inspired by his friends messing around, but he doesn’t even allow himself to laugh at the joke before running off to work. Conversely, you can see Jared start to embrace the inappropriateness of his new coworkers and be accepted as he hesitantly joins in on the algorithm building. However, this focus on male anatomy holds larger implications.

The fact that the real Silicon Valley has a sexism problem shouldn’t be news to anyone. From sexual harassment to blatant misogyny and a lack of opportunities for women, our Silicon Valley seems to be just as obsessed with genitals as the show. By dedicating so much time in creating highly imaginative dick jokes, Silicon Valley (the show) is asking us to associate the tech industry with just one gender’s anatomy, and that’s messed up. The show makes a good vagina-led counterargument to sexism in Season Two with the brief introduction of Carla (Alice Wetterlund), a female programmer Pied Piper hires during its early stages. Carla is just as smart and accomplished as the rest of the team, if not smarter, but she’s also just as crass. There’s an especially funny exchange with Jared about whether or not Carla can call her best friend a nickname that sounds an awful lot like “punt-y.”

Obviously, Silicon Valley isn’t a perfect portrayal of the tech world’s problems. With few exceptions, the show is very white and very male, which is something the series has been criticized for since its first season. However, this penis-focused HBO show is holding up a funhouse mirror to the real Silicon Valley, and that reflection isn’t pretty.

[Where to stream Silicon Valley]