Home > Halt and Catch Fire

Kali

( gunshots )

So, we've got about six grand in the bank.

It's not enough to fund our own network, but if we skip payroll again--

No, we can't. The coders are burnt.

We have to go back to them with a plan.

So most of our users are gonna wake up, log on, and wonder why we changed our name to WestNet.

Look, I know you want to strap Joe to a rail and so do I--

- He's not a priority. - ( machine whirring )

Okay, so, all we've really got at this point is a house full of Commodore 64s,

- the XTs, the furniture-- - And our games.

I mean, that's the only thing they didn't steal, right?

"Extract & Defend" is our freshest title.

I think it can fetch enough to keep us afloat.

You would do that? You would sell?

Donna, this is about survival.

Put out some feelers to Sierra On-Line, the cartridge market, I'll reach out to the independents.

What about WestNet? It's too bad we can't sue 'em.

- ( bullet clatters ) - Your turn.

- ( gunshot ) - ( phone ringing )

Mm.

Yeah?

You gotta be kidding me. Which-- I mean, where?

( groans )

Yeah, I know the one.

( sighs )

For God's sakes, Gordon, you can shut up and wait.

- ( groans ) - What does he even want?

A ride home from jail.

- You need anything else? - Nah, I'll make it.

Thanks.

Go straight home, Gordon.

Clean yourself up.

Get on that damn plane.

Put all this behind you.

( exhales )

- Hey. - Hey.

Is it true, what I just heard?

Uh, probably.

That you're selling what we've just spent the last four months of our lives on?

It's not like I have much of a choice, Tom.

Okay, can we just-- can we just take it slow for a second?

( scoffs ) Yes, I really wish I had that luxury.

I just don't want you to act too hastily, okay? Or-- or-- or panic.

Can you-- I know what I'm doing.

Well, at what point were you gonna tell me?

You know, the guy who wrote the game.

- Cowrote it. - Oh, we're splitting hairs now.

Tom.

I'm tired, okay?

I smell like gunpowder and beer and I don't remember my last shower.

Can you just-- here.

Whoever's still awake, buy them breakfast, okay?

Tell them everything's gonna be okay.

I'll take anything with eggs and--

Green chilies, yes, sir.

Jesus, can you just do it?

( theme music playing )

( horns honking )

( car door opens, shuts )

( pounds on door )

Can I help you?

Uh, is this JGL?

Who wants to know?

Uh, I'm Jim Clark. I was interested in their work.

( scoffs ) You're late.

Really?

Yeah, they're out of business.

Cleared out on Friday.

We're hiring, though, if you're interested.

Lot of late shifts, but it's steady.

No. Thanks anyway.

All right.

Our lawyers advised us to sue immediately, but we're holding off pending your cooperation.

That number represents two years of our overhead plus treble damages.

I only took this meeting because, as a former client,

I thought you deserved an explanation.

That's sort of like a ransom note after the victim's already dead.

- I prefer transformed. - ( scoffs )

Some ideas need a larger ecosystem.

Give a buffalo a million acres, it thrives.

Stick it on a desert island, in four generations,

- it's the size of a poodle. - That's a charming anecdote, but I work for a living, so can we move this along, please?

- We violated no copyrights. - We own proprietary algorithms--

You were making it up as you went, at least admit it.

Connecting subscribers in discreet communities--

- The Source does a version of that-- Delphi, CompuServe. - Not like us.

Not the same way as us.

This idea belongs to its originators.

If that were true, Coca-Cola would still be a cough syrup.

This community doesn't like copycats.

We are prepared to reach out to every trade magazine in the country, every reporter on the tech beat.

Like Leslie Wu Foley from "PC Magazine"?

Reese Jenkins? John Krinkey?

Not so close together, please, guys.

They'll all be sitting here, right here, in a few hours.

And since I invited them weeks ago,

I suspect they'll view your claims as sour grapes.

- We'll do a side-by-side. - If they can even find Mutiny.

When are you guys going back up, by the way?

Look around, Donna.

We're announcing today.

We're all in.

And you're gonna sit there and tell me, what?

