Halt and Catch Fire Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Limbo
Sean McKenna
at
.
Updated at
.
The crash was bound to happen sooner than later.
With Cameron refusing to sell Mutiny, Joe preparing to take off for California, and Gordon getting his custom computer business going, things seemed to be headed in relatively positive directions for the characters, even with some of the bumps already in their journey.
But by the time Halt and Catch Fire Season 2 Episode 8 was over, it all seemed to be a nightmare.
It was pretty easy to go into the hour on the upswing with the characters. Sure, Donna was a bit upset by Cameron choosing not to sell, but their company was thriving, especially with its community.
Granted, Cameron was a little disheartened by the user get-together containing only a few gamers, but she and Donna were able to later talk it out and discuss making community better, working together.
Tom even admitted to Cameron that he loves her, and that’s a good thing for their relationship.
As for Joe and Sara, even with their marriage getting some comments from Jacob, the two seemed happy together and later got a little wild at the club and engaged in some sexy time at the office.
I was sort of prepared to write the episode off as just an hour that focused on a bunch of happy moments without any real furthering of the story. And that would have been OK. It is nice to see some good come to the characters who have been pushing so hard to find their place and to find success.
But then Gordon went a little crazy after seeing an advertisement that appeared to have stolen his ideas and his pricing involving the computer business. I guess it could have been possible it was one of his friends or even Stan, but knowing the brain damage was there, I presumed it was that, but just worse.
Gordon really seemed out of it, and it was sad (and probably super confusing for Gordon) to learn his friend hadn’t done anything, and that Donna was trying to make sure he was OK. Then he was handcuffed by the police.
Gordon’s going to need some help for the long haul in this journey.
At the same time, even with Joe happily off with Sara, you could tell he was clinging onto his job, trying to let go, but still holding on. For instance, the new guy (Skylar Astin from "Pitch Perfect") was already rubbing Joe the wrong way and giving him the brush off.
And then Joe learned what Jacob’s company had done at about the same time Cameron and her crew discovered a major mishap with Mutiny: Mutiny was gone and replaced by something that looked exactly the same but wasn’t theirs at all. The users were stolen, the interface was cloned, and chaos had taken over.
The company had taken over the network and simply pushed Mutiny out of the way.
It was not at all what I was expecting to happen, something not even Joe was able to predict. He tried to explain himself to Cameron, but the damage had been done.
As tragic as the moment was, it was great to see Joe a little frazzled. I’ve been so used to seeing him cool and calm, that Halt and Catch Fire Season 2 has really shown a much different side to his character.
It’s not surprising that Cameron and the Mutiny crew wanted Joe out or that she didn’t believe him.
And I have no idea what Mutiny’s next move is, but the stakes were once again raised by the end of the hour. I’m excited to see whatever is next, whether it be Joe trying to aid Mutiny in a battle against Jacob or Mutiny finding a clever way to come out on top without him.
The nightmare will have to end, and I can’t wait to see the characters take on their next step, whatever that may be.
Don't miss out! You can watch Halt and Catch Fire online right here at TV Fanatic.
NOTE: Halt and Catch Fire Season 2 Episode 9, "Kali," will air on July 26 at 10 p.m.
Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.
