Halt and Catch Fire Season 4 Episode 3 Review: Miscellaneous
Carissa Pavlica
at
.
For the first time, Gordon is wrong about Joe and Cameron.
They've tried everything to be their best without each other, but instead, they've managed to be anything their best when they've been apart.
On Halt and Catch Fire Season 4 Episode 3 we saw for the first time what they will look like at their best together, and it's a lovely thing.
Their argument jabbing at each other before they got ready for work showed two people who understood each other and knew that having the other with all their quirks was better than not having them at all.
Joe: Hey, I have a present for you.
Cameron: Do you?
Joe: For your video games.
Cameron [takes the gift]: Oh. That's...passive aggressive.
Joe: Really? Is it? Because I was aiming for blunt, compromising clarity.
Cameron: You missed the mark.
Joe: You're loud. Everything you do is loud. And messy. You're messy.
Considering the enormous movement in their lives in such a short time, they seem like a strong link tying the foursome together.
I hope the way she dealt with the loss of her package from Tom and did the life dump of that part of her life isn't too significant. Their relationship felt more like a marker for when Cameron got back together with Joe than an actual marriage.
While she might have told Tom she could never love Joe, to me, it was more like she could never stop no matter how much she wanted to. They were toxic because they couldn't allow each other to just be. If they can do that going forward, their problems should be solved. I hope.
There is so much to love about the direction "Miscellaneous" took Joe, especially.
Hayley's entry into CalNect just moments after they sold the place to start off their next venture was the first time Joe and Gordon were on the same page about an idea – if not exactly the execution of it – after they'd closed out a business, well, ever.
Gordon later said he wasn't, but that was the dad in him. He knows a good idea when he hears one.
Joe is generally just happy, something Gordon probably never thought he's witness. Being happy off the back of work his daughter was doing might be scary for Gordon, but the way everyone came together and the opportunity he was given to get to know Hayley in a way most fathers never will is so special.
It's hard to think of a better way to spend your time than working with her on something she cares about. I wish my dad could have seen me be good at something.
Cameron
I completely identified with Cameron and her wish that her dad had seen her succeed at something, to be proud of her and work. Those are once in a life time experiences.
Gordon has seen people eaten up and spit out in the industry, and he's still skeptical about Joe. His most important desire for Hayley is that she always get input on what's being produced and continues to enjoy herself.
Who could possibly ask for more than that? Gordon is such a good dad.
More worrisome is Donna losing her grasp on her lead at her company. With the addition of Tripp, she's in survival mode instead of using the skills that got her so far in the first place. Every time they head into the conference room, I get uncomfortable. Even the way Donna leans back in her chair sends the wrong message.
She's treating people poorly, and when she discovers her daughter is a part of Comet, she goes in the wrong direction, lashing out by saying her team is firmly behind her, and there's no way she can possibly stop the momentum now. That's not the demeanor she witnessed in the conference room at all.
I can only hope she's going to have a come to Jesus moment, but with the rejection Cameron is feeling with her game, my guess is Donna's attitude is going to send her into a downward spiral professionally, as well.
Whether she manages to keep things copacetic with her family might mean the difference of them all staying happy professionally and personally.
Donna airing her dirty laundry with Cameron in the middle of Cameron's panel at the conference was just more of her terrible behavior. But since Donna has seen the poor review for Pilgrim, will her less than stellar life at work give her a reason to seek out her old friend? Their distance has gone on too long.
Cameron worked so hard on Pilgrim. Honestly, what was shown of the game would have never been something I would have played. I hated Myst. If I solved a puzzle and ended up back and the beginning like Joe did, I would have put my fist into the screen.
Gordon: I'm sorry about the divorce.
Cameron: Thank you. There is something cathartic about it.
Gordon: Yeah, you bet your ass! That you get to be divorced after all of it!
Cameron: I was talking about the game.
On the other hand, I remember playing DOOM. We all had it at work, and it was so addictive we weren't getting nearly enough work done. That was back in the days before I enjoyed my work.
Miscellaneous:
- Donna trying to force shots on people at the dinner party was so awkward.
- I thought for sure Joanie was going to link the dinner conversation to what the rest of the family was doing. That would have been some stunning conversation!
- Smooth-ut. I think it's some sort of construction thing. Oh, Hayley is so darn sweet!
- How could Gordon not see how genuinely warm and excited Joe is to be working with him and his family? He feels like he's a part of something for the first time in a long time. Much more than business.
Be sure to watch Halt and Catch Fire online and come back to talk about it with me. Were any of you around to remember the fun stuff going on during the period?
Should Hayley's Comet be an equal opportunity indexer and add a porn category (gasp!)?
Can you even imagine a time when you could adequately keep an index by adding links sent by email? Just wow.
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.
