Halt and Catch Fire (2014–2017): Season 1, Episode 9 - Up Helly Aa - full transcript
Unforeseen adversaries and new complications threaten to derail all that the Cardiff Electric team has worked for at COMDEX.
("Heart of the City" playing on radio)
# Where the alligator roams #
# I'm a little lost lamb... #
(Cameron groans)
How much longer?
Donna:
300 miles, give or take.
(radio tuning)
Cameron:
What time do we get to Vegas?
9:00 a. M?
("Psycho Killer" playing on radio)
# I'm tense and nervous
and I can't relax #
# I can't sleep
'cause my bed's on fire... #
There's napkins in the glove box.
# Don't touch me,
I'm a real live wire... #
Nice ending. Mysterious.
Leave 'em wanting more.
Huh.
Cameron:
Why are we freaking out
about this, anyway?
I mean, it's a trade show.
They want the Giant.
The pressure's on them.
Gordon: Okay, you think
thousands of vendors
are just gonna magically
swarm our booth?
- Hell, yes. Get in line.
- The booth isn't the point.
That's just a way
to identify the real buyers
and then get them
up to our suite.
For the opening night party.
Yeah, suite's where the action is.
It's where we nail down
all the real deals.
Everybody's terrified.
Nobody knows which
technology's gonna win.
Oh, your friends are
trying to rip you off.
Your enemies are buying you drinks.
It's a catfight.
It's total chaos.
It's capitalism at its finest.
(groans)
In the Scottish Isles,
they hold a festival
on the coldest day
of the year.
The townspeople dress up
in Viking costumes
and compete in squads,
drinking and singing
and dancing.
Finally at midnight,
they march up
to a huge wooden ship
in the town square.
Then what?
Then the winners
burn it to the ground.
# Better run-run, run-run,
run-run run away... #
Why the hell did you
just tell us that?
(groans)
(music continues)
Good morning.
Checking in?
Cardiff Electric.
We have a three-bedroom suite
on the ninth floor.
Excellent. If you'd just fill out
your registration card.
I'm sorry, did you say Cardiff?
- That's right.
- Excuse me for one moment.
- I'm the manager.
- Uh, John Bosworth.
- Is there a problem?
- I'm afraid so.
We ran your card this morning
and it was declined.
We tried to call, but no answer.
Unfortunately, we had no choice
but to release your room.
That's absurd.
- Let me call the credit card company.
- We already did.
(quietly) Your corporate account
has been frozen...
due to a pending
criminal investigation.
Here, take a personal card.
You won't have
any problem with this.
"Joseph MacMillan."
I thought you were
John Bosworth.
If I can pay,
what does it matter?
I'm sorry, we're fully booked.
I'm willing to add
a $200 premium per night.
I have a waiting list
30 names long for that room.
Legitimate names.
So, what now?
(sighs)
(theme music playing)
We lost our booth.
The floor manager said he might
be able to squeeze us in.
I'm supposed to get back
to him in 20 minutes.
Well, that gives us time
to find another hotel.
The expo's right next door.
We move off the Strip,
we lose our base,
all our walk-in traffic.
Our welcoming party's tonight.
Everyone stays here.
But it's booked.
What are we supposed to do,
bribe somebody?
- I tried that.
- Cameron: Christ, we're in Las Vegas.
We have $11,000 in cash.
Can we get off our asses
and make a move?
Hey, Protonix Printers,
suite 1475.
Those brothers
from Sunnyvale, remember?
No.
They were, like, six booths
away from us in '81.
I remember their demo.
It sucked.
Call the floor manager.
Set the meet.
I don't care where it is
or how much it costs,
just get us a booth.
You, find your best blue suit
and change in the bathroom.
What are we doing?
We're gonna make room
in the inn.
Come on, hustle up.
"In text mode, the printer
is logic-seeking.
What do I mean by that,
you ask?
I mean it can print with its head
moving in both directions.
Yes, you heard that right."
Man: "Now, your average
dot matrix printer, your DMP,
your MX-80, restricts you
to a standard output size."
"W hich is fine for business letters
and general accounting
and such..."
"But what about
those moments that demand
a more personal touch?"
"That's where
the OccasionMaster steps in.
With our pre-set fonts and balloons
and sparkles graphics,
your near and dearest
are guaranteed a special feeling.
Result... let's pass out
those samples, Petey.
From the garden party
to the bachelor party,
the OccasionMaster is truly..."
Both:
"Your master of ceremonies."
Any questions?
Serial port or parallel?
Well, it's just parallel for now,
but that's something that we hope
to upgrade in the future.
And you're asking
how much for it?
Oh, uh, $900 plus tax.
Gordon:
What's the CPS rate?
It's 80 to 100, depending.
So, I'm supposed to pay
a thousand dollars
to wait 20 minutes for that thing
to spit out a thank-you note
when I can write my own in five?
100 CPS is quite fast, my friend.
Yeah, well, let's not act
like it's lightning.
Especially with the graphics.
Can't you modify the head
to go any faster?
We've been testing the OM
with no problems
for some time now.
- Show us.
- Yeah, print something.
Fine, you want it faster?
Well, I'd like it cheaper, too.
(all chuckling)
(printer humming, whirring)
(crinkling, ripping)
(whining)
You know, I hear IBM's coming out
with a multiple format paper feed.
Where'd you hear that?
I'm not supposed
to tell you this, but...
We are coming out
with a multiple format printer
first of the year.
If I were you,
I'd get out of our way.
What, just pack up and leave?
We put everything into this.
Look, I love when guys like you
take us on, I really do.
A couple years ago,
a gentleman out of Duluth
developed his own word processor.
Great features.
But it went head-to-head
with DisplayWriter.
What happened?
After his wife left him
and he lost his house,
he drove his car into a library.
I think he's still recuperating
in a mental hospital upstate.
We already checked in.
The suite's paid up through
the end of the week.
Maybe I can help.
We rented two floors
and we're still bursting
at the seams.
I got guys sleeping
on the carpet.
You know, IBM might be able
to take that suite off your hands.
Full freight.
I'm not looking
to screw you guys over.
If we could break even...
That would be huge.
- Except.
- Man #2: What?
The big spread
we ordered for tonight.
- (sighs)
- You'd have to eat that cost.
All that shrimp.
Shrimp?
(chatter)
This is highway robbery.
Our booth was supposed
to be in the middle.
