Halt and Catch Fire understood video games better than any other show
Despite numerous developments in this medium, video games largely remain a (usually lonely) frivolity, at least when it comes to on-screen images. Even if a show is ostensible about games – your Playersyour Mythical quests — it’s really all about the interactions that take place outside the games, or the process of their creation.
Stop and catch fire would fit into this. The beloved AMC show made no secret of the fact that it was never really about the technology covered in a season; in the words of Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace), the computer has always been “the thing that gets us to the thing,” a vector for connection, expression, or some other deeper human need. In this way, Stop and catch fire understands the appeal of video games better than any show.
It would first demonstrate this in the second season when Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis) left computer company Cardiff Electric in the wake of a scandal and corporate liquidation to form Mutiny, a primitive attempt at online gaming. The start for the rest of the season comes when Donna Clark (Kerry Bishé) notices that two players are still connected after finishing a game, prompting the creation of a chat board. Even with the limitations of dial-up and 1-bit graphics, people still found ways to communicate.
There would be a lot of shows in the 80s Super Mario Bros. on the NES. But not many people would follow two adults over the course of several days as they try to beat it, offering tips on how to get past a tricky area, and making a trade if someone gets tired so they don’t have to go through the long ordeal again to start. ending with them growing closer together, as well as a deeper understanding of the people around them. It’s less about nostalgia and more about proving how technology – no matter how rudimentary – can lead to moments of insight and catharsis.
Season 4 takes this idea and increases the distance: Cam has released a new one Myst–as the game is called Pilgrim that no one seems to understand. So no one, except Donna, who solves it all alone. At this point in the show, Cam and Donna have had a falling out, whatever bond they had shared that made them such great co-owners destroyed by hubris and backstabbing. It’s a beautiful scene, one that taps into Cam’s desire to create some kind of higher art form through her games, and Donna recalls the time when she actually did Doing something, solving problems instead of financing projects. It encourages their hasty reconnection, and one of Stop and catch fire‘s many strengths include its willingness to let any part of the ensemble be the villain for a season. Donna’s betrayal still stings; she urges people to become a competitor of her friends’ new company. But there is always an understanding of where someone is coming from, and in this case it is a desire – unconscious or otherwise – to apologize and fix a relationship that may be irreparably broken. Pilgrim is a perfect symbol for their relationship, and the idea that there can be 100 people playing your game, but you only need one person to understand.
Stop and catch fire excels in these small moments of beauty, sometimes as simple as the way a certain line is read. Video games aren’t always the main storyline, but it understands their inherent appeal, both in terms of their common aspects and artistic perspectives. After all, what does a game look like? Animal welfare or Outer Wilderness but an attempt to get into the minds of the creators while leaning on others for support? The characters may have failed and failed again over the course of the show, but they will never stop looking for that burst of connection wherever it is found.
Stop and catch fire is streaming on The Roku Channel and AMC Plus.