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Loyal Fan
Joined: Nov 2013
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OFFICIAL SEASON 2 SYNOPSIS
It’s March 1985. More than a year has passed since Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace) set fire to a truck full of Cardiff Giant PCs, the last in a long string of destructive acts that burned the people that made the machine possible: Gordon Clark (Scoot McNairy), Donna Clark (Kerry Bishé), Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis) and John Bosworth (Toby Huss). The Giant is about to go the way of the dinosaur, like any number of personal computers to enter the market in the wake of IBM. The lesson is harsh but clear: in history, only the truly disruptive ideas are destined to matter.
The next wave of disruption in tech is coming, and it may well land at Mutiny, Cameron and Donna’s start-up company. Cameron’s vision for the company – a subscription service for people to play games on a hosted network – has become a reality. But the company is hanging on by a financial thread, and the limitations of its computing power and lack of new games could spell doom. If Mutiny is to survive, it will have to organize and it will have to innovate. As more subscribers use Mutiny to chat online, Donna champions the social aspects of the service, while Cameron pushes the gaming side. The competition creates real tension between the two women and inside the company, as Cameron’s ideal of a leaderless organization becomes increasingly untenable.
The hunger to innovate, the exhilaration of doing something that matters: these are driving forces not only for Cameron and Donna, but for Joe, Gordon and Bosworth as well. Joe has returned from his self-imposed exile a changed man, with a new love, Sara Wheeler (Aleksa Palladino), and a new commitment to honesty, sincerity and decency. But his passion for tech remains, as does his genius for the breakthrough idea and the charisma to put it across to his new employer, Jacob Wheeler (James Cromwell), the CEO of a Texas oil conglomerate and Sara’s father. After an uninspiring final year at Cardiff, Gordon is willing to put aside his suspicions about Joe to explore the next frontier of tech. Their discoveries become critical to the fortunes of Mutiny, a development that places even more stress on the startup. The wounds of the past still fester for Cameron and perhaps even more for Bosworth, who paid the highest price for Joe’s recklessness at Cardiff and is now pursuing his own reinvention at Mutiny.
The Information Age is dawning, and with it an entirely new way for people to connect with one another as human beings. For the men and women of “Halt and Catch Fire” who are caught up in this pivotal moment in history, pursuing their dreams may carry a high cost. Because in the real world, human connections – between husbands and wives, lovers and friends – can be surprisingly fragile. (released and posted here)
MISC. INFORMATION
* "[T]the producers want to deepen the excellently developed ensemble" in S2. (TV Guide)
* "Season 2 starts in March 1985, covers less time jumps" (Danielle Turchiano, Twitter)
* EP Jonathan Lisco: "#HaltAndCatchFire won't cover as much elapsed time in season 2 as did season 1" (Jim Colucci, Twitter)
* "First Macintosh blows their mind on second season" (Roger Catlin, Twitter)
* "Internal stress of characters is key on #HaltandCatchFire. Will they be left in the trash bin of history?" (Danielle Turchiano, Twitter)
* EP Jonathan Lisco: "Thin line separating genius & delusion theme continues in S2. Also, the fragility of human connectivity - are we really alone?" (Diane Gordon, Twitter)
* "We’ve definitely looked to improve the pacing [compared to] the first seaon. It’s going to feel messy, it’s going to feel brash, it’s going to feel more dynamic. But this is also not a show that has meth dealers, and explosions, and shooting. So, by definition, it’s going to be, at least for some people, a slower burn. We’ve got to find that balance—we want people to be drawn in, but we also want to reward the loyal viewer. We’re not going to step back from creating rich complex characters and putting them in new and surprising situations because I think that’s what our passionate core audience is expecting from us." (EP Jonathan Lisco, EW.com)
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INFO ON JOE'S STORYLINE
(Joe/Cameron stuff has its own section further down.)