You're late and your check bounced.
You're lucky
I have this one left.
Hey, get down from there
before you hurt yourself.
All of your material as ordered.
Wait, I need more wall space.
I can't fit all this
on one crummy backing.
Not my problem, lady.
- Free software?
- Jesus.
Free software.
That's one way to make a living.
Donna:
No, that's not their living.
They're porn stars
moonlighting as "booth babes."
Vegas figured out
that computer types don't gamble,
so they schedule
a porn convention next door.
Same time every year.
I thought the action
was in the suites.
Yeah, well, no one's coming
to our suite
if we don't get their attention.
(Donna grunts)
What?
What are you doing?
Look, I'll get them to the party,
you make sure it's
one to remember, okay?
- Babe #1: Thank you.
- Babe #2: Hi. How are you?
(elevator bell rings)
Minus five.
Minus 12, wait.
(switch clicks)
- Uh, plus five.
- Bottom line, please.
- It won't start.
- Yet. Yet, okay?
It's probably nothing.
What we need is
an antistatic workstation.
Take off your shoes.
It's not the power supply.
Pack it up.
We're moving into the bedroom.
("Blister in the Sun" playing)
# When I'm out walking,
I strut my stuff #
# And I'm so strung out #
# I'm high as a kite,
I just might #
# Stop to check you out #
# Let me go on #
# Like a blister
in the sun #
# Let me go on #
#Big hands,
I know you're the one #
# Body and beats,
I stain my sheets #
# I don't even know why #
# My girlfriend,
she's at the end #
# She is starting to cry #
# Let me go on #
# Like a blister in the sun #
# Let me go on #
# Big hands,
I know you're the one... #
(rattles)
(clicks)
# Let me go on #
# Like a blister in the sun #
# Let me go on #
#Big hands,
I know you're the one. #
- Donna: What is that for?
- Cameron: Touch-ups.
What? What's the matter?
Is it not working?
Not yet.
Meaning what,
it won't boot up?
Hardware issue.
Not your problem.
Pick up those clothes, please?
(sighs)
(softly)
"A small company...
No one expected it
to be anything...
...evolved into something great,
something magnificent."
You gonna tell us
how the booth looks?
Is anyone coming?
I would.
(knock on door)
(knock on door)
- Is this Cardiff Electric?
- Yes. Yes, it is.
Okay. All right.
Let's do it, man.
Oh, wow. Radical.
Yeah!
Hey, check this out.
Cameron: Hey,
can I get three more?
- Bartender: You got it.
- Thanks.
("Heartbreak at 10,000 Feet"
playing in background)
Hey! Hey, man, is it ready yet?
- Is it ready yet?
- No.
I mean, almost.
It's been almost for two hours.
You can have it fast
or you can have it work.
- It's up to you.
- (sighs)
Cameron:
Oh, come on, Xerox is still a job.
Not at PARC, not to the guys
who created Ethernet.
This is pure research
and experimentation.
Man:
Donna Clark.
Donna: Oh, Wally Turner.
My God, how long has it been?
You were pregnant
with, uh... with Joanie.
Hey, I got this new program...
GraphWrite.
It's productivity fare,
sizable pie charts
and histograms, all in full color.
I'm serious.
You have to see it.
See what?
I mean, isn't everything
you guys do top secret?
You're right.
I shouldn't tell you
about meta-classing
or hypertext or object-oriented
programming.
Stop.
Hey, where's Gordon?
Oh, he should be out any minute.
Love that you two are still
working together.
So many couples that break up
over the home life-work life thing.
I've seen this a million times.
But you guys,
you've weathered the storm.
- Hey, congrats on the Giant.
- (glasses clink)
("Space Age Love Song"
playing in background)
(partygoers chanting)
Giant! Giant! Giant!
It's not mounting.
I can reconfigure the drive,
but that's gonna take time.
They're not gonna
wait much longer.
Donna, I'm well aware of that.
It's too late.
We go without it.
Wait, you're gonna do the demo
without the demo?
It's Las Vegas, Gordon.
- Wha... Joe?
- Time to bluff.
Wait! Wait!
(cheering)
("(Keep Feeling) Fascination"
playing in background)
Come on, get close.
Check it out, guys.
(crowd quiets)
You guys want me
to turn it on?
All:
Yeah!
- All: Ooh.
- (scattered whistling)
- Right here, right now?
- AIl: Yeah.
- But wait a second.
- (groaning)
Wait a second,
wait a second, wait a second.
See, Las Vegas knows
how hard it is to build a computer.
Especially one as sleek and fast
as our little bad boy right here.
But Las Vegas
doesn't want to hear
that our 886 processor
is running 70% faster
than the IBM XT.
(cheering)
It doesn't care that our
integrated LCD screen
makes the Giant
a featherlight 15 pounds,
that it's fully portable,
fully compatible, and sexy as hell.
(all cheer)
No, Las Vegas wants us
to have fun!
- (all cheer)
- Why else would it schedule
the world's largest
porn convention right next door?
(scattered whoops)
Which leads me
to our special guests tonight.
The Cardiff Electric VIPs.
Four lovely young ladies
direct from the cinema.
- AIl: Ooh.
- Yeah.
Wait, wait, wait.
I wanna show you guys
some spreadsheets.
All: No!
Come on, let's do
some word processing.
(hooting)
Wait, you wanna meet
the girls now,
- before the demo?
- (cheering)
Okay, okay, okay.
Only if you all catch up
with us tomorrow on the floor.
Only if you all show up
at the Cardiff Electric booth
hungover, wrung out,
just to watch this machine
smoke every box in COMDEX.
(cheering)
All right, it's a deal.
So, tonight let's let
the Giant turn you on.
("Sex (I'm A... )" playing)
(cheering)
Yeah!
Please never tell our daughters
I was a part of this.
(yelling)
Why would I?
(cheering)
(yells)
Cardiff Electric!
# There's the sound #
# and the smell of love
in my mind... #
Man:
Uh, usually, like, twice a year.
Once for COMDEX,
once just for fun.
For fun...
that sounds really nice.
You have to come visit.
Nothing against Dallas.
It looks great on TV.
But California's where it's at.
And you're young.
- I'll think about it.
- What is there to think about?
- Earthquakes.
- I don't feel them anymore.
- Cults? Serial killers?
- That's all down in Los Angeles.
- The Grateful Dead.
