Tulsa King Fans Are Obsessing Over The Silicon Valley Reference In Episode 9
The hits keep coming and they don't stop coming for Paramount Network golden boy Taylor Sheridan. "Tulsa King" is the latest Paramount+ series for Sheridan, the creator behind such hits as "Yellowstone," "Mayor of Kingstown," "1883," and "1923." The show has proven to be a hit, scoring better ratings than "House of the Dragon." But Sheridan is just one part of a three-pronged creative collaboration; "Boardwalk Empire" and "The Sopranos" alum Terence Winter serves as the showrunner, and Sylvester Stallone stars and executive produces.
In the Sooner State-set series, Stallone plays Dwight "The General" Manfredi, an ex-mafia capo who, after serving 25 years in prison, is exiled to Oklahoma by his own crime family. There, Manfredi turns lemons into lemonade and begins forming his own criminal empire in his new Western locale.
Stallone's star power may be a draw for "Tulsa King" fans, but he also surrounds himself with a dynamic supporting cast. One of the most fun characters is local dispensary proprietor Bodhi, played by "Silicon Valley" actor Martin Starr.
An Easter egg referenced Martin Starr's tenure on Silicon Valley
Martin Starr has been a cult television favorite since his teenage years, first as Bill Haverchuck in "Freaks And Geeks," then as the hard sci-fi scribe and cater waiter Roman DeBeers in "Party Down." Some fans may know Starr best for his role as Bertram Gilfoyle in HBO's "Silicon Valley." In Episode 9 of "Tulsa King," Starr paid homage to his time as the misanthropic coder. Manfredi and Tyson (Jay Will) enlist Bodhi to hack into Caolan Waltrip's laptop. When asked how he knows so much about computers, Bodhi replies, "I spent five years at an internet startup."
Fans immediately understood Bodhi's response as a cheeky reference to his five years spent acting in "Silicon Valley" between 2014 and 2019 (via IMDb). "Ha. Did anyone catch the Silicon Valley reference?" tweeted @jjokerst. "That was smooth." Fans were similarly chuffed on the r/tulsaking subreddit. "I like the Easter egg of Bodhi working for a silicon valley startup for 5 years," u/plan_mm chimed in with a winky face.
Starr may have a history of playing computer-savvy characters, but the actor admits his expertise is purely fictional. "For the most part, I use my computer to write and Google whatever pops up in my brain that I want to know about in the moment," he told Fast Company during his time on "Silicon Valley." "Other than that, tweeting may be about as tech-savvy as I get."