Lawyers Michael Price and Olivia Siffre are wrongfully terminated from a tech start-up. They join forces to form their own law firm to represent those taken advantage of by the tech elite and fight back in a high-stakes battle against the Goliaths of Silicon Valley. Michael's former assistant, Christy Palladino, uses her close-knit family connections to help the firm in its inception.
Robert and Michelle King's satirical take on the world has been completely in my wheelhouse since The Good Wife debuted back in 2009. The Good Fight, Evil and Elsbeth have continued to entertain. Procedural storytelling provides them with enough structure each week to focus on what they want to say. This style can become aimless without that intense focus that needs to wrap up a case within the span of an episode. However, no one has done better modern storytelling of the intersection between the law, politics and culture than the Kings. They have proven themselves capable of reading the national mood and delivering what is needed. They don't shy away from politics or making bold statements. Their newest series shines a light on Silicon Valley. This serves as an exploration of the law and technology. When everyone is interested in representing the companies that make money, it opens up plenty to being exploited with no one looking out for their interests. The powerful are allowed to build more influence and wealth without anyone standing up to oppose them. They only get crushed if they try. The system is built for these companies to take over with no consequences.
The artificial intelligence sector, in particular, is holding up the American economy. A case could easily be made that these companies are overvalued at the moment. Any dip would cause a vast economic collapse. Moreover, reports are constantly coming out about the inability to control the products created by these AI frontier labs. The world is changing at such a rapid pace. It almost seems impossible to imagine what's coming next. That's a difficult position for this show in the future. That's what makes it so important to center on the human stories amidst this world. Michael and Olivia are fired from S-Talk in the opening minutes. Michael was a co-founder while Olivia is only a year out of law school. He was always nice to her. She appreciated that in a world that felt entitled to exploit her for their benefit. He wants to fight back but won't find anyone willing to take the case. He faces constant comparisons given the nature of clients his father represents. Both Michael and Olivia want to escape from their parents' influence. They don't find their own purpose until they are victorious in court. Getting there is one epic battle. The narrative leads with character before establishing its premise. That makes the storytelling endearing while clearly establishing what comes next without some big dramatic twist to lure the viewer in at the last possible second.
Michael and Olivia see the benefit in helping each other. Olivia doesn't want to return home to Wisconsin to work for her parents' Christian publishing company. She wants to make a difference in the world even though she had to Google which sectors had the most promising returns for new lawyers. She's reluctant about suing Everett for sexual harassment. That's why she was fired. He sent his employee a nude photograph of himself. She was horrified. Michael didn't even know the full context until later on. Silicon Valley uplifts people who believe they are geniuses. Every single person has an app they are developing. They just need investors to make all their dreams come true. It's as easy as that. Michael assembled a team for S-Talk. He was successful as general counsel. He was still forced out in a way to avoid any bad publicity or equity being lost. Nothing can jeopardize the next round of funding. Everett believed he no longer needed Michael. He was expendable. He was also willing to fire the one Black employee to appease the biggest investor. Not all of this can be proven in a court of law. That doesn't matter either. It's all an elaborate production to get the two sides to the negotiating table. That money will be used to invest in what Michael and Olivia are hoping to build as their upstart firm.
This town also runs on connections. Christy doesn't even have to look outside her family to find people willing to help and offer impressive resources. It's all smoke and mirrors. Michael and Olivia see a possibly prosperous future. It's actually meaningful to them too. At first, the courtroom is empty when they present their cases. No one expects them to succeed. Ry will get the case dismissed. He has a judge who will go along with the script. Michael and Olivia have to be creative upfront just to get another day to present their evidence. They pursue multiple different avenues of attack against S-Talk. The settlement comes to save everyone from personal embarrassment. Everett doesn't want the details of his harassment to be exposed either. However, it's not ultimately up to him whether his company will survive. It's all about the funding. That means a show has to be put on for the investor. His opinion on the case matters just as much as the judge's. The Kings certainly know how to present colorful and unique characters who fill out the details of this world. It leaves me intrigued to see more. Michael being thrown by his father's sudden arrival is a little random. It establishes him as struggling to get out of the vast shadow covering this world too. Michael and Olivia have to be positioned as the Davids too in order to make them endearing to the clients that will eventually hire them to go after the Goliaths of Silicon Valley. They're underdogs who know how to fight back. The premiere delivers on that promise. Now, the show will have to live up to that high level of potential.
