Halt and Catch Fire (2014–2017): Season 3, Episode 6 - And She Was - full transcript
Tensions rise over an offer to buy Mutiny. Donna has a weekend alone, while Gordon and Cam bond over video games. Joe has a standoff with the board.
Previously, on AMC's
"Halt and Catch Fire"...
We are going to create
a regional network
right there.
My date just canceled,
and I have a plus one.
I was thinking about John Bosworth.
You're gonna ask the board
to go deeper in the hole?
I don't care what the
board thinks anymore.
CQ, CQ. Is anybody out there?
Since when do you make
decisions for my company?
I don't love Doug and Craig,
but I totally respect your decision.
Like I told Donna,
I'd have paid for them to go away.
So when does that 3090 get delivered?
They said by 5:00 P.M. today.
And we've got Stanford on Monday, right?
Cisco and MCI the week after.
I'd take a good look.
Soon it'll be hardware
and handshake deals,
endless troubleshooting and upgrades.
But right now... right now it's perfect.
The room?
The idea.
All goes well, by the end of the month
we'll be sitting down with
the sector chief of NSFNET
to walk him through the bid.
It's Mitch Klowden.
We go back to my IBM days.
He's a good guy. Sharp dresser.
Well, this all sounds fantastic.
I have to discuss it with the team,
but I should have an
answer for you by Monday.
- Excellent.
- And you.
Where'd you find this one, hmm?
Great to meet you, Ryan. Hell
of a head on those shoulders.
Thank you, Mitch.
And a nice cut on that suit.
Mitch, it was great to see you again.
- Great to see you, Joe.
- Thank you for coming by.
Did I get the wrong time?
No, your info's as good as mine.
Haven't seen Mutt or Jeff all day.
And the ladies are in
their respective foxholes
as seems to be their wont these days.
Do you ever try to be the
bigger man in this business,
but the universe just gives you
a shit sandwich for your efforts?
Indeed I have.
But I'm treating myself to
"Turan-dot," so I can't complain.
- What?
- "Turan-dot."
The opera.
I'm broadening my horizons.
Know my new town.
It's "Turandot."
- Hmm.
- Hmm.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Sorry, guys. I got stuck on a call.
Okay, let's get started.
Uh, shouldn't we wait
for Doug and Craig?
That would be a waste of time.
- Why?
- I fired them.
When?
This morning.
Why?
Well, SwapMeet's fully integrated
and the cash feature's bug-free,
so I no longer need them.
And what are we going to
do about their earn-out?
I feel like Diane was pretty clear
she wanted us to make it work.
Was she?
Yeah, I mean...
why would you...
I just wish you'd
discussed it with us first.
Sorry, Diane Gould is
here for both of you.
Oh, should be fun.
Well, I must admit I'm surprised.
I thought you all had found
a manageable work flow.
Well, we discussed it and we decided
that Doug and Craig's
usefulness had run its course.
And we both figured based
on our earlier conversations
that you'd have our backs on this.
Well, as I've said, I'll
authorize the earn-out
if that's what you feel you need.
But that's not what I'm here to discuss.
I have news.
You have an acquisition offer.
From CompuServe.
Uh... CompuServe?
I know. I don't think
it's a good fit either,
but it sets a floor.
How much?
20 million.
That's four times
what Westgroup offered.
I mean, have we really grown that fast?
Here's the thing, and I didn't think
we'd be having this
conversation so soon,
but I think it's a good time to consider
the possibility of an IPO.
The things we could do
with that influx of cash.
Okay, it's not like we'd get to
spend the money, though, right?
I mean, we'd have to get a board
and chase quarterly earnings.
Absolutely, but it's also
important to consider the landscape.
Look at Sun, Oracle.
I mean, Jesus, the money
that Microsoft has raised.
Plus right now Mutiny
is the dominant player
in the online transaction market.
Once they hear the news of this offer,
there'll be imitators.
I mean, just think,
everything we've ever
wanted to play with.
We could hire a whole team for R&D.
Yeah, okay, I'm not chopping
my company up into pieces
so that you can ring
a bell on Wall Street.
Okay, this is just a lot.
I need time to process it.
Sure, okay. You think about it.
Take all the time you need.
This is a huge decision
and both of you should
take a lot of time with it.
But whatever you have going on
here, you need to deal with it.
I'll tell you what. I
have a place up in Sonoma.
It's a little vineyard.
It's quite peaceful.
It's a good place to get
your thoughts in order.
Why don't you guys go
there, take the weekend,
get on the same page?
We'd love to.
Great.
I'll be around all weekend if you
want to talk any of this through.
Thanks, Diane. Really.
So do you want to drive
up tonight or tomorrow?
