20 Best TV Episodes Of 2016 

14. Meinertzhagen's Haversack - Silicon Valley

Best TV Episodes 2016
HBO

Silicon Valley continues to be one of TV's smartest, funniest, and criminally under-watched sitcoms.

HBO's tech satire didn't miss a beat in its third season, continuing the saga of Richard, Elrich and co., escalating the drama and increasing the hilarity that ensues with it.

There were a few contenders for the best episode - season finale The Uptick and episode 8, Bachman's Earning's Over-Ride were worthy - but Meinertzhagen's Haversack just edges it.

The episode centres around the Pied Piper team's version of a crime caper (or "a 2001 casino heist film starring Julia Roberts and eleven men"): attempting to make a superior product, a platform, while working on the box they've been ordered to build - and doing so in a way so inconspicuous no one will ever notice.

It's an absolute breeze of an episode, with some great visual humour - in particular the building montage - and gives the team a chance to really work together, which shows them at their best. Jack's an excellent villain, it's got a sci-fi esque opening, and, of course, Dinesh buys a gold chain.

"Later, Chain the Virgin."

Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.