Halt and Catch Fire (2014–2017): Season 1, Episode 3 - High Plains Hardware - full transcript

- Donna: Is it alive?
- Haley: Mommy, is it okay?

Joanie: Mommy, fix it.
Make it better.

Girls, girls, Mommy's gonna be
right back, okay?

Haley:
Why don't its wings work?

Gordon, is it breathing?

Barely.

Brian:
Yeah, watch out for mites.

Well, is there
something we can do?

- Give it some water, or...
- I think we're beyond that.

(sighs)

I should take it to the vet.



Honey, the girls
have to get to school.

And with your car
in the shop...

Yeah, yeah, you're right.

Hey, you need a ride, neighbor?

Donna:
Oh, that would be so great.

- Yeah, thanks, Brian.
- Hey, no problemo.

Poor little sucker.

Let go, let God, right?

Hey, man.

Don't sweat today.

You can do this.

(chirping)

(loud whirring)

("Are 'Friends' Electric?"
Playing in background)



# You know I hate to ask #

# But are "friends" electric? #

# Only mine's broke down #

# And now I've no one to love #

# Mm, mm-mm, mm-mm... #

Look, it's not your fault.

It's no one's fault.

It's like when you get
an early snow

and it freezes
your orange grove.

And then the farmer has to find

another way to deliver the juice.

Even if every snowflake

is totally unique like you.

(door opens)

- Gordon, what the hell?
- You're my 11:45.

You got us milling around out there
like a bunch of Frenchmen.

Randy, I'm with someone.

Randy:
I'll wait in line for a Ferris wheel.

I'll wait in line for a beer.

But damned if I'II wait around
till 11:45 to get fired

by flipping you
or flipping Joe MacMillan.

Wait, you're firing me?
I'm being fired?

- Just calm down.
- My reference letter.

And don't worry,
I wrote it myself.

Sign it.

Oh, my God, I gotta call Patty.

Randy:
And can I just say

on behalf of a once-great company,

I look forward
to driving past here

when the "For Lease" signs
get nailed to the lawn

and your little PC vision quest
crashes and burns.

(theme music playing)

28 pounds.

That's not portable,
that's luggable.

And those are
the combined sales figures

for Coleco, Vectrex, and Atari.

- Video games.
- Microcomputers.

Proof that America wants
these machines in their homes.

And how did
the PC business respond?

With a cassette deck,

a sewing machine,
and a carburetor.

We're not making a carburetor.

We're making this.

By the end of this year,

Cardiff Electric will release
to the market

a truly portable computer
with two disk drives,

integrated screen,
and keyboard,

weighing no more
than 15 pounds.

- (laughter)
- Man: It's impossible.

(chattering)

Anyone that knows anything
about microprocessing...

You've got that number wrong,
right, Gordon?

Man:
It's gonna take a million dollars

and four times the size
of this desk...

- Yes, that's correct.
- (chatter stops)

It's ambitious.

You know who was good
with screens?

- Randy.
- Sure was.

Say, where is Randy?
Oh, that's right, you fired him.

Run out to the parking lot.
Maybe you can flag him down.

- Gordon, outside.
- Brian: Guys, relax.

Man: No, I'm not relaxing.
Wake up, Brian.

We used to build products
that people would buy.

We're not even in reality anymore.

- Listen...
- Larry, we're dealing with...

(door closes)

These are the guys you chose?

After I let go
of 46 people this morning,

something I'm in no way
qualified to do.

I'm worried about their attitude.

Their attitude is based
on the laws of physics,

which, if I were you,
I'd bone up on.

You're looking
at our only engineers

with any microprocessor
experience at all.

They're what's left,
so, yeah, these are my guys.

("Advice" playing on headphones)

# They tell you you're a mess #

# They tell you how to dress #

# They tell you what you've found #

# They tell you about your sound #

# Advice, and it's good for you #

# Advice, I don't need your #

- # Advice... #
- Hey.

# And they tell you
how to wear your hair #

- #And they tell you how to care #
- Hey.

- # And they tell you
how to live your life... #

You could at least wait
until we've left the building.

