NikNak

i never learn

i loved the pilot. i watched it twice.

i want to say mackenzie davis was easily my favorite, but lee pace was right up there with her. their chemistry is off the charts. too bad cameron can't give joe more credit for orchestrating this project. then again, it's totally refreshing that she calls him out on what she perceives is bs.

i just don't know if i'll care enough about the computer stuff to keep me interested in watching...

northboundtrain

I watched it a few times, which I still find kind of shocking -- I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.


I love MD's take on the character. Cameron is tons of fun. And I agree that they have scorching chemistry -- after I watched the pilot, I wasn't sure if the show was going to put them in a real relationship, but several of the articles seem to be indicating that we're going to see a lot more of them together in the future. LP seems especially excited about the pairing.


You just made me realize something -- Cameron has a line in the pilot about how computers could/should be more...I think at that moment, she was just talking about computers, but in the larger scheme of the show I wonder if we're going to see that she believes Joe should be more. As you said, she's perfectly willing to call him out...and then in the sneak peek clip she's furious about his salesman attitude.


Even though I know nothing about computer engineering, I'm going to stick around as long as the characters interest me and stay multi-layered. So far, so good. I just hope the same level of quality continues.

i never learn

me either. watching joe's scheme come together was that fascinating to me though.

i was surprised that cameron tried to girl up at the end there. i'm trying to refrain from reading too many spoilers, but i don't doubt cameron and joe will... tango around each other for the time being. i mean, there is a lot to work with there.

joe's already pushing gordon to be more, so hopefully cameron can do that for joe. yes! i just hope the show addresses both the positive and negative impact computers can have on society.

i originally wasn't going to watch because i thought i'd be bored out of my skull, but i wasn't at all. in fact, the show did a fine job at making the engineering/technical stuff interesting. it's just, irdc about computers, at all, so i hope the show can maintain the same momentum it did in the pilot when exploring the overall plot.

northboundtrain

That was so great. That scene where they all gathered in the room with the lawyer was one of the best moments of the episode.

And I still crack up every time I think about Bosworth welcoming Cameron to the leakiest lifeboat anyone ever tried to paddle to shore in.


I was surprised, but I liked it because it added a little to her character that she felt she had to do it.


I know!

And I hope even though you're going to try to stay away from too many spoilers that you'll keep posting here. It's great to have someone to discuss the show with! My family and friends are bored of hearing me gush about it.


That's a great point about Joe pushing Gordon too. One of the reviews I read made a great point that these three characters don't really like each other, but they need each other. I'm just really excited to continue to watch these dynamics play out.

I just saw this MD interview posted on Twitter where she does talk about how the show's characters are wrong to think that computers spreading information will be an inherently good thing. So maybe that will come up in the show.


All of the actors and crew members seem to be stressing in their interviews that the show is mostly about these people and their relationships. I agree with you that they found a good balance in the pilot, so as long as they can keep that going things should be good.

i never learn

what about when both gordon and joe raised their hands to be cameron's boss? i'm so sure! she'll be their boss.

i feel horrible for bossworth, but i almost laughed at him threatening joe. i mean, i know it's too early on to call what any character is capable of, but still.

i think my favorite scene, oddly enough, was gordon unloading the ibm computer from his trunk. he just looked like someone who was ready to roll with joe!



there is actually a single shot of her shopping for clothes in next ep's promo!

that moment and her pausing while staring at the secretary were great for her character's growth, yes. i'm glad she's not ALL bad ass.

of course i'll post here. i NEED to talk about it. it's that good. i'm glad someone likes it as much as i. in fact, i'm going to rewatch the pilot sometime today.

i guess it's true that they all don't like each other, yet, but i like them. a lot! lol. i can't wait for the scene where joe reveals his scars to cameron and gordon. looks intense!

thanks for the link! i read the whole interview. i love how she talks about how, even in 2014, there are only two women coders. how preposterous!

i'm excited to see where they take all the relationships. someone suggested joe is going to try and bend gordon's wife over.