- Wow, you are mean.
(laughs)
I'm hungry.
You want some pancakes?
Yeah.
Hey, you guys want pancakes?
- Pancakes?
- Hell, yeah.
- Oh, yeah.
- Let's go.
- Let's do it.
- Yeah.
If the Giant does
everything you say...
it could be a contender for us.
Don't tease me if you're not
for real, Dennis.
ComputerLand has nearly
a thousand branches.
We invented computer retail.
I can assure you, we're real.
Then why buy a specialty product
from a podunk firm in Texas?
(groans)
You ever sell cars
for a living, Joe?
No, never.
That's how I got started.
And I learned if you wanna sell
station wagons,
you'd better have a sports car
to park in the window.
Looking forward
to your demo tomorrow.
It's spinning.
That should do it.
Load 'er up.
- (beeps)
- Gordon: Yes.
Finally.
(all sigh)
(keyboard clacking)
Haven't done that
since our honeymoon.
Oh, I haven't done that
since college.
What? With who?
(humming)
Who?
Should we get him
a blanket?
Hell, no.
We're switching rooms.
Do you really think it'll sell?
If we nail the demo.
This could be so good.
For the girls, us.
For so long
we've just gotten by.
It's weird, huh?
I think they call it success.
(kisses)
Wally Turner dropped by.
Did you see him?
Yeah, he cornered me
with his sales pitch.
Still all about Wally.
I like his new software idea.
Yeah, I told him we'd
spec it out on the Giant.
Wally thinks
we still work together.
Yeah?
What'd you tell him?
What am I gonna say?
I'm really enjoying
my dead-end job and having
my mom raise my kids?
It's not exactly cocktail chatter.
What are you talking about, Donna?
You saved this project
a dozen times.
We wouldn't have
a motherboard without you.
We wouldn't have
an entire machine without you.
- I know you know that.
- Well, what?
You wanna join Cardiff?
Get a front-row seat
to the freak show?
I didn't say that.
But?
But it would've
been nice if you'd asked.
You're right.
(glass taps)
I should have asked, but...
Iook, a few months ago,
I was in the Kill Room
and I was working late
all by myself.
And it hit me,
how far behind we were.
And how hard
I'd have to grind
to get the Giant built.
And it was like climbing
a cliff on a dare,
where you hit an overhang
and you can't go up,
and it's too steep
to climb back down.
And you realize
what the word
"jump" really means.
And if I held your hand
and counted to three...
I wasn't sure
you'd come with me.
We're married, Gordon.
We already jumped.
Yeah.
(clatters)
What's that?
A piece of the Hoover Dam.
You know
what I like about it?
There's no circuits or wires.
It's so simple.
It is what it does.
(groans)
Did you have fun?
I ate pancakes
and watched the sun
come up with the Xerox boys.
That sounds entirely
too wholesome.
When Bosworth came to me...
I should've come to you.
Cameron...
California...
what they're doing out there,
it's really impressive.
Maybe you should go
to Palo Alto.
Maybe we should.
(groans softly)
(Donna laughs)
Gordon, do you really need
another AMD T-shirt?
Yeah, this is this year's.
Cameron:
Hey, Windows looks cool.
Donna: Oh, yeah,
but it was crawling with bugs.
Joe: I can't get over
HP's touch screen.
Man: Good to see you!
Gordon: Good to see you.
Yeah, it's a fad...
- Donna: Oh, look, look, look.
- Gordon: Guaranteed.
- (crowd clapping)
- High-density floppy disks.
Oh, someone's hot.
- Cameron: Let's check it out.
- Gordon: Why?
They'll be down at our booth
in, like, 60 seconds.
And so I ask you,
what is the point
of a revolution
if you have to sell
your car to afford it?
Now, this isn't "The Jetsons."
We're not selling you
a ray gun.
We're trying to give you
the simplest product
with the most flexibility.
You want hard disk support?
Plug it in.
A bigger monitor?
Our fonts adjust automatically.
Of course, we think
they're just fine as is.
8086 processing,
a double-sided motherboard...
- Donna...
- Man: Packed with functionality.
So strong, so fast, so simple,
it's a wonder no one
thought of it before.
The Slingshot.
(cameras clicking)
(crowd clapping)
Hunt:
Because, as Goliath found out,
victory goes not to the swift,
nor to the strong,
but to the little guy
who strikes first.
Any questions?
Damn you,
you son of a bitch!
- Brian: Hey, Donna!
- I'm gonna kill you...
- Get off him!
- Donna, come on.
Donna, let's go, come on.
Okay.
Payback's a bitch.
But they copied our machine.
They need schematics for that.
This is corporate espionage.
I need to know
what was compromised
and the extent of the damage.
- Gordon: Out.
- Cameron: What?
I never brought anything to T.I.
There were phone calls.
Maybe he overheard...
or... or that... the fax you sent
to the hotel.
Are you sleeping with him?
Answer the question.
- Are you sleeping with him?
- No.
I kissed him, once.
Yeah, you kissed him
and not the other way around?
Yeah, Gordon.
Yeah, I kissed him.
And for two and a half seconds,
I felt better
than I've felt in two years.
Christ, Donna, you're a child.
There was nothing
childish about it.
- I wanted him, and there were reasons.
- Donna, he...
- Donna...
- There were you-and-me reasons
because you can't pretend
we were on some
moonlit carriage ride.
He used you!
He used you!
At least he encouraged me
and rewarded me.
You believe that?
You're blind, Donna.
You never even saw
what he was doing!
And you never even picked me up
out of a hole in the ground.
I lifted you up so many times.
I carried you and the kids.
And I was tired and miserable
and you didn't give a shit.
It wasn't an affair,
but it should've been.
All right. Go on, then.
You've made your decision.
- Oh, my God.
- You go down to the front desk
and you ask
for his suite number!
I'm sure he'll make room for you!
Like you didn't pick
the Giant over me
every second of every single day.
Oh, my God, Donna.
Donna, you're a clich?.
Both of you.
Just a cheap rip-off
of something
that we built together.
I would go,
but it's all ruined for me now,
- because that's what you want.
- Go.
You want to be right
more than you want me.
You know what, Donna?
Maybe your parents
were right about me.
I'm just a small-minded, petty,
resentful little tyrant.
You know, part-time alcoholic,
full-time failure as a father!
But I knew what I had
with you, Donna.
And I never stopped trying
to live up to that.
