| FUD | |
|---|---|
| -halt-and-catch-fire.jpg | |
| Episode Information | |
| Air Date | June 8,2014 |
| Written by | Christopher Cantwell Christopher Rogers |
| Directed by | Juan Campanella |
| Chronology | |
| Previous | Next |
| I/O | High Plains Hardware |
Synopsis
FUD is the second episode of the first season of Halt and Catch Fire on the AMC network. It first aired on Sunday, June 8, 2014.The episode picks up where the first episode, I/O, leaves off with various employees of Cardiff Electric being interviewed by executives/lawyers from IBM. The executives use various scare tactics but fail to get anyone to mess up their story.
Story Line
Opening
Opening scene Gordon is getting grilled by IBM executives in what appears to be a legal deposition, where he "claims" when the project started on a certain date, but Gordon appears to be struggling to remember the story he was coached - not the one he lived.
Cameron insults the poor quality of the IBM BIOS code in explanation why she hasn't and wont look at Joe and Gordon's reverse engineered binder.
Meanwhile John and Joe debate the lies strategy in the bathroom, and John is still mad at being coerced to the PC business to avoid lawsuit and ruin.
Sr. Executive Bill meets with Joe - no lawyers - talk about "clean room" and other development stretgies
challenges joe on where hes been for a year, what happened the day he left Ibm, gives him a check for his back vacation pay left behind when Joe left IBM in such a hurry.
The talk becomes strained and bill threatens to drown Cardiff with hundreds of laywers, Joe counters with "we have Barry for $55,000 dollars and no matter how many hundreds of lawyers you drop from the sky, we will use ONLY Barry. We will ruin his life and in the end you will lose because you HAVE NOTHING on us.
Gordon meets in the hall and says "You were good" but joe replies with "perfect". Cameron interrupts with "I write the bios code, then what, what exactly are we building?"
Episode details
Shortly after the IBM executives leave, Joe Macmillan, Gordon Clark, and Cameron Howe meet to discuss how to go to work.
Joe tells them the goal is a machine that is twice as fast for half the price. They are quickly told that Gordon and Cameron cannot be in the same room together. Cameron goes to work trying to write the computer code to make the machine work.
Gordon goes home happy and tells Donna that "everything is going to be all right. In a relaxed moment, romance blossoms again for the Clarks.
We see Cameron sleeping in the office - without being told why.
John is unable to get a friendly conversation going with a current customer while exercising -- even a free tech visit returns a scorn as if the customer has taken his business elsewhere. John is befuddled.
Cameron sneaks off the property after disfiguring a sleeping Barry with a pen. Joe has strong words about the incident and appoints himself as her guard. Cameron Howe begins to struggle to write the computer coding, gives up and seduces Joe. Right afterwards Gordon Clark expresses his distrust of Cameron Howe to Joe Macmillan, and agree she needs to leave - SOON.
Donna meets Cameron in the ladies room and realizes new things about her husbands project partner that seem to make her uncomfortable. Later Gordon admits Cameron is a girl, Donna that she met her and the sparks of jealousy begin to flare again between husband and wife.
Joe tries to shortcut the "Cleanroom" project and force Cameron to read the reverse engineered code - she refuses and blows off the "Product manager, whatever they do." Cameron tries to take Debbie's rude advice to buy new clothes, ends up shoplifting and the n is accosted by a team of suited men, who turn out to be IBM recruiters, NOT Store security.
They pitch Cameron a job at IBM.
Cardiff Electric falls under attack as various businesses pull their accounts while IBM also recruits some of the Cardiff Electric employees. The company's sudden loss of business threatens the company's survival, as 3 companies representing 68% of their income suddenly cancels contracts. Many people are quick to blame Joe Macmillan for his ideas setting off this chain of events.
They both fear that Cameron Howe has left the project. With Cardiff Electric under attack and the team arguing with one another, it seems the entire project is doomed to fail.
She leaves Cardiff Electric upset.
Joe Macmillan receives a visit from his former boss at IBM who tries to recruit Joe to come back. Joe chooses not to go back to IBM. As his former boss leaves, he sees the portability of the former boss' briefcase and realizes they need to develop a portable computer. Meanwhile, Gordon Clark has a meltdown in the Cardiff Electric parking lot. He notices Cameron Howe walking across the parking lot and gets out of the car to yell at her for abandoning them. Joe Macmillan shows up and tries to pitch the idea for the portable computer. However, his timing is bad with Gordon and Cameron already arguing. Gordon and Joe get in a physical fight which results in Joe's shirt being torn open. Gordon and Cameron stare in awe at a scare that Joe has. Joe tells them about his childhood and his need pull this project off. He says he thinks they have the same need and that he plans to be at work the next day to keep working on the project. Gordon and Cameron do show up for work the next day. Gordon doesn't want to talk and shuts his office door. Cameron opens up to Joe as the episode ends.
New Characters Introduced
The following new characters were introduced with a significant role this week.
Debbie played by Bianca Malinowski 8 episodes Season 1
Featured Music
Boz Scaggs - “Lido Shuffle” (1977)
Bad Brains - “Pay to Cum” (1982)
Flint, Wozo, and the Colin Lloyd Band - “Badly Bruised, Slightly Stoned” (1978)
Richard Hell & The Voidoids - “Blank Generation” (1977)