Haley Joel Osment’s guest appearance on Sunday’s Silicon Valley was extremely understated: he appeared in two scenes, and only spoke in one of them. In the entire episode, the former child actor spoke only three lines. His character, Keenan Feldspar, is a buzzy name in the world of Silicon Valley; as Laurie Bream tells Erlich Bachman, “every competent V.C.” knows who Keenan is because “his V.R. headset is reputed to be the new standard.” Erlich, who teams up with Keenan after a completely accidental encounter at a coffee shop, confirms that assessment: “I tested the prototype last night at his house. We got quite drunk.”
But Osment’s storyline goes unresolved in the episode, leaving room for what appears to be a guaranteed return to the HBO comedy. If all goes according to Bachman’s plan—admittedly, with Erlich, that’s a big if—Keenan will be the first developer to receive backing from Laurie and Monica’s new company. That could potentially mean a recurring role on the series, which—given T.J. Miller’s impending exit—might just be coming at the perfect time.
Before we go any further, it’s worth noting that this is obviously rather speculative. Still, it’s hard to watch Osment’s effortless, blink-and-you-miss-it appearance and not see at least a few more episodes in the actor’s future. Bearded and easygoing—at least on the surface—Keenan shrugs off Erlich insulting his “little paunch” and reveals he’s actually charmed by the impertinence, insisting on sitting beside him. We’re guessing that if he really signs on with Laurie and Monica at Bream/Hall, Keenan will prove a little more eccentric than he’s currently letting on—although he stands out from the very beginning, with his Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts. Additionally, there’s the amusement of seeing the height discrepancy—which appears to almost be a full foot—between Osment and Miller.
Osment might always be most identified with his early work as a child actor, in films including Forrest Gump and, most famously, The Sixth Sense—but since then he has also proven his knack for comedy. Consider his Slow Joey performances on Comedy Bang! Bang!, or his turn as an inexperienced sexual-education professor named Eddie in Sex Ed. With T.J. Miller preparing to leave the series and Matt Ross’s Gavin Belson out of the picture (at least temporarily), viewers might be craving some fresh blood. Just as Stephen Tobolowsky’s Jack Barker re-invigorated the series during its third season, Osment’s character could serve up a similar verve in this chapter’s four remaining episodes—or even, perhaps, in the season to come. If Keenan isn’t already an integral part of Silicon Valley’s future, consider this our plea to make it happen.