To you, Donna.
To you, I never, ever gave up.
(door bangs)
(door closes)
(sighs)
They changed their mind.
Our dynamic OS, our design...
they don't care.
They want a station wagon.
The Slingshot's faster,
it's cheaper.
So we're dead.
Did you hear that, Gordon?
They'll be in stores
by Christmas.
(door closes)
(shuddering)
(door closes, clattering)
My heart goes out to you.
I know how painful this must be.
But when two paths converge,
intentionally or not,
they don't always
continue on together.
One peels off,
the other dead-ends.
(scoffs)
Let's skip the "Two Roads
in a Wood" bullshit.
You're not Robert Frost.
You're a pawnshop hack
selling my dream
under a cheap plastic mask.
(chuckles)
I heard you were touchy.
That LCD screen,
where did you find it?
A Taiwanese barge?
Apologize, pull your product,
and I'll consider not suing.
There's no upside to litigation, Joe.
By the time you get
in front of a jury,
we'll be on our third generation.
And good luck persuading
them that your BIOS
is such a nobler copy
of IBM's than ours.
We got there first.
Deal with it.
You must be proud.
Hiring our sloppy seconds,
pumping a competitor's wife.
That's one way to do business.
The opportunity presented itself.
No laws were broken.
Are you telling me
you'd do different?
- I'd be more careful.
- Oh, please.
Your SVP's under indictment,
you're sleeping with
your lead coder,
not to mention that little
incident back in Armonk.
Let me see if I get this right.
Following an argument
with your father,
you ruptured a water main,
flooded an entire IBM data center?
Whew.
Daddy musta made you
pretty angry.
Oh, yeah.
I did my homework
on you, all right.
You got quite the fan club
back there in New York.
You recognize that number?
That's your boss, Nathan Cardiff.
Now, you're gonna go upstairs,
you're gonna call him,
and tell him that I offered you
$2 million in Slingshot stock
for the Giant.
Which is more than you're gonna
get in the settlement.
Why would we sell to you?
'Cause that covers your R&D nut,
gets you out whole
as opposed to losing
everything for nothing.
- Then you strip us for parts?
- (sighs)
There's some good ideas
in that machine, Joe.
Your mistake was falling in love
with that precious
query-based interface.
Maybe it's ahead of its time,
but it's a memory hog.
We'll never sell to you.
After we sign with ComputerLand,
it's academic.
Take it or not.
Oh, and tell Donna
it wasn't personal.
I feel sorry for you,
Mr. Whitmarsh.
You cheated yourself.
You'll never create
anything of your own.
Well, neither will you.
You seem to have forgotten
we're in the compatible business.
You tried to be good.
We just had
to be good enough.
(elevator bell rings)
Gordon:
You know, it's funny...
it's funny how much
better it tastes
when you've paid
five bucks for it.
(laughs)
How are we doing?
Fine, I guess.
I stripped out
the daughter board
and all the extraneous memory.
Where's my operating system?
Wally lent me MS-DOS.
It'II beat the Slingshot on speed
and be a hundred bucks cheaper.
You took it out.
Everything that made it unique.
We had a problem.
Now we have a product.
You can't let him do this.
Joe.
Tell him.
He's wrong.
This is wrong.
It's what's right
for the machine.
(gasping)
Oh, my God...
- It's called survival.
- Don't speak to me.
It's an existential choice.
Sell none of the original
or a million of these.
And no one will remember
a single one.
- It's still our machine.
- It's empty.
We need to demo
by the end of business
or we're dead.
- I need you there.
- Bullshit!
Okay, how about...
I want you there?
I want you with me.
Then put it back in.
You'll see that whether
it's Multiplan or Lotus 1-2-3,
the Giant runs all
your business software
on one compact,
compatible package.
What happens when
the workday ends?
You pack up your Giant,
bring it home,
and in five minutes, fire up
"R ocky's Boots" for the kids.
(buzzing)
I keep telling him,
"W atch out for that alligator."
(scattered laughter)
Whether it's composing music
or cobbling together
your family finances,
the Giant is there.
It's not just a part of your family,
it's a part of your life.
Um, are there any questions?
I heard it asks you stuff,
like it learns your name.
Gordon:
Where'd you hear that?
It sounds a little "Buck Rogers."
So, it's fast and it runs
all the software,
but besides portability,
I'm not seeing a lot that's special.
Nothing unique.
"Unique."
Interesting word choice.
What are you really asking for?
Something special?
Give me something warm,
something fuzzy?
This is a machine.
It's not your friend,
it's your employee.
It works for you.
And the way it should be
evaluated is thus...
"How well and how fast
does it do the things I ask?"
Answer..."Instantly."
Anything less is a waste
of your time.
"W hat is the margin of error?"
Answer..."Zero."
Anything more
and you've failed.
Here's another word,
one that's infinitely more important
than "unique" will ever be...
"speed."
Let's cut through the bullshit
and act like adults.
You want speed,
and this machine is the fastest
one you'll find, period.
You wanna play a game
with your kid,
join him for craft time
at preschool.
You want a buddy?
Buy a dog.
You want to chase rainbows,
tilt the room? Walk outside.
There are a hundred
casinos out there
built for delusional people like you
who think their world
is gonna change so easily.
You wanna get something done,
buy one of these.
So, how did you get
everything to fit?
Um, chips on both sides.
Who thought of that?
My wife.
Donna Clark.
(camera shutter clicks)
How'd you fix
the heat problem?
We vented the side panels
and changed the chip layout.
It got a lot easier
after we fired you.
Crowd:
Ooh!
What about IBM?
I heard they might be
coming out with a portable.
I'm sick of hearing about IBM.
IBM scraps more projects in a day
than any of us attempt in a year.
What we did was harder.
We took one idea all the way...
and it cost us.
It cost us people.
But the evidence
of that cost is here.
It's in the damn metal.
(camera shutter clicks)
(applause)
Joe, why, I gotta tell ya.
Any man who can
speed up a machine
by that much that fast
has got a very bright future in PCs.
Thank you, Dennis.
How does 60,000 units
at, say, $900 a pop sound?
It's a start.
Okay... 70,000.
We'll negotiate tomorrow.
(pops)
It's warm. Needs ice.
I'll get it.
(door opens, closes)
(voices murmuring)
(awed whispers)
(computer pings, whirrs)
Computer voice:
Hello, I'm Macintosh.