I should've nobly stepped aside, watched you guys flop around for years gasping for air, shopping your little regional product door-to-door like Thin Mints?

- I'll see you in court. - Oh, come on.

We both know that's not gonna happen.

Sorry we couldn't help each other out.

Holding hands with Joe MacMillan never ends well.

Trust me, I know.

What makes you think Joe had anything to do with this?

You gotta be kidding me.

I think I found my book idea.

I'm gonna start outlining it on the plane.

- That's great. What's it about? - You.

( laughs )

No, not you individually.

It's more like the price of adaptation on modern life.

You know, transformation, pain.

How many of those pills have you taken?

( laughs ) No, seriously.

Creative disruption, you know?

You upset people, but so does anybody who rocks the boat.

But you also gave birth to some pretty special things.

- ( laughs ) - I'm taking one for the road.

The movers don't get here till 3:00.

( knock on door )

Oh.

Joe.

May I?

- Dad. - Hey, sunshine.

I'm sorry, I'm a mess.

Oh, nonsense. You look terrific.

( kisses )

I just wanted to wish the happy couple bon voyage.

So...

Go West, young man.

Still a wide-open business.

Do well, blaze a trail, who knows?

Maybe Westgroup will open an office out there someday.

I have no doubt.

Dad, this is beautiful.

- Thank you. - Mm-hmm.

Oh, you're gonna love it out there.

It's the land of second chances.

Joe, may I have a word?

- Bye, sweetheart. - Bye.

You didn't seriously think that bullshit would buy my silence?

No.

You're far too emotional for that.

You stole intellectual property.

Actually, I tried to buy it.

A very generous offer, as I recall.

Only the deal went south somehow.

No need to dance. I went behind your back.

I told Mutiny not to sell and I'm glad.

Every instinct I had about you was correct, except how low you'd stoop.

- We're done. - Are we?

What if I went public?

I'm your son-in-law. I string together the right 10 words, your stock's in the toilet.

You don't want to do that.

Do you have any idea how hard it's gonna be for you to start over?

Without Westgroup, your resume reads like a rap sheet.

I'll try my luck.

And Sara? How would your little stunt affect her?

There's no upside to grudges.

Come to our shareholders' meeting this afternoon.

The day I vouch for you...

There'll be a lot of very important people there.

People who can make a difference to your future.

Sara will be delighted.

And we can part friends.

We're not friends. We're family.

We'll see each other at Christmas every other year.

We'll nod to each other across the room, and after about 45 minutes of fake chit chat and eggnog,

I'll make an excuse. "We have to be somewhere. I'm so sorry."

And when my children ask me who that tall gray stranger in the window is,

I'll remind them, "That's your grandpa."

I'll see you there.

( engine starts )

- Ahem. - ( knocks )

Oh, no, it's not a two-person shooter,

it's a two-perspective shooter, so it's--

No, we're not compatible with that platform.

Okay, no, thank you for your time.

Bye.

Hey, cut that out.

What?

That down-in-the-mouth crap.

Come on, buyers hear defeat, they scatter quicker than crawfish at a church boil.

You're the boss bitch around here.

Queen of the Nile. Sittin' on a gold mine.

People be lucky you don't charge admission, get me?

You look sharp.

( sighs )

What's that?

Oh, this is... our next interface.

See these quick link boxes?

They'll kick users right over to their favorite area.

I've already started coding it.

I'm sorry, did you want to talk to me about something?

No, nothing important.

( door opens )

- Sir? - Oh, yeah, hey.

I'm just, uh, looking for my car.

Sir, this area is for employees only.

You can't get in without a pass.

- Do you have a pass? - No, I, uh...

Do you remember what level you were on?

I wasn't really paying attention.

- Maybe 5F? - There is no 5F.

This is basement level west.

Maybe it was an E you saw. Did you park in 5 East?

Maybe that's it.

Stairwell's right up there.

Sir?

- You okay? - Yeah, yeah.

I'm fine, thanks.

Who are these people?

Out of, like, 100 cold calls, they're the ones that called back.

Word is they're just a few weeks old.

Yeah.

So Westgroup didn't back down?

No, the creep practically blew his nose in our settlement offer.