Yeah, uh, well,
while a wine farm retreat
with you sounds super romantic,
I am busy this weekend.
Modern society sits on a foundation
of services we now take for granted.
Railroads.
Highways.
Water.
Power.
Network computing will be
the next great public utility.
My actions have placed
us at the vanguard
and we are poised to reap vast rewards.
America's early entrepreneurs
were bound by space and time.
This new network will be limitless.
Just... I just... just to be clear,
ahem, the N... what?
The NSFNET is nonprofit, right?
It's just for research labs
and governments and colleges.
- There is no commercial use?
- That's correct.
- On page...
- 22.
...there's a memo from
Taylor and Ernst Strategies.
They anticipate a five-year
legislative process.
And we've already spent
six million on the 3090
and another 400,000 on
routers and switches.
Wait, with these speed
and capacity issues,
why are we investing in faster
equipment than the network can bear?
It's only 56K now, but all signs
point to a T1 upgrade coming soon.
Guys, I understand the skepticism.
There's no denying this
is a bold futures bet,
but it is a sure one.
It may take some time,
but the money will come.
You know what, gentlemen?
Why don't we do this?
Why don't we take the weekend
to digest this impressive proposal?
What do you say? Yeah?
Good. Thank you very much.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Pleasure.
- Great to see you again.
- Thank you.
Hey, you owe me 18.
Hey, good seeing you. Say
hi to Becky for me, okay?
I love the ambition. I do.
- I just need you to slow down.
- We wait, we lose.
I hear you, I do. And I
believe in your vision.
That's why I'm here, but please, Joe...
no more purchases.
- No promises.
- Just get them on board.
That's why you're here.
Well, this is the process, you know?
You should have seen their faces
when I told them the
Citadel was going to be free.
Good work today.
Yeah?
Are you sure you don't mind me going?
No, it's fine. It's fine.
Well, I appreciate it. I really
need some time away from Cameron.
And I just need one
damn hour of peace, okay?
- The girls think this place is...
- Oh, my God.
- Donna!
- Babe, I'm so sorry.
- Which one do you want?
- This one.
Thank you.
Who you talking to?
Just some guys.
Well, I'm glad you're having fun.
No! Ah! Sorry.
Now, wait, wait. Slow down,
you're gonna miss the coin room.
- Where?
- The tube on the left.
- But watch out for the piranha.
- No! No!
- Can we please play now?
- In a second.
We're better at the bosses.
Then how come you're dead?
Look, guys, why don't
y'all go outside, okay?
It's nice out. Just till
we finish this world.
But that'll be 40 and 100 hours.
Look, you guys go
outside, ride some bikes.
As soon as you get back, okay,
you can have a turn. I promise.
- Whatever.
- It's Joanie's Nintendo anyway.
Let's beat the game today.
Come on, Donna's away. When
else are we gonna do it?
Let's just see how far we
get before the girls get back.
If we could just skip the water world.
I hate the water world.
"Your princess is in another castle."
Look, if we don't beat it this time,
then I think I gotta
call it quits for the day.
Okay?
What are you doing?
- Whoa.
- What are you doing?
- Yes.
- Yes!
- Holy shit!
- Welcome to the warp zone!
Oh, God, I can't believe
it took me this long.
Here, here, here. You go.
You're better at the cloud level.
- Okay.
- Whoa!
- Oh, it's on now. It's on now.
- Yes, yes.
- Come here, you spiny, turtle-birthing butt.
- Oh, my God.
Yes, kill it. Watch out.
Gordon?
Gordon? Jesus Christ.
- Gordon, are you okay?
- Yeah.
- Gordon?
- Yeah, I'm fine.
- What? What the hell just happened?
- I'm fine.
I just...
I just need to eat something.
What?
I'm fine.
- Push.
- I am pushing.
Oh.
Whoa.
Okay.
I'm not buying it.
The blood sugar excuse.
It's neurological.
I've been dealing with
it for about a year.
They... they found very
small areas of atrophy.
So technically it's degenerative, but...
Jesus Christ.
- So you're dying?
- No.
No, I'm not dying.
I mean, we're all... we're all dying,
but, no, it's under control.
I'm taking medication
and most days I'm fine.
Other days...
You pile-drive a Zenith.
No, that's a...
that was a first.
Donna knows?
Who else?
Where are the router configurations
for the existing Fuzzballs?
Uh, they should be in the binder
with the rest of the UCSD research.
Okay.
Oh.
Yeah, this is Joe.
Hey, Mitch. Didn't expect to
hear from you on a Saturday.
Is everything all right?
That's great news. Great news.
I assure you the feeling is mutual.