(crowd gasping)
You okay, man?
What's the matter?
It speaks.
(instrumental music playing)
# Where the alligator roams #
# I'm a little lost lamb... #
(Cameron groans)
How much longer?
Donna:
300 miles, give or take.
(radio tuning)
Cameron:
What time do we get to Vegas?
9:00 a. M?
("Psycho Killer" playing on radio)
# I'm tense and nervous
and I can't relax #
# I can't sleep
'cause my bed's on fire... #
There's napkins in the glove box.
# Don't touch me,
I'm a real live wire... #
Nice ending. Mysterious.
Leave 'em wanting more.
Huh.
Cameron:
Why are we freaking out
about this, anyway?
I mean, it's a trade show.
They want the Giant.
The pressure's on them.
Gordon: Okay, you think
thousands of vendors
are just gonna magically
swarm our booth?
- Hell, yes. Get in line.
- The booth isn't the point.
That's just a way
to identify the real buyers
and then get them
up to our suite.
For the opening night party.
Yeah, suite's where the action is.
It's where we nail down
all the real deals.
Everybody's terrified.
Nobody knows which
technology's gonna win.
Oh, your friends are
trying to rip you off.
Your enemies are buying you drinks.
It's a catfight.
It's total chaos.
It's capitalism at its finest.
(groans)
In the Scottish Isles,
they hold a festival
on the coldest day
of the year.
The townspeople dress up
in Viking costumes
and compete in squads,
drinking and singing
and dancing.
Finally at midnight,
they march up
to a huge wooden ship
in the town square.
Then what?
Then the winners
burn it to the ground.
# Better run-run, run-run,
run-run run away... #
Why the hell did you
just tell us that?
(groans)
(music continues)
Good morning.
Checking in?
Cardiff Electric.
We have a three-bedroom suite
on the ninth floor.
Excellent. If you'd just fill out
your registration card.
I'm sorry, did you say Cardiff?
- That's right.
- Excuse me for one moment.
- I'm the manager.
- Uh, John Bosworth.
- Is there a problem?
- I'm afraid so.
We ran your card this morning
and it was declined.
We tried to call, but no answer.
Unfortunately, we had no choice
but to release your room.
That's absurd.
- Let me call the credit card company.
- We already did.
(quietly) Your corporate account
has been frozen...
due to a pending
criminal investigation.
Here, take a personal card.
You won't have
any problem with this.
"Joseph MacMillan."
I thought you were
John Bosworth.
If I can pay,
what does it matter?
I'm sorry, we're fully booked.
I'm willing to add
a $200 premium per night.
I have a waiting list
30 names long for that room.
Legitimate names.
So, what now?
(sighs)
(theme music playing)
We lost our booth.
The floor manager said he might
be able to squeeze us in.
I'm supposed to get back
to him in 20 minutes.
Well, that gives us time
to find another hotel.
The expo's right next door.
We move off the Strip,
we lose our base,
all our walk-in traffic.
Our welcoming party's tonight.
Everyone stays here.
But it's booked.
What are we supposed to do,
bribe somebody?
- I tried that.
- Cameron: Christ, we're in Las Vegas.
We have $11,000 in cash.
Can we get off our asses
and make a move?
Hey, Protonix Printers,
suite 1475.
Those brothers
from Sunnyvale, remember?
No.
They were, like, six booths
away from us in '81.
I remember their demo.
It sucked.
Call the floor manager.
Set the meet.
I don't care where it is
or how much it costs,
just get us a booth.
You, find your best blue suit
and change in the bathroom.
What are we doing?
We're gonna make room
in the inn.
Come on, hustle up.
"In text mode, the printer
is logic-seeking.
What do I mean by that,
you ask?
I mean it can print with its head
moving in both directions.
Yes, you heard that right."
Man: "Now, your average
dot matrix printer, your DMP,
your MX-80, restricts you
to a standard output size."
"W hich is fine for business letters
and general accounting
and such..."
"But what about
those moments that demand
a more personal touch?"
"That's where
the OccasionMaster steps in.
With our pre-set fonts and balloons
and sparkles graphics,
your near and dearest
are guaranteed a special feeling.
Result... let's pass out
those samples, Petey.
From the garden party
to the bachelor party,
the OccasionMaster is truly..."
Both:
"Your master of ceremonies."
Any questions?
Serial port or parallel?
Well, it's just parallel for now,
but that's something that we hope
to upgrade in the future.
And you're asking
how much for it?
Oh, uh, $900 plus tax.
Gordon:
What's the CPS rate?
It's 80 to 100, depending.
So, I'm supposed to pay
a thousand dollars
to wait 20 minutes for that thing
to spit out a thank-you note
when I can write my own in five?
100 CPS is quite fast, my friend.
Yeah, well, let's not act
like it's lightning.
Especially with the graphics.
Can't you modify the head
to go any faster?
We've been testing the OM
with no problems
for some time now.
- Show us.
- Yeah, print something.
Fine, you want it faster?
Well, I'd like it cheaper, too.
(all chuckling)
(printer humming, whirring)
(crinkling, ripping)
(whining)
You know, I hear IBM's coming out
with a multiple format paper feed.
Where'd you hear that?
I'm not supposed
to tell you this, but...
We are coming out
with a multiple format printer
first of the year.
If I were you,
I'd get out of our way.
What, just pack up and leave?
We put everything into this.
Look, I love when guys like you
take us on, I really do.
A couple years ago,
a gentleman out of Duluth
developed his own word processor.
Great features.
But it went head-to-head
with DisplayWriter.
What happened?
After his wife left him
and he lost his house,
he drove his car into a library.
I think he's still recuperating
in a mental hospital upstate.
We already checked in.
The suite's paid up through
the end of the week.
Maybe I can help.
We rented two floors
and we're still bursting
at the seams.
I got guys sleeping
on the carpet.
You know, IBM might be able
to take that suite off your hands.
Full freight.
I'm not looking
to screw you guys over.
If we could break even...
That would be huge.
- Except.
- Man #2: What?
The big spread
we ordered for tonight.
- (sighs)
- You'd have to eat that cost.
All that shrimp.
Shrimp?
(chatter)
This is highway robbery.
Our booth was supposed
to be in the middle.
You're late and your check bounced.
You're lucky
I have this one left.
Hey, get down from there
before you hurt yourself.
All of your material as ordered.