What did Joe say?

He wasn't there.

I don't think Joe knew about WestNet.

I think maybe he was telling us the truth.

Okay, we're ready for you.

Oh, actually, guys, we're in here today.

( whispers ) Okay, well, here we go.

Sara: Maybe you should go.

To the shareholders' meeting?

Yeah, I mean, he'd never expect it.

He thinks you're too proud.

But think about it. You know, you go there in front of everyone.

Let them see that it started with you, your vision.

Just try and pull something good out of this fiasco.

Then we can just leave it all behind.

Make a clean break.

Look, it's up to you.

I'll be by your side either way.

Cameron: So, half the game is a spy thriller.

Your mission is to infiltrate the Soviet prison and rescue the starving dissident or...

You're an elite KGB prison guard.

Your orders-- find and shoot the American

before he escapes with your prisoner.

So each level can be played as either hide or seek.

While totally scrambling our Cold War preconceptions.

Right, it's like "Gorky Park" meets "Red Dawn."

If we can port the code.

Graphically, there's no reason it can't run off a cartridge.

But without the live two-player aspect,

- isn't it just "Battlezone" in a prison? - No.

No, we like to think that the tension and the claustrophobia really set it apart.

Cool. It's definitely cool.

Man: Bryce, a couple of coffees?

Um, one second, guys.

- I gotta just go that way. - Oh, sure.

Look, conceptually, it's really strong.

I just wish we could cover your development costs.

What you're asking, it's kind of out of our price range.

- ( phone rings ) - Well, uh...

Funtime Games.

( speaking Japanese )

Look, I think we should just get out of here.

Sit tight.

( woman continues speaking Japanese )

Hey there.

John Bosworth, Mutiny, Inc.

Bryce, could you excuse us?

Let's see.

Looks like you're headquartered up in Redmond.

What is this? Distribution network?

- That's confidential. - That's nationwide, mm-mm.

Gents must have some serious backers.

Mr. Bosworth, I'm gonna have to insist--

Oh, hell, I got no interest in blowin' your grand plans, whatever they are.

Yeah, it's a free country.

Couple things, though.

One, well, there ain't no need to cold-room us with the toddlers just to drive down our price.

Hell, we're reasonable people.

Two, it's a lot easier to establish a beachhead under a friendly flag.

Why do you think Toyota's building cars in Fremont rather than Fuji-what-now?

Well, four little words-- Made in the U.S.A.

Your partners, say they land their product

with strictly Japanese games-- ones they hire you to retitle and repackage-- man, that sounds kind of sneaky, huh?

Kind of like an invasion.

But say they ship some homegrown titles, ones they developed on these shores.

Boy, that's kumbaya time.

Hands across the ocean. Might be worth acquiring for the PR value alone.

Hell, it'll also make you look smart, out ahead of the curve.

Hear us out.

You ain't gonna regret it.

( chuckles )

We sold it.

( cheering )

So, then, what's next? When do we get paid?

- Who made the purchase? - How much?

- 50 grand. - 50 grand?

Enough to hire a new network and we will make payroll.

( cheering )

- ( chanting ) Mutiny! Mutiny! - What?

- Mutiny! Mutiny! - Okay, okay, okay.

( chanting continues ) Mutiny! Mutiny!

( thunder rumbling )

( grunts )

( groaning )

( breathes heavily )

( winces )

Jesus.

( panting )

Hello!

Hello!

( music playing softly )

Congratulations.

Thanks.

Must've been hard, right?

No, actually.

I feel lighter.

I feel clearer than I've been in a while.

What's that supposed to mean?

Look, if this company's gonna survive, it needs me 100% focused.

- What we've been doing-- - You mean our relationship?

Yeah.

I got too complacent and happy.

I let my guard down and it cost us.

Happiness is not some side effect.

- It's kind of the whole point. - Okay.

I'm not blaming you.

I'm taking responsibility.

I made this happen.

Actually, I think Joe is making this happen, and I think you can't get over it.

Maybe you never have.

You used me.

You made me believe in what we were doing here.

You know... you're a lot more like him than you think.

Do you mind?

( sighs )

( rain pattering )

( chatter )

Need help with that?

