Mike Judge's debut on HBO is off to an incredibly promising start. Getting the premise of the show out of the way in its debut episode last week, the second episode of the series comes out swinging really giving a taste of what this show has to offer. In the episode, Peter Gregory (played with impeccable distance by Christopher Evan Welch) has invested in Richard's algorithm and is now on the hunt for a business plan and results. Enter Hooli employee and former Dan Melcher lackey Jared (played by The Office's Zach Woods) to help guide Richard and his fledgling company down the business venture path... even if it means firing his best friend Big Head.
The highlight of this episode hands down is Woods' Jared, who takes his character from the Office and puts a slight spin on him for the purposes of Judge's show. His dedication (and possibly his post-traumatic stress) from working at a large company like Hooli shines through in how eager to please he is to Richard. Kumail Nanjiani and Martin Starr really tackle the Mike Judge style quite well and their interactions I can see turning into quotable items on a weekly basis. Amanda Crew, as Peter Gregory's second in command still seems to sidelined and I'm hoping that more is done with her character in episodes to come. You get a sense in each of the team's meetings with Gregory that she's looking to help them, but hasn't jumped into action quite yet.
Lots of slams on Mass Effect 3 and its multiple endings are to be had in the episode, which seemed to be lost on Kelly but felt like a gut punch to me (I actually am in the minority that really enjoyed Mass Effect 3, apparently).
All-in-all a much more solid episode than the series' debut outing, based on this installment the rest of the season should be a treat that gains more and more momentum as it continues.