Wait, I need more wall space.
I can't fit all this
on one crummy backing.
Not my problem, lady.
- Free software?
- Jesus.
Free software.
That's one way to make a living.
Donna:
No, that's not their living.
They're porn stars
moonlighting as "booth babes."
Vegas figured out
that computer types don't gamble,
so they schedule
a porn convention next door.
Same time every year.
I thought the action
was in the suites.
Yeah, well, no one's coming
to our suite
if we don't get their attention.
(Donna grunts)
What?
What are you doing?
Look, I'll get them to the party,
you make sure it's
one to remember, okay?
- Babe #1: Thank you.
- Babe #2: Hi. How are you?
(elevator bell rings)
Minus five.
Minus 12, wait.
(switch clicks)
- Uh, plus five.
- Bottom line, please.
- It won't start.
- Yet. Yet, okay?
It's probably nothing.
What we need is
an antistatic workstation.
Take off your shoes.
It's not the power supply.
Pack it up.
We're moving into the bedroom.
("Blister in the Sun" playing)
# When I'm out walking,
I strut my stuff #
# And I'm so strung out #
# I'm high as a kite,
I just might #
# Stop to check you out #
# Let me go on #
# Like a blister
in the sun #
# Let me go on #
#Big hands,
I know you're the one #
# Body and beats,
I stain my sheets #
# I don't even know why #
# My girlfriend,
she's at the end #
# She is starting to cry #
# Let me go on #
# Like a blister in the sun #
# Let me go on #
# Big hands,
I know you're the one... #
(rattles)
(clicks)
# Let me go on #
# Like a blister in the sun #
# Let me go on #
#Big hands,
I know you're the one. #
- Donna: What is that for?
- Cameron: Touch-ups.
What? What's the matter?
Is it not working?
Not yet.
Meaning what,
it won't boot up?
Hardware issue.
Not your problem.
Pick up those clothes, please?
(sighs)
(softly)
"A small company...
No one expected it
to be anything...
...evolved into something great,
something magnificent."
You gonna tell us
how the booth looks?
Is anyone coming?
I would.
(knock on door)
(knock on door)
- Is this Cardiff Electric?
- Yes. Yes, it is.
Okay. All right.
Let's do it, man.
Oh, wow. Radical.
Yeah!
Hey, check this out.
Cameron: Hey,
can I get three more?
- Bartender: You got it.
- Thanks.
("Heartbreak at 10,000 Feet"
playing in background)
Hey! Hey, man, is it ready yet?
- Is it ready yet?
- No.
I mean, almost.
It's been almost for two hours.
You can have it fast
or you can have it work.
- It's up to you.
- (sighs)
Cameron:
Oh, come on, Xerox is still a job.
Not at PARC, not to the guys
who created Ethernet.
This is pure research
and experimentation.
Man:
Donna Clark.
Donna: Oh, Wally Turner.
My God, how long has it been?
You were pregnant
with, uh... with Joanie.
Hey, I got this new program...
GraphWrite.
It's productivity fare,
sizable pie charts
and histograms, all in full color.
I'm serious.
You have to see it.
See what?
I mean, isn't everything
you guys do top secret?
You're right.
I shouldn't tell you
about meta-classing
or hypertext or object-oriented
programming.
Stop.
Hey, where's Gordon?
Oh, he should be out any minute.
Love that you two are still
working together.
So many couples that break up
over the home life-work life thing.
I've seen this a million times.
But you guys,
you've weathered the storm.
- Hey, congrats on the Giant.
- (glasses clink)
("Space Age Love Song"
playing in background)
(partygoers chanting)
Giant! Giant! Giant!
It's not mounting.
I can reconfigure the drive,
but that's gonna take time.
They're not gonna
wait much longer.
Donna, I'm well aware of that.
It's too late.
We go without it.
Wait, you're gonna do the demo
without the demo?
It's Las Vegas, Gordon.
- Wha... Joe?
- Time to bluff.
Wait! Wait!
(cheering)
("(Keep Feeling) Fascination"
playing in background)
Come on, get close.
Check it out, guys.
(crowd quiets)
You guys want me
to turn it on?
All:
Yeah!
- All: Ooh.
- (scattered whistling)
- Right here, right now?
- AIl: Yeah.
- But wait a second.
- (groaning)
Wait a second,
wait a second, wait a second.
See, Las Vegas knows
how hard it is to build a computer.
Especially one as sleek and fast
as our little bad boy right here.
But Las Vegas
doesn't want to hear
that our 886 processor
is running 70% faster
than the IBM XT.
(cheering)
It doesn't care that our
integrated LCD screen
makes the Giant
a featherlight 15 pounds,
that it's fully portable,
fully compatible, and sexy as hell.
(all cheer)
No, Las Vegas wants us
to have fun!
- (all cheer)
- Why else would it schedule
the world's largest
porn convention right next door?
(scattered whoops)
Which leads me
to our special guests tonight.
The Cardiff Electric VIPs.
Four lovely young ladies
direct from the cinema.
- AIl: Ooh.
- Yeah.
Wait, wait, wait.
I wanna show you guys
some spreadsheets.
All: No!
Come on, let's do
some word processing.
(hooting)
Wait, you wanna meet
the girls now,
- before the demo?
- (cheering)
Okay, okay, okay.
Only if you all catch up
with us tomorrow on the floor.
Only if you all show up
at the Cardiff Electric booth
hungover, wrung out,
just to watch this machine
smoke every box in COMDEX.
(cheering)
All right, it's a deal.
So, tonight let's let
the Giant turn you on.
("Sex (I'm A... )" playing)
(cheering)
Yeah!
Please never tell our daughters
I was a part of this.
(yelling)
Why would I?
(cheering)
(yells)
Cardiff Electric!
# There's the sound #
# and the smell of love
in my mind... #
Man:
Uh, usually, like, twice a year.
Once for COMDEX,
once just for fun.
For fun...
that sounds really nice.
You have to come visit.
Nothing against Dallas.
It looks great on TV.
But California's where it's at.
And you're young.
- I'll think about it.
- What is there to think about?
- Earthquakes.
- I don't feel them anymore.
- Cults? Serial killers?
- That's all down in Los Angeles.
- The Grateful Dead.
- Wow, you are mean.
(laughs)
I'm hungry.
You want some pancakes?
Yeah.
Hey, you guys want pancakes?