(yells)
Oh, thank you!

# You can screw your advice #

#They tell you
everything's okay #

# And they tell you
to live their way #

#And they tell you
about what's right #

# And they tell you
about white might, advice #

# It's good for you, advice #

# I don't need your advice #

# You can screw your advice... #

(mutters)

(keyboard clacking)

# Advice, it's good for you, advice #

# I don't need your advice #

# You can screw your advice #

# Advice. #

Where do we put the heat sink?

Well, we run it at four megahertz,
maybe we don't need one.

No, it's too slow.

Craig James was slow
compared to Dickerson.

Still plenty fast enough.

There's gotta be a way to add speed
without adding heat.

Or you can build in a griddle
and fry steaks on it.

What do you want to
call this place?

I guess "Skunk Works"
is taken.

"T he Chamber of Chipsets."
"Logic Lair."

We're probably gonna end up
killing each other in here

and ourselves.

Well, let's call it
"The Kill Room."

Man:
Not bad.

Joe: So he uses the collateral
to repay the money

he borrowed
to purchase the target.

- Pretty brilliant, right?
- (laughs)

- Who the hell's that?
- Aaron Littlefield,

Eiger & Littlefield Venture Capital.

"V enture capital"?

Hell, I remember
when it was still called "money."

Give him five minutes.
He just flew in from New York.

- Sorry, I already had lunch.
- So did we.

They keep reading about
the Silicon Prairie in the "Journal."

They have cash to spend

and they want exposure
to this market.

Our PC could be
a nice entry point.

You know I gotta clear
all this with Nathan.

I already have.

- Aaron.
- Hey.

Hey, John Bosworth here.
Nice to meet ya.

- How was the flight?
- Oh, a little bumpy, but worth it.

Well, good.
I sure as shit hope so.

I've identified
the bugs in the PCBs.

We're gonna have to
recall about 10,000 units.

But the bigger problem
is with the keyboard bouncing.

If we could just
redesign the trim, then...

But that's not our purview, right?

How soon can I tell Mark?

Monday, Tuesday at the latest.

- Your folks are well?
- Oh, great. Thank you.

Only parents I ever knew
who came to the game

to cheer on the xylophonist.

(laughs)
And how's Martine?

Well, she thought that Texas Instruments
meant staying in Texas.

This is our third stop
in five years, so...

I think she wants
to settle down, but...

But that's not the way
you climb the ladder.

(chuckles)

I can't believe
we're talking like this...

climbing ladders,
quarterly targets.

We are a long way
from high school.

Oh, well, thank God.
My hair and that band uniform.

Hey, we all knew that you
weren't cut out for band.

You were just marking time,

waiting for something
better to come along.

Donna...

not to be a pain,

but I'm meeting
with Mark tomorrow

and that report
would be helpful.

Oh, okay.

You'll have it.

(groans)

(clicks)

(line ringing)

(ringing)

Mr. MacMillan's office.

Hi...

Debbie:
Cameron?

We have got an ideal business climate.
Unlimited growth curve.

And you just got your ass
handed to you by IBM.

They took their shot.
They missed.

But the cash from
your system packages

is running out, correct?

Guys, I'm gonna find out anyway.

- John: How's that?
- Well, we partner with you,

we audit your books
top to bottom,

install upper management on-site,

probably Roger.

- You'd report to him.
- Roger?

It's just an option we're discussing.

- At lunch?
- Aaron: That's right.

You know, maybe instead
of sending someone out,

you do a weekly call.

Guys, I haven't even heard
a rollout date yet, okay?

What's your marketing strategy?

How do you plan on rebuilding
your client base here?

We got a whole new client base.

Yeah, Joe here wants to take
this machine to the people.

Yeah, no more biz-to-biz.

We're pushing doorbells
and pounding pavement.

Along with a sophisticated
media campaign.

Oh, sophisticated, my ass.
Come on, Joe.

We're tired of these doodad launches
and corporate suites.

No, I wanna breathe me some air.

You know, mom-and-pop stores,
county fairs.