Joe's Role/Mindset in S2
* "Don't worry: Joe won't be wandering in the wilderness forever. In fact, even though the producers want to deepen the excellently developed ensemble, Joe will remain first among equals. 'Joe for us has always been the reason that we're here,' co-executive producer Christopher Cantwell says. 'He is the catalyst that enters everybody's life. [Whether] he's a constructive or destructive force, he's the one that everyone is attached to. We want to explore how this guy continues to affect the ebb and flow of these other characters' lives.'" (TV Guide)
* "[L]ook for Joe's mysterious backstory to hit the back burner. 'We needed to start from the place [of mystery] to get him to the place he ended up,' co-executive producer Christopher C. Rogers says." (TV Guide)
* EP Jonathan Lisco says "Joe suffers from genius founder's malaise. They're crestfallen by their own creation" (Diane Gordon, Twitter)
* "Joe's machine was only B+. His problem now is 'I can do better & the future deserves better from people like me.'" (Danielle Turchiano, Twitter)
* "Joe is a rather changed man. He was a bit Machiavellian in season 1 and that didn’t work for him. So now he’s going to come back, sloughing off that persona. We can ask during the course of the season whether or not he’s wearing a mask, whether or not he knows that he’s actually deluding himself, whether or not he is deluding himself. But he’s definitely going to be a new Joe." (EP Jonathan Lisco, EW.com)
Joe and Sara
* AMC has confirmed that Joe will have a new love interest in the form of Sara Wheeler (played by Aleksa Palladino), a "well-traveled and highly educated freelance journalist . . . who comes from a wealthy background, but is self-reliant and responsible. Due to past experiences, Sara is skeptical of relationships, but after reconnecting with Joe (Lee Pace), whom she first met back in college, the couple shares a real, deep connection." (Variety)
* "When Joe tracked Sara down at Fisk Observatory, she was in deep retreat from the world, smarting from the discovery that her now ex-husband was a schemer after her father’s money. Sara and Joe fell deeply in love as they helped each other heal, and have begun building a life together. Sara believes in Joe and his potential to do great things, but remains alert to the possibility that he could slip back into his manipulative old ways. And as much as she loves him, Sara won’t put herself in a position to be hurt again." (AMC.com)
Joe's New Job at Westgroup Energy
* "After sidelining himself for a year, Joe is eager to return to work, but his reputation remains a major hurdle. With few options, he accepts a job offer from Sara’s father, Jacob Wheeler, the formidable chief of a Dallas oil company called Westgroup Energy. It’s a drone job, but Joe’s passion for tech and his knack for the breakthrough idea means he won’t be at the bottom for long." (AMC.com)
* Deadline confirms that James Cromwell will be playing Wheeler, a "self made Texas millionaire and energy company CEO . . . looking to expand his corporate reach. That expansion brings him both close alliance and in conflict with the ever ambitious Joe MacMillan" (Deadline)
* Joe's new boss, Jacob, is the "son of a midwestern carpet store owner" who "pulled himself up by his proverbial bootstraps to conquer the business world." He now "enjoys the rarefied opportunities afforded by his position, from daredevil athletic adventures and exotic travel to collecting pricey rarities like antique airplanes." (airungarky.com)
* "While Jacob’s occasionally overbearing ways can set Sara on edge, father and daughter have a close and loving relationship. In the wake of Sara’s first disastrous marriage, Jacob is extremely protective of Sara and his job offer to Joe is as much a test as an act of generosity." (airungarky.com)
* Showfax scripts indicate that as of at least episode 204 Joe is trying to figure out a way to lease Westgroup's mainframe/network space to third party businesses who need/want more network space and are willing to pay Westgroup for it. DISCLAIMER: Some of these details could change in production if there are re-writes.
Joe and Gordon
* "Gordon and Joe’s storylines this season will find them making sympathetically odd bedfellows, whose storylines then cross-pollinate with the Mutiny storyline." (EP Jonathan Lisco, EW.com)
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INFO ON CAMERON'S STORYLINE
(Joe/Cameron stuff has its own section further down.)