- Pancakes?
- Hell, yeah.
- Oh, yeah.
- Let's go.
- Let's do it.
- Yeah.
If the Giant does
everything you say...
it could be a contender for us.
Don't tease me if you're not
for real, Dennis.
ComputerLand has nearly
a thousand branches.
We invented computer retail.
I can assure you, we're real.
Then why buy a specialty product
from a podunk firm in Texas?
(groans)
You ever sell cars
for a living, Joe?
No, never.
That's how I got started.
And I learned if you wanna sell
station wagons,
you'd better have a sports car
to park in the window.
Looking forward
to your demo tomorrow.
It's spinning.
That should do it.
Load 'er up.
- (beeps)
- Gordon: Yes.
Finally.
(all sigh)
(keyboard clacking)
Haven't done that
since our honeymoon.
Oh, I haven't done that
since college.
What? With who?
(humming)
Who?
Should we get him
a blanket?
Hell, no.
We're switching rooms.
Do you really think it'll sell?
If we nail the demo.
This could be so good.
For the girls, us.
For so long
we've just gotten by.
It's weird, huh?
I think they call it success.
(kisses)
Wally Turner dropped by.
Did you see him?
Yeah, he cornered me
with his sales pitch.
Still all about Wally.
I like his new software idea.
Yeah, I told him we'd
spec it out on the Giant.
Wally thinks
we still work together.
Yeah?
What'd you tell him?
What am I gonna say?
I'm really enjoying
my dead-end job and having
my mom raise my kids?
It's not exactly cocktail chatter.
What are you talking about, Donna?
You saved this project
a dozen times.
We wouldn't have
a motherboard without you.
We wouldn't have
an entire machine without you.
- I know you know that.
- Well, what?
You wanna join Cardiff?
Get a front-row seat
to the freak show?
I didn't say that.
But?
But it would've
been nice if you'd asked.
You're right.
(glass taps)
I should have asked, but...
Iook, a few months ago,
I was in the Kill Room
and I was working late
all by myself.
And it hit me,
how far behind we were.
And how hard
I'd have to grind
to get the Giant built.
And it was like climbing
a cliff on a dare,
where you hit an overhang
and you can't go up,
and it's too steep
to climb back down.
And you realize
what the word
"jump" really means.
And if I held your hand
and counted to three...
I wasn't sure
you'd come with me.
We're married, Gordon.
We already jumped.
Yeah.
(clatters)
What's that?
A piece of the Hoover Dam.
You know
what I like about it?
There's no circuits or wires.
It's so simple.
It is what it does.
(groans)
Did you have fun?
I ate pancakes
and watched the sun
come up with the Xerox boys.
That sounds entirely
too wholesome.
When Bosworth came to me...
I should've come to you.
Cameron...
California...
what they're doing out there,
it's really impressive.
Maybe you should go
to Palo Alto.
Maybe we should.
(groans softly)
(Donna laughs)
Gordon, do you really need
another AMD T-shirt?
Yeah, this is this year's.
Cameron:
Hey, Windows looks cool.
Donna: Oh, yeah,
but it was crawling with bugs.
Joe: I can't get over
HP's touch screen.
Man: Good to see you!
Gordon: Good to see you.
Yeah, it's a fad...
- Donna: Oh, look, look, look.
- Gordon: Guaranteed.
- (crowd clapping)
- High-density floppy disks.
Oh, someone's hot.
- Cameron: Let's check it out.
- Gordon: Why?
They'll be down at our booth
in, like, 60 seconds.
And so I ask you,
what is the point
of a revolution
if you have to sell
your car to afford it?
Now, this isn't "The Jetsons."
We're not selling you
a ray gun.
We're trying to give you
the simplest product
with the most flexibility.
You want hard disk support?
Plug it in.
A bigger monitor?
Our fonts adjust automatically.
Of course, we think
they're just fine as is.
8086 processing,
a double-sided motherboard...
- Donna...
- Man: Packed with functionality.
So strong, so fast, so simple,
it's a wonder no one
thought of it before.
The Slingshot.
(cameras clicking)
(crowd clapping)
Hunt:
Because, as Goliath found out,
victory goes not to the swift,
nor to the strong,
but to the little guy
who strikes first.
Any questions?
Damn you,
you son of a bitch!
- Brian: Hey, Donna!
- I'm gonna kill you...
- Get off him!
- Donna, come on.
Donna, let's go, come on.
Okay.
Payback's a bitch.
But they copied our machine.
They need schematics for that.
This is corporate espionage.
I need to know
what was compromised
and the extent of the damage.
- Gordon: Out.
- Cameron: What?
I never brought anything to T.I.
There were phone calls.
Maybe he overheard...
or... or that... the fax you sent
to the hotel.
Are you sleeping with him?
Answer the question.
- Are you sleeping with him?
- No.
I kissed him, once.
Yeah, you kissed him
and not the other way around?
Yeah, Gordon.
Yeah, I kissed him.
And for two and a half seconds,
I felt better
than I've felt in two years.
Christ, Donna, you're a child.
There was nothing
childish about it.
- I wanted him, and there were reasons.
- Donna, he...
- Donna...
- There were you-and-me reasons
because you can't pretend
we were on some
moonlit carriage ride.
He used you!
He used you!
At least he encouraged me
and rewarded me.
You believe that?
You're blind, Donna.
You never even saw
what he was doing!
And you never even picked me up
out of a hole in the ground.
I lifted you up so many times.
I carried you and the kids.
And I was tired and miserable
and you didn't give a shit.
It wasn't an affair,
but it should've been.
All right. Go on, then.
You've made your decision.
- Oh, my God.
- You go down to the front desk
and you ask
for his suite number!
I'm sure he'll make room for you!
Like you didn't pick
the Giant over me
every second of every single day.
Oh, my God, Donna.
Donna, you're a clich?.
Both of you.
Just a cheap rip-off
of something
that we built together.
I would go,
but it's all ruined for me now,
- because that's what you want.
- Go.
You want to be right
more than you want me.
You know what, Donna?
Maybe your parents
were right about me.
I'm just a small-minded, petty,
resentful little tyrant.
You know, part-time alcoholic,
full-time failure as a father!
But I knew what I had
with you, Donna.
And I never stopped trying
to live up to that.
To you, Donna.
To you, I never, ever gave up.
(door bangs)
(door closes)
(sighs)
They changed their mind.