northboundtrain

Ahhh, someone finally put up the "this season" promo that ran after the premiere. There are a few new clips that look interesting:




There's also a new interview with the creators of the opening title sequence. Not much in the way of spoilers , but it's interesting how much thought went into it:
Halt and Catch Fire (2014) — Art of the Title

And here are two LP interviews:
Interview: Lee Pace on Halt and Catch Fire and Guardians of the Galaxy
https://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/l...184455843.html

A new SM interview, and a joint-interview with SM and KB:
Interview: Scoot McNairy on Halt and Catch Fire
Exclusive Interview: Scoot McNairy and Kerry Bishe on Halt and Catch Fire

Finally, here's an interview with one of the technical advisors on the series. Some slightly spoiler-y information that still doesn't give too much away:

I think the Seymour Cray story must go to Gordon, because there's a clip in the "this season" promo of Donna looking for him outside their house and seeing what looks like the opening of a tunnel.


That was great, too! The power dynamics are one of the things I'm most excited to see.


He didn't seem at all physically threatening (which made me a little uncomfortable -- the scene emphasized the height difference between the two characters, with Bosworth having to look up to Joe), but Joe still seemed vulnerable and a little afraid in the scenes...maybe foreshadowing that the threat Bosworth represents to Joe isn't physical, but emotional.


That was so great. I also loved that Gordon took his parking space back.


Oh, yeah, in one of the promo videos for the show -- I think the one about creating the look of the 80s -- there are other shots of Cameron in a shopping mall and a department store. I wonder if she decides on her own that she needs more professional clothes or if someone at Cardiff tells her she should.

There's also a really quick scene in the 102 promo of Cameron at the mall being followed/chased by several men in suits. Maybe she shoplifts?


Yeah, it was that moment of hesitation/insecurity that I liked. She had the job already, so she could have just walked into the meeting in her punk outfit to try to make a statement about her disdain for everyone involved, but for whatever reason she checked that impulse and went for the red sweater. (Which actually worked so well from the standpoint of the show's style -- making her look like a bright burst of color in the drab surroundings.)


I think I might do the same.

It is so rare for me to watch the pilot of a series over and over like this. I'll be crushed if the ratings don't improve next week.


Oh, I like it, too!! It's ripe for conflict.


I am so ridiculously excited for that scene because I have so many questions about it -- why would he unbutton his shirt in the first place? Why does he appear to be crying? Where did the scars come from? And what happened to make Gordon think that Joe has ruined all of their lives?

I'm also excited by the quick scene in the promo where Joe tells Bosworth that they're being "raided." Does that mean a corporate raid? Or that IBM and/or the government is sending someone to seize their files? And how/why would Joe know they're being raided before Bosworth does?


I know!


I wouldn't be surprised, because I keep going back to what LP and MD said about how the pilot is so innocent and sweet and tame and that afterward they all turn into monsters/maniacs. I think Gordon's happy family life is probably going to be some sort of casualty of that.

northboundtrain

Episode stills from 102 are up!

Halt and Catch Fire - Episode 1.02 - FUD - Promotional Photos | Spoilers



The brunette having a stare-down with Cameron is Debbie, a new character who, according to IMDB, will be in eight episodes this season. If that's true, it sounds like we'll be seeing a lot of her. Maybe she'll be a foil to Cameron, if the episode still is any indication.

Joe's suits and ties are helpful for forming an idea of the timeline. I took a guess that the whole Cameron-kneeling-in-front-of-Joe scene was going to be next episode, but these stills confirm it. I'm not actively shipping him and Cameron together yet, but I bet that scene will be hot.

Can't help but notice that there are no episode stills of the parking lot fight. Hurry up, Sunday!

Also, the AMC site has character bios that hint at future storylines...some of this we pretty much already know, but I liked reading them nonetheless:

Joe:

Gordon:

Cameron:
It seems like Gordon vs Cameron is going to be a pretty major focus....

And sleeping at the office? I guess it could mean she just falls asleep during the workday, but one of the promos has a short clip of her alone in the darkened Cardiff office with no one around, so I'm thinking she might actually live there. Wow.