Now, we may not have the track record
or the balance sheet,

but, by God, we got heart.

That can-do Texas spirit, y'all.

My home number's on the back.

I want you to call the ranch anytime.

Sure will.

Let me show you some sketches.

It's so good seeing you again, Joe.

I'll be in touch.

(softly)
What do you think? Let 'em go?

What, before midnight?

You can't win a race
at the quarter pole.

Seriously, buy yourself some
goodwill with these guys.

(loudly)
All right, thanks, everyone.

Have a good night.

Brian: Especially if we try
and cram a bigger motherboard

into a smaller case.

Either way, we swap out the crystal
and we overclock the CPU.

Which heats up the innards,
which means a bigger heat sink.

And may I remind you,
we just ditched the heat sink.

(sighs)
Okay.

Hey, how's it going?

- No contact, remember?
- I know, I know.

- Look, I don't mean to pry.
- (soda can clatters)

I know it's only been a week
and you're under a lot of pressure,

but if you could just give us
some sort of idea as to...

I'll order a pizza.

She took my soda.

Nothing like a bubble bath

to make you forget life's
little traumas.

Works for me.

Oh, we also got them
a little something.

Oh, you shouldn't have.

"Bowser"?

It's not exactly a bird's name.

(scoffs)
Poor thing's dead by now.

I expect you can call it
whatever you like.

(tinny music playing)

Is that Chopin's "Funeral March"?

The Japanese never sleep.
Look here.

It's our back pager this month.

Your father thinks
we'II move half a million.

(chuckles)
"No-doubt" Dad.

It's a catalogue business, darling.

Both:
"T here's always doubt."

Now, don't go telling
Gordon it's from us.

I know he doesn't approve.

(water sloshing)

He working late?

He's got a new project.

Well, make sure he does
the dishes sometime.

I love my son-in-law,

but I don't wanna see you
worn down to a nub.

Why, do I seem nubbish to you?

You are radiant, as always.

(girls giggling)

How's life at TI?

You know, we haven't even
seen Hunt at the club

since he moved back.

Well, nose to the grindstone.

Well, maybe Fourth of July,

he'll show off that foreign wife of his.

- Mom, she's Canadian.
- She is a guest of this country.

She can wave a flag

and light something on fire
like the rest of us.

Well, I don't think
they'll be in Dallas long.

If management likes him,

they'll probably ship him
overseas.

Mm, old Hunt in Vienna

or Rome, Italy.

Can you imagine?

This is very nice.

Mm-hmm, a man needs
to seek shelter.

I believe we have that in common.

We don't just need money.
We need smart money.

A name. Someone
who puts us on the map.

Yeah, I know.

You weren't wrong
to do what you did,

but then, neither was John.

John:
Hey.

A little scotch here,
and... I guessed.

We let you in the door,
Joe, we gave you the rope.

But only one
boss-dick can swing it.

Now, you're the vision guy
and I'm retired

and I want to stay retired.

The way that works

is that John here
sends me my checks,

keeps me fat and happy.

So John makes
the financial decisions

on this project,
all of them.

Agreed.

Good.

(chuckles)

No more backstage bullshit.

I'm gonna set you up
with Louise Lutherford.

An old friend of ours.

Cardiff: Mm-hmm,
she is a handful...

but she's got
more than enough capital

to see us through.

And she's local, so no "Rogers."

Yeah, that's all well and good,

but does she have
a background in...

Good evening, Seth.

Mr. Cardiff.
Are we dining tonight?

Oh, you know it.
I'll have the petit fillet.

Burn it, and peas and mash.

Porterhouse, rare. Rare.

I'll have the same.

I mean, we could recess the keyboard
in the bottom cover

and run the connector cable
through the hinges.

Okay. No one's ever
done that before.

Well, does that mean
it can't be done?

No, just expensive.

Well, how else are we gonna
make room for the screen?

Gordon, I'm not trying
to yuck your yum here.

No one wants this to work
more than me.

It's a hell of a concept,
but to execute it...

- that's tough sleddin'.
- I know, I know.