Our dynamic OS, our design...
they don't care.
They want a station wagon.
The Slingshot's faster,
it's cheaper.
So we're dead.
Did you hear that, Gordon?
They'll be in stores
by Christmas.
(door closes)
(shuddering)
(door closes, clattering)
My heart goes out to you.
I know how painful this must be.
But when two paths converge,
intentionally or not,
they don't always
continue on together.
One peels off,
the other dead-ends.
(scoffs)
Let's skip the "Two Roads
in a Wood" bullshit.
You're not Robert Frost.
You're a pawnshop hack
selling my dream
under a cheap plastic mask.
(chuckles)
I heard you were touchy.
That LCD screen,
where did you find it?
A Taiwanese barge?
Apologize, pull your product,
and I'll consider not suing.
There's no upside to litigation, Joe.
By the time you get
in front of a jury,
we'll be on our third generation.
And good luck persuading
them that your BIOS
is such a nobler copy
of IBM's than ours.
We got there first.
Deal with it.
You must be proud.
Hiring our sloppy seconds,
pumping a competitor's wife.
That's one way to do business.
The opportunity presented itself.
No laws were broken.
Are you telling me
you'd do different?
- I'd be more careful.
- Oh, please.
Your SVP's under indictment,
you're sleeping with
your lead coder,
not to mention that little
incident back in Armonk.
Let me see if I get this right.
Following an argument
with your father,
you ruptured a water main,
flooded an entire IBM data center?
Whew.
Daddy musta made you
pretty angry.
Oh, yeah.
I did my homework
on you, all right.
You got quite the fan club
back there in New York.
You recognize that number?
That's your boss, Nathan Cardiff.
Now, you're gonna go upstairs,
you're gonna call him,
and tell him that I offered you
$2 million in Slingshot stock
for the Giant.
Which is more than you're gonna
get in the settlement.
Why would we sell to you?
'Cause that covers your R&D nut,
gets you out whole
as opposed to losing
everything for nothing.
- Then you strip us for parts?
- (sighs)
There's some good ideas
in that machine, Joe.
Your mistake was falling in love
with that precious
query-based interface.
Maybe it's ahead of its time,
but it's a memory hog.
We'll never sell to you.
After we sign with ComputerLand,
it's academic.
Take it or not.
Oh, and tell Donna
it wasn't personal.
I feel sorry for you,
Mr. Whitmarsh.
You cheated yourself.
You'll never create
anything of your own.
Well, neither will you.
You seem to have forgotten
we're in the compatible business.
You tried to be good.
We just had
to be good enough.
(elevator bell rings)
Gordon:
You know, it's funny...
it's funny how much
better it tastes
when you've paid
five bucks for it.
(laughs)
How are we doing?
Fine, I guess.
I stripped out
the daughter board
and all the extraneous memory.
Where's my operating system?
Wally lent me MS-DOS.
It'II beat the Slingshot on speed
and be a hundred bucks cheaper.
You took it out.
Everything that made it unique.
We had a problem.
Now we have a product.
You can't let him do this.
Joe.
Tell him.
He's wrong.
This is wrong.
It's what's right
for the machine.
(gasping)
Oh, my God...
- It's called survival.
- Don't speak to me.
It's an existential choice.
Sell none of the original
or a million of these.
And no one will remember
a single one.
- It's still our machine.
- It's empty.
We need to demo
by the end of business
or we're dead.
- I need you there.
- Bullshit!
Okay, how about...
I want you there?
I want you with me.
Then put it back in.
You'll see that whether
it's Multiplan or Lotus 1-2-3,
the Giant runs all
your business software
on one compact,
compatible package.
What happens when
the workday ends?
You pack up your Giant,
bring it home,
and in five minutes, fire up
"R ocky's Boots" for the kids.
(buzzing)
I keep telling him,
"W atch out for that alligator."
(scattered laughter)
Whether it's composing music
or cobbling together
your family finances,
the Giant is there.
It's not just a part of your family,
it's a part of your life.
Um, are there any questions?
I heard it asks you stuff,
like it learns your name.
Gordon:
Where'd you hear that?
It sounds a little "Buck Rogers."
So, it's fast and it runs
all the software,
but besides portability,
I'm not seeing a lot that's special.
Nothing unique.
"Unique."
Interesting word choice.
What are you really asking for?
Something special?
Give me something warm,
something fuzzy?
This is a machine.
It's not your friend,
it's your employee.
It works for you.
And the way it should be
evaluated is thus...
"How well and how fast
does it do the things I ask?"
Answer..."Instantly."
Anything less is a waste
of your time.
"W hat is the margin of error?"
Answer..."Zero."
Anything more
and you've failed.
Here's another word,
one that's infinitely more important
than "unique" will ever be...
"speed."
Let's cut through the bullshit
and act like adults.
You want speed,
and this machine is the fastest
one you'll find, period.
You wanna play a game
with your kid,
join him for craft time
at preschool.
You want a buddy?
Buy a dog.
You want to chase rainbows,
tilt the room? Walk outside.
There are a hundred
casinos out there
built for delusional people like you
who think their world
is gonna change so easily.
You wanna get something done,
buy one of these.
So, how did you get
everything to fit?
Um, chips on both sides.
Who thought of that?
My wife.
Donna Clark.
(camera shutter clicks)
How'd you fix
the heat problem?
We vented the side panels
and changed the chip layout.
It got a lot easier
after we fired you.
Crowd:
Ooh!
What about IBM?
I heard they might be
coming out with a portable.
I'm sick of hearing about IBM.
IBM scraps more projects in a day
than any of us attempt in a year.
What we did was harder.
We took one idea all the way...
and it cost us.
It cost us people.
But the evidence
of that cost is here.
It's in the damn metal.
(camera shutter clicks)
(applause)
Joe, why, I gotta tell ya.
Any man who can
speed up a machine
by that much that fast
has got a very bright future in PCs.
Thank you, Dennis.
How does 60,000 units
at, say, $900 a pop sound?
It's a start.
Okay... 70,000.
We'll negotiate tomorrow.
(pops)
It's warm. Needs ice.
I'll get it.
(door opens, closes)
(voices murmuring)
(awed whispers)
(computer pings, whirrs)
Computer voice:
Hello, I'm Macintosh.
(crowd gasping)
You okay, man?
What's the matter?
It speaks.
(instrumental music playing)