Donna:
Yikes. The show's composer said that Gordon's the character who gets in the most trouble this season -- I wonder if he's actually going to have a breakdown?


Bosworth:

NikNak

Neither did I.

I will definitely keep watching.

Nekoshoujo

wow, so many juicy spoilers, the Donna/Gordon storyline is the most exciting one for me, I can't wait to see more of those two.

CityGal

Thanks for the pics!

hannahfan

This is my first time even hearing about this. Looks interesting. Thanks for all the info.

i never learn

after ibm raided cardiff electric, i totally agree with this. i mean, i'm still rooting for joe, but watching bosworth start to lose it all was heartbreaking. i guess i jumped the gun in assuming bosworth was going to be a direct threat to joe because he's more like a causality, really. and joe's actions should have the harshest consequences. i'm just shocked it's happening this quickly...

bingo! i love how cameron basically just did it right there in broad daylight too. oh, excuse me, let me just stuff this crap in my bag!


good question! because, apparently, that's still a toss up! lp totally stole the episode with this scene though. i'm just rather depressed that it was all seemingly a lie.

NikNak

northboundtrain

You're both welcome. I just added three pics I found for the next episode -- not very spoiler-y, but at least it's something.


They're really intriguing. I was absolutely shocked when Gordon allowed Donna to believe that Cameron was a man -- and then just as shocked when he came clean (because I assumed he wouldn't).

What I can't figure out is why he lied in the first place. I can think of three reasons:
1. He thought Donna would be jealous in a romantic sense. This is a pretty huge leap, because Donna doesn't strike me as someone who would be worried about her husband cheating. Unless, of course, it happened in the past?
2. He thought Donna would be jealous in a professional sense, that another woman is getting this opportunity in a field dominated by men while Donna's job at TI isn't all that exciting in comparison.
3. He personally feels threatened by or at the very least unsettled by the fact that Cameron is a woman who is smart, aggressive, and attractive.

The thing is, I can't really point to any one of those and say that it's right and the others are wrong. But I like that the show made me think about it, rather than just telling me.


I've talked to a few friends about the show and none of them had heard of it until I mentioned it to them...I hope you check it out and post your thoughts!


I felt so bad for Bosworth in the scene where he was basically begging/chasing his friend who snubbed him at the gym.

It's funny how his first scene with Joe in the pilot made him seem like the villain Joe will stomp on while we cheer -- and now he looks totally sympathetic. In the space of one episode. How often does that kind of thing happen?

But actually, I still agree with your original point that Bosworth poses a threat to Joe -- I just meant that I think it's an emotional threat...that Bosworth is capable of doing exactly what he said, going through Joe's closets and finding the demons there.

Because what these two episodes have shown is that Joe is a pretty messed-up individual who is trying desperately to hide that fact from everyone else. If Bosworth wants/needs a way to regain control of the company, he can take advantage of that.


I know! That was funny. And it wasn't even the professional clothes, was it? It was just t-shirts, I think. I need to go back and rewatch.


I was watching the show with a group of people and when that scene came on I was like, "IT'S THE PARKING LOT SCENE!" and they were like... I need to do a better job of acting like I'm not totally spoiled for this show.

Which part of it being a lie depressed you -- that we didn't get the real story in the parking lot after all, or that the story he told wasn't true? I kind of figured or was hoping that it was a lie when he was telling it, because something about it seemed off -- that boys would chase him off the roof because he didn't like football.

Then I got little chills in that last scene when Cameron confronted him and he just kind of sat back and was like, "Is that so?" Perfect place to end the episode.

In one of the reviews I read, the reviewer didn't think Joe's emotion was a lie, even if the story was. I think I agree with that, but I was recently burned by another show where the main character had a big crying scene (also while telling a lie) and I bought that the emotion was real/raw/painful only for the show-runner to come out later and say the character faked the crying/emotion.

So I'm not the best judge. I can see it going either way.

Side note: I love the lawyer, Barry. I hope the IMDB credits are right that we'll be seeing more of him.