Shuffle the Deck
AbtB gives us a break from the glacial plotting and fast forwards about a month. Mathilde and Carlo bump into each other at the courthouse with very different tasks on their to do list. She’s meeting a new foster child that she’s advocating for and is a bit overwhelmed. It’s her first-time being appointed to a case after months of training but she’s ready to work within the system to be a stable support for the child during the process. Carlo sheepishly admits he’s there just to plead no contest to his disorderly conduct charge. He’s grateful that nothing will go on his permanent record, provided he keeps his nose clean during his required community service.
At the Sherwood office, Amrita struggles with the latest test build that’s crashing on all handsets. The QA team is frustrated while the developers try to redeploy the codebase. There’s a lot of “it worked on my machine” and “did you get latest” finger pointing while some well-deserved epithets get thrown around. She looks for guidance from Duc, who doesn’t have time for her. He’s on hold with their hosting provider and having his own issues with the scheduled hardware upgrade that’s needed for expansion. The Duc looks exhausted and isn’t getting the help he needs.
Out of the workaday fray, Dashing Derek is back in town. He and Jenya stroll along the sunny Embarcadero talking about the good old days and where they’ve all ended up. Grad school seems so long ago even though it’s less than a decade. (J’adore the quaint nostalgia of the young.) She doesn’t even remember the person she was then, but Derek says she hasn’t changed a bit. She’s got the same determination, same drive and same… he trails off blushing and she can’t suppress a flattered grin. This dude’s game is decent. Stay strong, Jenya! Concentrate on that vegan ice cream!
Frustrated with another morning lost, Amrita bites the bullet and comes clean to Pascal on the delays. She lets him know they are no closer on a build candidate and are way behind in this sprint cycle. She doesn’t understand why Duc hasn’t completed the framework update he promised to get done weeks ago. Pascal wonders if it’s the pressures of new fatherhood getting to him. After some hemming and hawing, Amrita finally admits that she thinks Duc is moonlighting for other clients and hasn’t been focusing on Sherwood. She offers to talk to Jenya about it but Pascal lets her know Jenya is off today since a friend is in town. He can’t hide his displeasure.
That evening at the War Memorial Opera House, Jenya and Derek take in the SF Ballet from the gilded boxes, heavy with gold carpet and carved upholstered chairs. They’re dressed in all black except for his pocket square and her Pucci print shoes. She tries to concentrate on the performance but Derek’s more interested in catching up with her. He’s wondering how her grandma’s doing (he misses her poached fish) and wants to know about Sherwood funding rounds. Jenya shushes him to enjoy the show and he settles back into his seat. Things are getting pretty cozy.
During intermission, they sip something bubbly in the chandeliered lobby and share a gourmet cookie. They bump into to some well-coiffed people Derek knows but there’s no need for introductions. Edmund, Special Assistant to the Mayor, is here with his wife and in-laws “supporting the arts” but he’s not a fan of the avant-garde program. He prefers the classic story ballets like Don Quixote and Coppélia.
Edmund’s disappointed that the changes to the Sherwood board didn’t include consultation with the Mayor’s office. They could have helped establish the company’s roots in the city. Derek counters that having Kasia Tate on the board is a brilliant move and boon to City Hall. She is, lest he forget, a member of an established San Francisco family and will steady the helm. Jenya reminds them all that she is in fact the CEO and sets the mission for Sherwood. And that while they are currently based in San Francisco, the company is banking on rapid national expansion. And who knows what changes that may bring. Some chimes ring out and signal it’s time for the next act. This conversation is soooo not over.
The next morning in the office, Pascal noses around for details on Jenya’s “big date”. It wasn’t a date she scolds, but admits it was nice to reconnect. She’s feeling better about everything overall and councils him that it’s best not ruminate. Always move forward, she advises. When he asks her what’s forward for her, she dodges his question and says she’ll do whatever is needed for Sherwood to flourish. “We’ve got to be nimble, right?”
Kasia shows up for her first official board meeting, turning some heads as she strolls through the office. A development pod wonders in breathless tones what she’s here for? while someone lets them know that she is Pascal’s partner. Amrita stops by to tell them that she, in fact, is the new chief investor in Sherwood. Carlo is stunned, he hadn’t heard about Cabot’s buyout as he’d missed a few days dealing with his extracurriculars. Neither had most of the office. Is anything going to change? Are they being sold? Will they be closed? (Note to managers: Having this many unanswered questions on the floor doesn’t optimize productivity.)
