Super Pumped Season 1, Episode 3 review: As Kalanick goes to war, writing, performances take a turn for the better

3.5/5

Story:

As Uber finds itself in competition with Lyft, Travis Kalanick (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) goes all out in coming up with a way to squash his competition in the most ruthless ways possible, throwing caution to the wind as his attempts enter legally grey territory. Meanwhile, the CEO’s all or nothing attitude starts to create more friction between him and Bill Gurley (Kyle Chandler), and the latter starts to lose faith despite Kalanick’s unwavering confidence.

Review:

Super Pumped seems to have found its footing at last in its latest episode, leaving behind a lot of the overwhelming flash that made its story falter in the previous ones. Titled War, the third episode sees Travis Kalanick as he tries to hold his own against a fast advancing competitor to Uber, in the form of Lyft. Brilliantly written, his character is all cold-hearted businessman this time, his efforts being fueled by nothing but his genius and desire to bring his company to the top. The tactics Kalanick employs this time too waver into morally and legally ambiguous territory, and they way he blurs the lines between right and wrong, sometimes even completely erasing them, are absorbing. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a stellar job at capturing the more darker and callous parts of Kalanick’s personality, and even though he takes a more subdued approach compared to what he did earlier on, the actor nails the portrayal. Viewers are left genuinely tense at times as he makes his moves, each one more risky than the last. He ditches his ‘messiah’ persona completely, a welcome change indeed, the charismatic leader shining through in a way that becomes clear the amount of sheer influence he can command over people.

The story takes on a much faster, more interesting pace this episode, and one of Kalanick’s biggest weaknesses takes centre stage- his ego and arrogance. Even though his reckless actions pay off, more than once, his investor Bill Gurley starts to lose faith. Kyle Chandler’s compelling performance has been a constant on the series, and this episode is no different. And the way the episode ends, it sets the scene for another battle in the making just as one ends, with the new war seemingly between Gurley and Kalanick.

Some new characters are also thrown into the mix as well, in the form of Google co-founder Larry Page and Lyft co-founder John Zimmer, both brilliantly essayed by Ben Feldman and John Magaro. Magaro in particular stands out with the palpable chemistry he shares with Levitt.

Verdict:

Super Pumped seems to have finally found its momentum at last with its new episode that highlights Kalanick’s ruthlessness and sees him at odds with Gurley. It remains to be seen if they can capitalise on this momentum in the episodes to come as well.