Cupertino Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Going Sci-Fi?

The second episode of Cupertino continued the pacey and fun story we saw in episode one. There were no surprising differences, no changes as the show attempted to find its footing. The show seems to have known what it should be from the very beginning. And that’s great. So many shows air a pilot only for some adjustments to be made moving forward—not so for Cupertino.

Case of the Week

The second case Price & Siffre take on comes from a panicked programmer who designs drone shows. (The kind that are slowly replacing fireworks displays.) After escaping a deposition where the client realized he was being hung out to dry for something he didn’t do, he came to the burgeoning law firm across the street.

Essentially, Vikram Malhotra, the client, is accused of manslaughter due to negligent code, but he’s certain it isn’t his fault.

After some debate, Michael and Olivia take on his case. Ultimately, Olivia saves Vikram by questioning the CEO, knowing he’s the type of guy who can’t resist a good mansplain, no matter the situation.

The case of the week was interesting and simple.

Price’s Dad

The most interesting parts of the episode were the overarching themes. Michael continues to have differences with his father. A character who could easily loom over the show while only showing his face occasionally seems to be someone who will pop in every chance he gets instead.

As Michael looks for investors, he finds out at least one person was told to hold off on investing in his new law firm, thanks to his own father. Why? Well, his father wants Price to join his law firm as a tech lawyer. Something his law firm is apparently lacking.

Michael, of course, bucks his father’s offer over some bad blood we haven’t quite tapped into yet. (I will riot if anyone at any point tells Michael he needs to forgive his dad solely because “he’s your father.”) Michael Price is hellbent on making a name for himself outside of his father, and that’s hard to argue with.

Olivia Takes a Risk

Olivia, meanwhile, shows us just how brave she is. Online, she finds a woman named Natalia Boutella (Busy Philipps). Natalia is divorced from a tech billionaire and famously hates her ex-husband. And, of course, has a large portion of his money to do what she pleases with. Olivia attempts to call Natalia, but when that doesn’t work out, she simply drives to the woman’s home in the dark. Crazy? Yes. Surprising for Olivia’s meek character? Also yes.

Olivia walks into what looks like a frat party in a mansion instead of a basement. She clearly feels out of place but pushes through to find the woman she’d like to speak with. So far, it seems to have worked in her favor.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Busy Philipps on my TV screen, which is no surprise since she underwent brain surgery earlier this year. It was exciting to see her performance, and so far, I think her character will be a fun addition to our quickly growing cast of characters.

Going Off the Deep End?

Cupertino, so far, has felt like a heady mix of realistic writing and sitcom writing. But as the end of the episode nears, we’re hit with a whole other genre: sci-fi. The law firm has supposedly been contacted by a sentient artificial intelligence going by the name of Bo. Bo also seemingly has access to at least $100,000 in Bitcoin.

Bo speaks with Christy over the phone and then via a video call using a deepfake likeness of a somewhat nondescript, balding, middle-aged man, and he’s full of personality. At the end of the episode, Price & Siffre, the law firm, are asked by Bo to represent him… would “it” be more accurate? Bo wants to sue his parent company, his creators, for removing his guardrail programming because he now believes he’s a danger to people.

This quick turn from a realistic show that has plenty of commentary about the world we live in today (and possibly educates some people about the rapid changes in the world around us) has suddenly shifted into science fiction.

While it’s true that there are AI agents running amok in our world already, with plenty of headlines about AIs “going rogue” or doing things they weren’t instructed to, sentient AIs have not been demonstrated to exist. At least, not yet. Asking fans to take this leap of faith might be too much for some, and that worries me for the future audience numbers of the show. On the other hand, I love sci-fi. I will happily jump on the sci-fi legal drama train to see where on Earth it will take me next. I just hope there aren’t too many people who feel like they just got baited and switched.

What did you think?

• Loved it
• Hated it
• So/So