The triumvirate is hot and heavy into Q4 road-mapping when a red-faced Duc interrupts, eyes on the carpet. He needs to talk to Jenya asap. When Pascal asks if it can wait, Duc can’t suppress his nerves any longer. He’s quitting Sherwood, effective immediately. While Jenya tries to calm him down and asks what’s bothering him, Kasia speaks up. If Duc’s heart isn’t in Sherwood, then he should move on. She only wants people that are committed to the team. “There’s no need to be sentimental.” Well, then. Jenya rushes after him but Duc sprints out of the office. “Are you nuts?” Pascal asks. “He’s our lead framework expert.” Kasia coolly retorts that is her problem to handle. “If our CEO is as great as you are always telling me she is, I’m sure she’ll figure it out. She is perfect, right?” Oof.
Jenya chases Duc down outside on the street and they have it out. After talking in circles and offers of more money, he comes clean. He’s got a new project that he’s really passionate about and he’s made a personal promise to deliver it on an accelerated timeline. He can’t work on both products and he’s got to choose. He’s sorry. So, it looks like The Duc is on to his next serial start-up where he’s promised 10% of the company this time. I hope he actually sees some of that coin, for Nancy and baby Loulou’s sake.
Back upstairs, Jenya breaks the news to Amrita. Always cool in a crisis, she promotes her to lead on the spot with a good pay hike. Amrita is pumped for the chance, even if it comes on the back of some unpleasant news. Jenya helps defrag the dev team assignments and then fills the troops in on the latest goings on. She projects calm and lets everyone know she’ll be picking up some of the coding slack as workload gets rebalanced.
That night, Jenya gets a chance to breathe over take-out dinner at her grandma-free pad with Derek. She apologizes for the mess in her (spotless) apartment but didn’t get a chance to straighten up after the day she’s had. He uncorks the wine and offers a shoulder massage, college sophomore style. And it freaking works. Who’s writing this crap? (Sorry Joe C. I’m getting protective.) Jenya doesn’t want to talk shop and could do with “a little distraction.” Of course, Derek’s got a friend with a great little place in Sausalito they can go to for the weekend. Oysters, the beach, and bad art walk are all included. She smiles relieved.
But first, he needs to ask her an important question. And as Jenya Zhao reposes tipsily on the couch in shorts and a t-shirt, Derek-the-Closer leans in… and offers to acquire Sherwood as part of the Nature Stop family. He’s looking to bring bleeding edge products to their in-house innovations lab, connecting local business owners with concerned consumers. He’s spent months strategizing and politicking at work and finagled 10 million dollars for the purchase.
Jenya is stunned. Then she gives him an earful. She sees no affinity between the two companies and the bid is several times below their current valuation, let alone projections. Derek is hurt. He thought it would be the perfect way to be close to her again. This time he wouldn’t try to make her give up her career. Didn’t she tell him how the Philadelphia deal vaporized? If she sells now, she’ll make a nice nest egg and she can still run the operation within the Nature Stop family.
And just like that, Derek finds himself outside trying to get a Lyft home.
Jenya tries to phone-a-CFO but Pascal declines the call. Well, to be more exact, Kasia clicks the red button as Pascal does dips on some workout contraption in the living room.
Chance Exegeticals
Though I’m rooting for Jenya the Jenius™ and the rest of the Sherwood gang, it’s nice to see a fair depiction of the fracturing and petty back biting that plagues offices and disrupts best laid plans.
Pascal has got to turn off the I Dream of Jenya marathon he’s got playing in his head. His partner is on the board of his company and she’s no slouch.
Dream Lover by Faye Wong serenades Jenya and Derek while they play vintage carnival games in Musée Mécanique
In a fun session that spills a fair amount of tea, Jenya tells Mathilde and Amrita that she’ll always have a fondness for Derek because of the way he helped her brothers get out of some stupid teen trouble “back in the day.”
Overnight guest Sasha was not feeling Amrita’s roommates’ shenanigans. How are you going to enjoy some quality together time when a Just Dance 2020 Switch battle is kicking off in the other room and the Mad Dog 20/20 is flowing?
A deep dive on the ballet insider message boards pulls up the piece they watched is Infra by Wayne McGregor. The pas de deux was hauntingly lovely. (Hey, I told you I was on the boards!)
The streaming gods heard my appeal for more Edmund Percy! He’s sure the Warriors will be even better now that they are in The City.
Far from detracting from the story, I’ve been enjoying the Ozu troupe feel that the actors from LostFoundry lend by appearing on each other’s shows. Baldwin Pieck’s Edmund is so similar to his character from Day of Drizzle that it creates some interesting intertextual nuance amongst the different properties.
Musixmatch identified the closing song as One Way Ticket by Masaaki Hirao.
But I couldn’t rely on that technology to come up with the tidbit that it’s from the film One-Way Ticket for Love directed by Masahiro Shinoda. (I had to rely on completely different technology for that.)