Halt and Catch Fire Season 3 Episode 7 Review: The Threshold
Carissa Pavlica
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Things are moving along just as expected.
It's hard to imagine where this season is going to end, but on Halt and Catch Fire Season 3 Episode 7, Cameron and Donna brought their differences into the board room and out into the open, while Gordon and Joe joined forces again.
The latter part of that sentence brings me perhaps a little too much joy.
Frankly, I'm surprised at how things went down with Mutiny, but I think Boz said it best when he told Cameron that when she marches to the beat of her own drum, she risks losing the band.
Her constant reminder that she is Mutiny and without her there is nothing is not only crass, it's incorrect. Without her there wouldn't be the cornerstone code, but without Donna, there wouldn't be a company in the form it is today.
The problem is that Cameron, for all of the ways she tries to understand being on board with the way it is today, really isn't on board with it and would be just as happy if it was just her and Tom working together in their living room churning out code daily to make a few customers happy.
Look, I really hate to play this card, but as head of the company, I say we need to put the breaks onto any IPO until we have our house in order.
Cameron
Well, that may be something she can look into again.
Not that I can imagine Mutiny without her. But if Donna brings back Frick and Frack, and better utilizes the talent they already employ and hires new faces from the riches of Silicon Valley after an influx of cash from an IPO, Mutiny could easily live on without the creator of the code.
Sadly, Cameron managed to alienate all of the people who cared about her the most by caring more about herself than about them. The one person she has gone above and beyond to reach is married to the only other person who can get in her way. Tangled webs and all of that.
You have to wonder if Donna will be in freefall if she loses both Cameron and Gordon from daily Mutiny activities, because something tells me Gordon finally found something to keep him busy.
I noted in my review for Halt and Catch Fire Season 3 Episode 6 that I thought Joe tossed the business to Gordon with the hope, however slim, that the two of them would somehow find a way to work together on his passion project after trashing MacMillan Utilities, which was the only way to keep it alive in light of being removed from his position and responsibilities.
I was kind of right.
Joe was only really hoping Gordon would give him some cash from the deal as sort of a finder's fee for the software. I guess I know Gordon better than Joe after all. None of us knew Gordon would get to see the "abstract" in Joe's apartment, though, and that's what really piqued his interest.
His deal included letting the company keep all of the software if he could just have Joe's pet project with NSFNET, including the hardware and government contract. He and Joe can think on the same level and both see the bright future that contract will bring.
Joe and Gordon, even when being antagonistic, have such a casual and comfortable air with each other. I've missed their electricity. You can tell both Lee Pace and Scoot NcNairy have missed it, too. They seem to come alive in each other's presence. While Halt and Catch Fire is never boring, it's also never as crackling as when they're keeping each other on their toes.
Joe: If it wasn't going to be me, I'm glad it was you. Write me from the future.
Gordon: Forty nine percent.
Joe: What?
Gordon: Come run it with me. For 49% of the company shares.
Joe: That's a cruel joke, and quite frankly, beneath you.
Gordon: I'm serious. Forty nine percent.
Joe: With how this looks, we need to be smart. I should be a silent partner.
Gordon: Even better. [They both laugh]
Their relationship has taken a backseat to allow Cameron and Donna to grow, but with Cam and Donna reaching the breaking point, it's time to revisit these guys. See what happens after a professional breakup and some time apart. Remind us and them there is life after professional death.
Speaking of professional death, I wasn't sure exactly what Ryan was doing, but it obviously wasn't good. Since he was last on the phone with Joe wondering if he was being cut out for Joe to work with Gordon, I thought maybe Ryan didn't believe Joe and did something to NSFNET. After all, as far as I knew, he was the only one with a login.
But it was a surprise to discover he had essentially committed professional suicide. Nobody could possibly think Joe would be stupid enough to leak the software to the public, or the entire story of his dismissal to the media. I'd be shocked if all roads didn't lead right to Ryan. The look on Joe's face was a combination of true concern for Ryan and one of "how the hell did this happen?" Just brilliant.
When I watch Halt and Catch Fire, the feelings about the episode linger with me for hours afterward. It's one show that I can watch, let marinate and then review (thank you, AMC, for screeners). It's so good that I can't shake how it makes me feel.
What about you? How do you feel after "The Threshold"? What's next for these characters, and are you as excited about the possibilities as I am? Let's talk, you guys!
Be sure to watch Halt and Catch Fire online if you've missed anything.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