It's technical.

( sighs ) Keynote in front of the board, that's quite the wedding gift.

Do me a favor, get off the stage before I throw you off.

By the way, a reporter wants a word with you.

She says she's an old friend.

I assume you're here to humiliate me in front of hundreds of people?

Tempting.

But, no, I guess that's no longer necessary.

Yeah. I'm done.

I guess when my life goes up in a mushroom cloud,

I just naturally assume you're behind it somehow.

Old habits.

You leaving town?

That's right.

With your fiancée?

Wife, actually.

Going to California was my idea.

Remember?

( sighs )

At COMDEX.

You almost convinced me.

Someone close to me said that there must be a reason why you're still a part of my life.

Do you ever wonder?

I mean, what if instead of chasing what each of us wanted separately and obsessively... we just held on to each other instead?

( sighs )

I know you didn't copy our interface.

I know it wasn't your fault.

I didn't want you to leave without hearing that.

And...

I must be totally mental, because part of me doesn't want you to go away at all.

You have no idea--

Cameron, I can't do this.

No.

You're Joe MacMillan. I think you can do whatever you want.

Sorry.

Here.

That's what it could've been.

- One last run-through? - Yeah, just a sec.

Okay, let's go.

( applause )

Welcome.

It's wonderful to see you all here.

I hope you all got a chance to check out our communication terminals.

Now you might ask, "Why is an energy company messing around with computers?"

I want to introduce you to the man who conceived of our grand strategy,

whose passion convinced even a stubborn old fossil like me.

My son-in-law, Joe MacMillan. Joe?

( applause )

From the cave paintings to the funny pages, the stone tablets to the telephone, we humans seek, we crave connection.

The exchange of our thoughts and ideas from the trivial to the sublime.

- ( clicks key ) - Welcome to the printing press, the newspaper, and telephone of tomorrow.

With just a few keystrokes on a PC, talk to loved ones across the country.

Share a stock tip, a story, tell a joke.

Or, better yet, find new friends.

People who share your interests-- music, politics, movies, sports.

It's a never-ending conversation on tap 24/7.

No boundaries, no borders.

It's a pathway to a new world.

The key, of course, is the unique interface.

It makes participation not just fun, not just exciting, but addictive.

And all this--

I mean... all this--

This all began with a very talented young programmer named Cameron Howe.

She saw the future and she got there first.

I didn't build this. I don't own it, and neither does anyone here.

If we skate past that, we're doing violence to the one thing, maybe the only sacred thing in our business-- innovation.

Cameron couldn't be here today, but her genius is all around us.

And will be, I suspect, for years to come.

( crowd murmuring )

Man: Thank you, Joe.

( whispers ) Thank you.

( lock rattling )

( car door opens )

Hey!

- ( car door closes ) - Hey!

( grunting )

- ( car engine starts ) - Ah!

Hey!

( grunting )

Hey, wait!

Hey, stop! ( grunts )

Hey, stop!

- Stop! - ( pounds on truck )

- Stop! - ( door opens )

( panting )

Paramedic: Hang on, buddy.

Couldn't fit the rig in here. The roof's too low.

But we'll get you sorted.

My car.

That-- my car.

That was my car.

That is my-- my car.

( siren wailing )

You want to keep that ankle stable, okay?

So try not to move too much.

- ( monitor beeping ) - ( siren wailing )

Gonna be there before you know it.

( sobbing )

Thank you, everyone.

The truth is, of course, that we have our own

- dedicated and highly qualified team... - Jesse?

- ...working night and day-- - Is this supposed to, uh...

One second.

"She's Lost Control" playing

Oh.

♪ Confusion in her eyes that said it all ♪

♪ She's lost control... ♪

We're still working out some of the--

Jesse, what the hell's happening?

- I don't know. - What do you mean, you don't know?

♪ And she screamed out kicking on her side ♪

♪ And said I've lost control again ♪

♪ And seized up on the floor, I thought she'd die ♪

♪ She said I've lost control again ♪

♪ She's lost control again ♪

♪ She's lost control ♪

♪ She's lost control again ♪

♪ She's lost control... ♪

( music continues )

- ( knock on door ) - Yeah, come in.

