Richard flips a bitcoin for his company’s future on a solid Silicon Valley

In my review of Silicon Valley’s fifth season premiere a few weeks ago, I argued that while the show continues to have issues in its advanced age, it’s still working off of a sturdy foundation with its talented cast and its perverse sense of humor. And as we approach the end of the season, that point has held up. Each week there’s a lingering discontent with the show’s narrative pace and untethered characters, but it’s assuaged by a steady stream of terrifying disclosures from Jared’s past or the recurring payoff of Gavin’s tumescent Box 3. Even if the pieces don’t all fit together the way they once did, they’re still sturdy enough pieces that they’ll accomplish what they need to do.

Most of those pieces are on deck for “Initial Coin Offering,” season five’s penultimate episode—and interestingly, an episode that’s all about abandoning some of the sturdy foundation in the narrative. For its entire life, Pied Piper has been…