(sighs)

First thing tomorrow,
we sit down with Joe,

bring him back to Earth,
tell him it can't be done.

I'II fly wingman if you want.

No, no, I'll tell him.

(grunts)

- (phone rings)
- What?

Joe:
You called earlier.

No, I don't...

yes, fine, yes,
I did by mistake.

What? What do you want?

Just checking in.

Okay, I'm all checked.

- I just wanted to know...
- What's taking so long?

You're a talented coder,
but right now you're a bottleneck.

(groans) Have you considered
motivational speaking?

'Cause you've got a gift, man.

Seriously, sign me up.
Send me the tapes.

Do I need to come down there?

No.

- Then I guess I'll...
- See ya.

(line clicks)

(sighs)

(groans)

Sorry I missed your mother.

- No, you're not.
- (clicking)

Gordon:
At least the bird's gone.

The girls were so upset,
they barely ate.

Yeah?

Maybe not the best
night for chicken.

So, how much longer,
do you think?

(sighs)
Couple hours.

That's an interesting layout.

If I can make it all fit.

- Can you take a...
- No, Gordon, I have to finish this.

You're right, you're right.
I'm sorry.

(clicking continues)

- Well, you know what you could do?
- What?

You could move
the interrupt controller

and then maybe scootch
those parity RAM chips down.

- Do you mind if l...
- No, no, no.

- All yours.
- Here and here.

Then if you rotate
these DMA controllers to make room,

you can...

Wait, wait, wait, what?

Piggyback it.

- Software comes and goes...
- Hardware is forever.

Okay.

Okay, okay, that's interesting.

("Germ Free Adolescence"
playing on headphones)

# He's a germ-free adolescent #

# Cleanliness is her obsession #

# Cleans her teeth 10 times a day #

# Scrub away, scrub away
scrub away #

# The S.R. Way #

# You may get to touch her... #

(music stops)

(object clicks)

(drawer thumps)

Hi.

Those Lloyd's shoes?

Who the hell's Lloyd?

Come on.

Lloyd... one hell of a bowler.

Good Lutheran, three kids.

I had to fire him this morning.

You think it's a good idea

walking around
in a dead man's shoes?

Where are you headed,
young lady?

This is your first job, huh?
Am I right?

You're already rooting around
the offices after hours?

I heard money's tight around here.

I thought I'd switch off your light.

Uh-huh.
(chuckles)

Hey, what is the difference between

"Go To" and "Go Sub"?

Oh, "Go To" executes the next line.

"Go Sub," you need, like,
a return command at the end.

That makes no sense to me.

Yeah, it's hard at the beginning.

- (sighs)
- (glasses clatter)

- If it weren't for your friend Joe...
- (boot unzips)

I'd be home right now.

- (boot zipper whines)
- He's different, huh?

Joe?

(chuckles)

You take care of those shoes.

And, Cameron?

You can work here
as late as you'd like.

You cannot live here.

I think we can make this work.

If we actually split the motherboard

and then layer

one half on top of the other,

run the jumpers vertically.

So you're doubling
the amount of chips on each half.

- Yeah.
- Interesting.

Where'd you get that idea?

In my kitchen.

It'd buy us a couple
centimeters, for sure.

- Nice work.
- If we can stabilize the vertices.

Hey, why don't you let it
ride for a cycle, Stan?

Donna drove me in this morning,
but I'm gonna need a ride home.

What's this?

Gordon:
It's our new motherboard.

Brian:
Buddy, I thought we had one.

Not like this.
I call it a layered array.

It's really, really different.

- What it is is...
- Yeah, I see that.

Who's gonna mass-produce
a brand-new board from scratch?

You think Intel or AMD
is gonna reroute

their entire assembly lines for us?

For Cardiff Electric?
Is that reasonable?

I mean, what are we doing here?

You're right.
I wasn't thinking that far ahead.

- I just...
- Gordo, it's a killer idea, it is.

But we got three months.

Every bone in my body
is telling me

that if we try
and reinvent the wheel here,

man, we're gonna end up
with a square wheel.

But, hey, it's your call.