Cameron @ Mutiny
* EP Jonathan Lisco "wants to see Cameron hit walls of her ideals" (Danielle Turchiano, Twitter)
* Cameron "and her band of misfits, including Cardiff veterans Lev and YoYo, have built an environment where she feels safe, understood and at peace. Despite its early success, Mutiny is in a precarious position, forever playing catch-up in the race to provide sufficient computing power to its online game players." (AMC.com)
* Cameron "pushes the gaming side" of Mutiny, which brings her into conflict with Donna, who pushes the social/chat aspect (i.e., subscribers forming relationships with users of similar interests through chat rooms). (Showfax sides and AMC.com)
* "You’re going to see both a little bit of season 1 in her haircut but also she’s definitely heading in a looser direction, if I might put it that way. But it all comes from character! She was under the thumb of Joe. Now, she’s the CEO if you will—albeit the reluctant CEO—of her new venture, Mutiny. She gets to just be herself for perhaps the first time ever." (EP Jonathan Lisco, EW.com)
Cameron and Tom
* AMC has confirmed a new recurring character, Tom Rendon (played by Mark O’Brien), "an IT department head at a law firm who is an early adapter of Cameron’s (Mackenzie Davis) computer startup company, Mutiny, and shares her same brilliance and passion for gaming. His character is described as having a conservative exterior but a strong hacker ethos that may rival Cameron’s." (Variety)
* Tom Rendon "is an aspiring game designer and hacker who plays some underhanded tricks on Mutiny in a bratty, but successful attempt to get the company’s attention." (airungarky.com)
* Per information from a Vimeo audition for the role of Tom, it looks like Cameron will meet him when she tracks him down at his house after she learns that he stole, modified, and released one of Mutiny's games. Cameron initially wants to sue him, but she is later impressed enough with his knowledge that she offers him a job.
* "Cameron finds an unexpected source of emotional support, and maybe more, in Mutiny’s new coder, Tom Rendon." (AMC.com)
* Cameron is both "infuriated by Tom's blase self-confidence" and "impressed by his talent" -- eventually, "the tension between Tom and Cameron fades and he shows himself to be someone she can trust, respect and possibly love." (airungarky.com)
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INFO ON JOE/CAMERON'S RELATIONSHIP
* Showfax scripts for episode 205 include a scene in which Cameron and Bosworth discuss her relationship with Joe; Bosworth says Joe wants Cameron's forgiveness; Cameron worries about being caught in another of Joe's schemes, and Bosworth urges her to meet with Joe so she can look him in the eye and figure out if he's lying. DISCLAIMER: Some of these details could change in production if there are re-writes.
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INFO ON DONNA'S STORYLINE
Donna @ Mutiny
* "Donna is energized by her work at Mutiny, where she finally has the opportunity to use her talents to their fullest. However, she also recognizes that Mutiny needs organization if it’s going to survive. She’s alarmed by the way the day to day business is being run – or ignored – and tries to convince Cameron of the gravity of the situation, without much success." (AMC.com)
* "When Donna notices that the online chat rooms are increasingly attracting users, she suspects she’s found the key to Mutiny’s future. Cameron is skeptical, but Donna lobbies for a block of time and network space to develop the idea further." (AMC.com)
* "The business relationship between Cameron and Donna is a very different kind of relationship. It’s a prickly one, for sure. But what I love about it from the very beginning is that it’s two people that really deeply respect each other and are trying to work it out. It’s no less contentious, [but] it is more collaborative. Not to be too grandiose about it, but I think the stories they’re interested in telling are underdog stories. And being a woman in tech in the mid-’80s was an underdog position. Having Donna and Cameron both at the center of that does some very interesting things for the questions they want to ask with the show.” (Kerry Bishé, EW.com)
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INFO ON GORDON'S STORYLINE
Gordon's New Project
* In 201, it is established that Gordon has been president of Cardiff Electric for the past 14 months, which means he is out of a job when Nathan Cardiff decides to sell the company in 201. (AMC.com)
* "Scoot’s character put everything on the line, thinking that he would wind up with something great. At the end of the day, I think it’s safe to say [it was] a rather hollow victory. It didn’t give him the success he wanted. That is going to set him on a new path, to find the next big idea." (EP Jonathan Lisco, EW.com)
* Gordon "builds a computer workshop in the garage, but finds that inspiration eludes him. Thanks to a Mutiny game, Gordon finally gets his tech mojo back; however, in his eagerness to help Mutiny, he may end up creating more problems than he solves." (AMC.com)
* Gordon embarks on a new project with his ex-Cardiff buddies, but Gordon's mental issues (see below) seem to be threatening the venture in some way. (Showfax scripts)
* In one of the Showfax scripts for 206, Gordon appears to be visiting his brother, Henry, and Henry's wife and two children. Thanks to parisredbeatrice's detective work, it looks like actor Kevin Rankin (of Breaking Bad and Gracepoint, among others) is playing the role of Henry -- however, this has not yet been formally announced, and the picture of KR on set was later deleted from Facebook. DISCLAIMER: Some of these details could change in production if there are re-writes.
Gordon's Medical Issues (?)
* There are repeated references in Showfax scripts for 202 and 203 to Gordon having a coke problem -- in 202, he claims to his doctor that he stopped using, but coke is seen on his worktable in the script for 203. It is not yet clear from scripts if Donna knows. DISCLAIMER: Some of these details could change in production if there are re-writes.