- Hey. - Hey.

Well, how's that for a day?

( scoffs ) Just pulled it out of our ass again.

Never gets old.

Yeah. But we do.

I've been thinkin'.

It might be time for me to move on outta here.

Yeah.

Wait, what?

- Are you quitting? - I'm afraid so.

I went for an interview, and, hell, I guess they're desperate.

( laughs ) You can't.

We just got back on our feet. We won.

Yep, and I wish I could say I was looking forward to the next all-night down-and-dirty scrap, but I-- what've I got, five years left of my career?

10, tops?

I gotta get something stable for my family.

Hell, soon my grandkids.

I'll give you a raise.

It ain't about the money.

I'm just too damn old to be eating three meals a day out of a toaster.

It's undignified. ( laughs )

It's fun.

Well, yeah. It has been.

Well, what if I don't accept your resignation?

It'd disappoint me if you did.

I'll call you tomorrow.

You know, Catherine... get some sleep, hon.

The next thing you know, I'm at the bottom of a stairwell.

So you blacked out?

Maybe, I don't know.

I just sort of lost track.

I mean, you know how I get.

Doc, like a bad penny, huh?

Can't get rid of me. ( chuckles )

You gonna slap a cast on this thing, send me back out into the wild or what?

Got your juice, I see.

Yep.

- Just a moment? - Yeah.

I'm so sorry. Gordon told me his CTE was under control.

It is. We did an MRI last week.

The disease hasn't progressed.

Then I don't understand.

This episode was not symptomatic.

It was psychological.

He was dehydrated. He got lost.

For seven hours, Donna?

The paramedics said that he broke down in the ambulance.

Did he mention that to you?

A serious diagnosis can sometimes bring out underlying problems.

Has Gordon ever experienced manic behavior or paranoia in the past?

Um...

That bad, huh?

So...

I don't think you're gonna get to come home tonight.

Dr. Semel thinks, and I believe him, that this goes beyond what we talked about.

- He thinks-- - I know, I know.

I need help.

I was set up. She sabotaged me.

Christ, can you even hear your own rationalizations anymore?

You know, I'm getting tired of being second-guessed and manipulated and distrusted when I have done absolutely nothing wrong.

Well, why should I believe a word you say?

Because you're my goddamn wife!

Ahem.

I don't care about what you did to my dad.

You two deserve each other.

It's why you did it.

All this time, I thought that you were a victim of your genius, some sidetracked prophet...

( voice breaks ) and that I was your second chance.

But you're not, are you, Joe?

You're an accident.

You're something that happens to people who deserve better.

I'm not an accident.

I deserve better.

I deserve you.

( sobbing )

I just wish that you knew what this felt like.

That you could just see your face when you say her name.

Say it, Joe.

Say Cameron.

God, you're lost.

( door opens, closes )

We'll take anything you can give us-- programming notes, level layouts.

Yeah, okay, I'll pack it up and have someone drop it off tomorrow.

Thanks. I know it's not easy letting go of your baby.

Yeah, so what's your plan?

Did you guys find a platform to launch it on?

Yeah, I think we've got someone in mind.

Probably have to change the name, though.

"Extract & Defend," was that your idea or Tom's?

- What? - Tom Rendon. He's so talented.

Tried to poach him from you guys, but he said he'd rather go it alone.

You've seen his "Parallax" clone, right?

Genius.

Do you know him?

Yeah, we've been trading hacks for years.

How do you think we found out about you?

He tipped us off.

Practically broke my arm till I took the meeting.

- ( rustling on phone ) - Amy: Hello?

Hey.

Why didn't you tell me?

What was there to say? You already made your decision.

Wait.

Tom, stop.

Stop!

You'll come back.

You'll wake up tomorrow morning and you'll ride your stupid bike back here and I'll make coffee and you'll pour your Raisin Bran and we'll just come up with something new.

Wait.

I couldn't have done any of this without you!

No, Cameron.

You did this all by yourself.

♪ Be my fate ♪

♪ Be my litmus ♪

♪ Be my bones ♪

♪ Be my litmus. ♪