Man: Okay,
so it's not four layers, it's two.

(sighs)
Forget it, guys.

- Let's go back to alpha.
- Larry: What? Are you kidding?

I'll tell Joe.

(whirring, grinding)

(cracks)

(whirrs)

(groans)

(clatters)

(thumps)

("First Time" playing)

# Oh #

# Oh, oh, oh #

# It's my first time, oh #

# Oh, oh, oh #

# Please be kind, oh #

# Oh, oh, oh #

# Don't hurt me, oh #

# Oh, oh, oh #

# Oh #

# Oh, oh, oh... #

You gonna eat all that yourself?

You gonna try
and take it from me?

I'm Judie, this is Ajax
and his asshole friends.

- Ajax: Hey.
- Man: Hey, yo.

- Cameron.
- Does Cameron have money?

Does it have an automobile?

You mean a car? No.

You live around here?

Uh, no, I work, like,
a mile that way.

You work? Like, a job?

The day I sell out
and get a job is the day I die.

Materialistic greed hamsters
spinning their wheels.

- Oh, says the guy who wants a car.
- (laughs)

Come nightfall we're gonna head up
to Yuppie Row

and tag the living crap out of it.

Until then we're just gonna
hole up here, you know,

thrash a bit, pound some vodka.

Thing is, we're short on vodka.

So, you're just gonna
hang out here till then?

Yeah, you got a better idea?

Actually, yeah.

Directions to Ms. Lutherford's.

Cocktails at 5:30, dinner at 6:00.

Well, money's money, right?

Uh-huh.

(door closes)

It's okay, you can go on in.

- John: Loulu.
- Louise: John.

You look wonderful.

Let me introduce you here
to Joe MacMillan.

- Of course. Joseph.
- Joe MacMillan, Loulu.

Travis, Joe MacMillan here.

So, Joseph,
where do you hail from?

- Hudson River Valley.
- Oh, I adore that area.

- You get to the city?
- Yes, often.

Travis and I go annually.

He ignores the opera, I sponsor it.

Last season, we saw "Figaro."

How'd that turn out?

Same way it always does, John.

It's 200 years old.

But I do hate when they
try to force that poor boy

to marry his own mother.

Of course.
He owes her money.

(both chuckle)

John, I believe you brought
a shark to my table.

No, dear. Just a deal.

Yes, yes. Nathan mentioned it.

I did a little research of my own.

I will take 80% of your PC project
for $10 million.

That's a little aggressive.

John, IBM has poisoned your well.

I know I'm not the first name
on Nathan Cardiff's Rolodex,

which means your cash flow
is a little stopped up,

kind of like
my second husband's aorta.

Our projected earnings
are many multiples of that.

If there's a better deal
for you elsewhere,

you are welcome to take it.

Y'all excuse us?

- This is insane.
- Keep your voice down.

At that price, we're better off
going to the banks

or selling to Tandy.

All right, let me
talk her off the ledge.

This person knows
nothing about our machine.

She'll wrap it in velvet,
call it "Bonnie Blue,"

and we won't
be able to stop her.

Hey, partner,
we're already there.

Joseph, is everything all right?

(bell ringing)

Oh, glorious. Dinner's served.

- He's on the call.
- With Mark?

Oh, God. Maybe I could just
sneak in and hand it to him.

- I wouldn't.
- I could just...

Mark, you know that
and I know that,

but how can we get
Somerville on board?

Well, I'm doing everything I can.

("We Got Your Money"
playing in background)

# I want to be a problem, oh #

# I want to make a scene, oh #

# I want to get reactions, oh #

# And wake you from your dream, oh #

#I don't care
if you don't like it, oh #

# Or you think that it's the best, oh #

# As long as you remember, oh #

#And then we're up
with all the rest, oh #

# Oh #

Ow.

What's your job all about?

Software.

Oh, yeah.

I think my dad
does something like that.

I think.

Grimace! Grimace!

# And to all you frat boys, oh... #

Tip the mamacita.

(Judie giggles)
Hey, Cam.

This ink's got your name on it.

Here. Got a good idea.

