In Defense of "Halt and Catch Fire"

Scene from Halt and Catch Fire

*NOTE: Originally published on Readwave

The series is a welcomed change of pace for the prestige of AMC

One of the most fascinating stories of a TV network right now is AMC. The channel that hosts The Walking Dead and Mad Men has evolved into the prestige gap between HBO and basic cable. However, they have simultaneously entered a crisis with their acclaimed shows gone. They have tried to find "The next Breaking Bad/Mad Men." It explains Low Winter Sun and its poor intent to mix gritty without charisma. However, that's not nearly as baffling as their other repertoire that includes Freak Show, Owner's Manual, Small Town Security, and Comic Book Men. At best, these suggest their intent to be Comedy Central. 

You can't blame a network for branching out, but AMC's prestige has gotten to its head. Low Winter Sun's legacy is summarized in its extortion of "Watch a (bad) preview of next week's Breaking Bad after 25 minutes of this show." There hasn't been much buzz around Turn either. What is going to be the next show that captures audiences' attention? 

Three weeks ago, Halt and Catch Fire premiered with immediate comparisons to Mad Men down to their opening description of the title. In the premiere episode "I/O," I became entranced. From the computer slang to the gorgeous shots, this show looked ambitious. In a time where The Social Network and Silicon Valley are making computer programming cinematic, this felt like a perfect show for AMC to tackle. I have been hooked ever since, flaws and all. 

For awhile, I lived in this haze. After the second episode, I popped on the Extra Hot Great podcast and realized that people actually disliked the show. I mean vehemently. They thought it was boring. Upon an overhaul of research, I found that my admiration was in a minority. I am programmed to give something a chance, meaning I invested in characters and tone before the story. After all, these are the people we will be spending hours with. If they get stuck in traffic, I want to be stuck with the right people.

To me, Halt and Catch Fire's biggest flaw was that its unnecessary expectations to be "The next Mad Men." I see it more as a technical Breaking Bad where the soundtrack is deliciously carpe diem. One of the biggest attractions is that the 80's music isn't predictable. The point where I threw myself over came in "I/O" where The Vandals' "Wanna Be Manor" came on. From there, the music has only gotten more authentic, doing deep cuts by X-Ray Spex and Bad Brains. Yes, it may play into my nostalgic interest in punk music, but it the tone is perfect. These guys are rebels and they need a loud soundtrack to declare their presence.

I'll admit that the characters are still rugged. Protagonists Joe (Lee Pace) and Gordon (Scoot McNairy) are more medians than people. We get a sense of Gordon's family life, but not all that much. The real revelation is Cameron (Mackenzie Davis), who embodies what the show is going for. Starting off as this punk who plays arcade games, she has become the reason to watch every week. Her sympathetic outsider nature adds to the series' authenticity in a world otherwise full of traditionalist suit and ties. She isn't some low life either. She knows how to write code and get things done. She is peppy and magnetic. A bit cliche? Maybe.

I will accept criticism. 80's computers don't make universally beloved stories. There have even been some questionable plot lines so far. However, the series is three episodes old at this point and each one has been tonally compelling. It doesn't feel like it's intentionally being cliche AMC. It wants to be its own beast, and I admire it for that. However, the desire for everything to make sense right away is an unfortunate side effect to modern culture. Let things grow and have ability to blossom into a full picture. The Wire doesn't work on individual episodes, but it is the best drama in TV history. I am not saying Halt and Catch Fire is anywhere close, nor do I think it is this underrated masterpiece. I simply think it is a show that is defiantly bringing their own voice to TV. It is simultaneously conventional and subversive, bringing something I haven't seen to TV before. At the end of the day, that is what makes a show good, and this one definitely has potential.