* In one of the Showfax scripts for 205, Gordon appears to be having mental issues while out at a club. Later, in 206, Gordon tells another character that he has recently been diagnosed with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a progressive degenerative disease. DISCLAIMER: Some of these details could change in production if there are re-writes.
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INFO ON DONNA AND GORDON'S RELATIONSHIP
* "Last season, Gordon & Donna was about Donna holding the string of Gordon's kite. This year, there will be two kites" (Danielle Turchiano, Twitter)
* “In season 1, it was always Gordon who got to pursue his dreams. It’s Donna’s turn to spread her wings and see where that takes her, and he’s going to play the supporting role for her career now. So this season explores what happens when that dynamic is at play in their relationship. [That causes stress], but maybe not the kind that you would imagine.” (Kerry Bishé, EW.com)
* "Consumed by the concept of virtual human connection, Donna grows increasingly disconnected from her life at home." (AMC.com)
* Gordon "feels good about taking on the daily responsibilities of the household and parenting" now that Donna is working at Mutiny full time. (AMC.com)
* In one of the Showfax scripts for 206, Donna tells Cameron that she's been keeping a secret of some kind from Gordon. It is not clear from the script excerpt what the secret is. DISCLAIMER: Some of these details could change in production if there are re-writes.
* In one of the Showfax scripts for 206, Gordon appears to cheat on Donna with Rae, an old friend of his and his brother's from their younger days. DISCLAIMER: Some of these details could change in production if there are re-writes.
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INFO ON BOSWORTH'S STORYLINE
* When Bosworth is released from prison, he "isn’t sure what he’s coming back to. Cardiff is gone, his divorce has been finalized, and his relationship with his son is uncertain." (AMC.com)
* Bosworth and Cameron have been communicating during Bosworth's prison stint. (AMC.com)
* Cameron gives Bosworth a job at Mutiny in 202, though "he wrestles with self-doubt and struggles to find his footing among co-workers who are 30 years younger. But Boz has never been a quitter, and he isn’t about to start now." (Showfax and AMC.com)
* After Bosworth starts at Mutiny in 202, he seems to quit but then returns in a marketing/sales capacity when Mutiny is in financial trouble in 204; Bosworth appears to be working at Mutiny for most of the season. DISCLAIMER: Some of these details could change in production if there are re-writes.
* Showfax scripts indicate that we will meet Bosworth's estranged (ex?) wife Ginny and their son James in episode 203; James is getting married, and while Bosworth does not attend the rehearsal dinner due to family tension, he has some touching scenes with James and even gives James his prized Mustang as a wedding present. DISCLAIMER: Some of these details could change in production if there are re-writes.
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MEET THE BOYS OF MUTINY
Founding Members
* Yo-Yo (Cooper Andrews) - butts heads with other coders over the quality of Mutiny's games; quits in 204 after an argument with Cameron.
* Lev (August Emerson) - appears to be Donna's right-hand at Mutiny (judging from the 201 sneak peek). Lev is the victim of a brutal attack in 207, but he survives.
Hired Pre-S2
* Arki (Gabriel Manak) - in the 201 sneak peek, the one asking who put the Stormtrooper in the microwave.
* Wonderboy (J. Elijah Cho) - in the 201 sneak peek, the one who says chess is hard and notes that Parallax just crashed again.
* Frosty (Cory Chapman) - in the 201 sneak peek, the one tightening the screws while working on the cabinets.
* Carl (Nick Pupo) - in the 201 sneak peek, asks Wonderboy to deactivate the menu while Parallax is down.
* Bodie (Joshua Hoover) - in the 201 sneak peek, the one who jokes "I'm hard" and "I'm blowing the system."
Hired During S2
* Tom Rendon (Mark O'Brien) - hired by Cameron in after she catches him stealing and modifying Mutiny's games; also Cameron's love interest.
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__________________
"I understood why you're doing what you're doing. Why you told me when you did -- to save me." [emily&jack] | "You're my ride." [linden&holder]
"Nobody could be that clever." "You could." [sherlock&john] | "Why do you wear the, uh, key chain I got you?" [emma&neal]
"I'd say I believe in the future -- and so could you." [mary&charles] (tumblr.)
Last edited by northboundtrain; 06-21-2015 at 09:19 AM
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