Judie:
Yeah, do it up. Whoo!

Come on, Cam.
Let's print it.

Now, just trust me.
I got it.

John:
He says to her, "A bsolutely not."

And she says, "Henry,

we are flying a woman into orbit
on the space shuttle.

All's I'm askin'
is for you to take me to...

oh, oh, oh, Omaha!"

(laughing)

Louise:
Stop, you're so bad.

So, Joseph, what do we think?

About Omaha?

About the space program,
Miss Sally Ride.

It's a gimmick.

You're not proud of NASA
for breaking the gender barrier?

The Soviets did it... twice.

So it's first or not at all?

Curious outlook for someone
who's cloning an IBM.

Now, now, go easy on him, Loulu.
He's a Yankee.

(laughs)
Sorry.

Getting into bed with you boys.

Least I can do is check the sheets
and fluff the pillows.

(chuckles)

Isn't that right, Travis?

We're not gonna be partners.

Why's that?

Because you're a bored,
poisonous dilettante

with time on her hands
and no taste.

Two things destroy companies,
Ms. Lutherford...

mediocrity and making it
about yourself.

I think you make
everything about yourself.

That's why you rent your friends
and repel everyone else.

Boz, we have a deal or not?

I'll have Barry draw up the papers.

There, you see?
Joseph, it's not hard.

It's just knowing
your side of the saddle.

More wine?

Oh, Travis, bring us some brandy.
We're celebrating.

("Take It Now"
playing in background)

- Yo, Cam, let me finish.
- No.

(sighs, mutters)

(groans)

- (groans)
- (lipstick clatters)

I don't know jack squat
about brandy.

(clatters)

Fantastic meringue.

What took you so long?

It's too late for brandy.

It's not brandy.

Tuke Holdsworth, 1912.

("Stabat Mater"
playing in background)

We decided on a port.

John:
I'll take a snort.

Give her a pop, Travis.

(cork pops)

That pig-iron bitch had us
right where she wanted us

and she kicked us
to the curb.

- Hell, we had a deal.
- We don't need her.

- You tell Nathan that.
- We jump-start the project,

crush the timetable
from six months down to three.

Build the prototype
on our own dime,

then show investors
when we have leverage.

- (engine starts)
- What'd you say to her?

Hey, hey.

What'd you do?

We'll talk tomorrow.

And this sumbitch,

I know he's gonna
cash the heart ace

and take the diamond finesse.

Instead, he discards
spade from the dummy

and plays the queen.

(laughs)

I'm like, "Neville,
are you a Redskins fan?"

You know?

Hey, man, are you all right?

I'm telling, you oughta think
about joining,

'cause I'm getting tired
of carrying cards

for these damn Yanks
and mackerel snappers.

- Whoa, whoa!
- (bangs)

(tires squealing)

(both panting)

Ow.

Aw, man.

Oh.

Are you all right?

Oh, thank Christ.

I mean, I told Vicky they have got
to trim those branches.

How are you supposed
to see cross traffic

when the sidewalk's
a damn jungle?

You're fired.

(chuckles)
What?

You're fired.

(doorbell rings)

The address calculation code.
It's too long.

It takes up too many bytes.

What I need is some way
of grabbing the addresses

without telling the CPU
where to look for them,

like an address book
that's also a map.

Cameron...

why are you here?

I'm stuck.

(sighs)

(taps)

(bird chirping)

Another late night, huh?

- Gordon, you're bleeding.
- Shh, shh, shh.

- You hear that?
- (chirping continues)

It's alive.

(chirping continues)

I called Animal Control.

They said the kindest thing
is to just kill it.

Maybe you could...

Look, Donna, I'm not going
back out there.

- I've had kind of a day.
- Okay...

I'm gonna take off my shoes,
kiss the girls,

and wash up, all right?

(chirping continues)

(sighs)

(chirping continues)

("We Got Your Money" playing)

# I want to be a problem, oh #

# I want to make a scene, oh #

# I want to get reactions, oh #

# And wake you
from your dream, oh #

# Oh #

# Oh! #