Mitch, we should hire you to run PR.
Yeah, me, too.
Uh, hey, listen.
Messenger over the paperwork on Monday
and I'll have my lawyers
go through it ASAP.
Yeah, we'll be talking.
Oh!
Hey, congrats.
- You made it on the train.
- Yeah!
Where's that UCSD binder?
We should celebrate.
Celebrate?
That bid they just
approved is half fiction.
Now we make it real.
Come on, let's get to it.
But, Joe,
right now it's perfect.
Have you ever had 30-year-old scotch?
- Hello?
- Oh, my God!
Oh, you're Diane's daughter.
I recognize you from the pictures.
I'm Donna Clark. I work with your mom.
Oh, hi. Sorry.
Yes, I'm Kimberly.
- Kimmie, everything okay?
- Oh, I'm fine. It's fine.
This is Donna. She works with my mom.
This is my boyfriend Travis.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- And his roommate Rob.
- Hi.
Hello.
Is that my mom's sweater?
I was just in the bath.
I'm so sorry. I can go get a hotel.
No, no, no, no. Please. We just
decided to drive up from Berkeley today.
We can totally drive back.
Oh, no, don't do that.
No, it's fine. I'm kind of supposed
to ask before I come up here anyway.
Well, look, it's a huge house.
I brought more food
than I can possibly eat.
So what about this... I
don't tell your mom I saw you
and we keep it between us that
I was trying on her clothes?
That's insane.
Yeah, I know.
Did you consider it?
Sort of. I mean, it
was 70% of a fortune.
Well, souls don't come cheap.
I don't understand how you're
so good at the underwater level.
It's a gift.
You know, I don't even
really care about the money.
I just want him to admit what he did.
Yeah.
All right, you can do this.
- Okay.
- I believe in you.
- Wish I could pelt Joe with fireball...
- Shh.
Don't.
- Yeah! Finally!
- Yeah!
- Victory!
- Finally.
- You want to see something cool?
- Yeah.
The radio spectrum's like
a long measuring tape.
- Uh-huh.
- The AM band's the low frequency.
And it's down here on the bottom.
And the FM is way up here on the top.
You follow?
Man, Gordon, I got to be honest.
I didn't know what you were doing
in here, but this is pretty rad.
You really think so? I
mean, it's kind of silly.
No, no, I mean it. I think it's cool.
Yeah, well, I wish Donna
shared your enthusiasm.
Yeah.
You know, I hope you realize
what a rare thing you've done.
- Mm-hmm.
- You and Donna.
I mean, you guys built something real.
Yeah, so did you.
Oh, please. You don't have to do that.
I built a couple of
machines no one will remember
and a piece of software
everybody thinks is Joe's.
Enough about that jackass.
Let's fire this thing up.
That's weird. I was just
talking on it last night.
Maybe there's a loose connection.
Oh, you sure about that?
Here.
Fire it up.
Hmm.
Hey there.
Could I just get two fingers
of something brown back there?
Did... did you hear?
Could we just pretend that you
were holding a place in line for me?
Well, look who it is.
Uh, this young lady
will have a gin and tonic
with lime, please.
- Are you here with someone?
- No, flying solo.
What can I say? Me and
Puccini go way back.
You?
It's a blind date.
He's a friend of a friend
of a banker or something.
I forget how I ended up here.
I have enjoyed our time together, Doris.
Gracias.
Well, thank you for saving me.
You don't strike me much
like a woman needs saving.
Hey, listen.
There's a bar I pass on the way
here. Looks like a good time.
We can get another
cocktail after the show.
Give me two minutes.
I'll meet you outside.
Here's to me, Doris.
But, of course, he is
nowhere to be found.
And, of course, the emergency
exit locks behind me.
So I'm totally naked, super drunk
with this alarm blaring
and he and my coat
are at a different door,
but I didn't know that.
So I ran all the way back to my dorm
ducking behind bushes
like some cartoon spy.
Thank God it was finals
week and no one was around.
I hope you broke up with him.
I married him, actually.
Oh, no.
I can't believe you
actually work at AGG.
Oh, no, no, your mom's
an investor in my company.
It's an online service called Mutiny.
Shut up. Shut up.
- You own Mutiny?
- Yeah, a part of it.
Wait, are you CamHowe?
This is insane. I'm EstimatedProphet.
No, no, Cam is my partner.
It's like the best. I'd
been looking for a tape
of this June '77 Winterland
show for literally years.
Signed up on Mutiny,
found it 20 minutes later.
That's great.
So, Donna, you and my
mom should be friends.
Oh, I think we are friends.
No, yeah, I mean, friend friends.
'Cause all my mom's got are work friends
and everyone else was Dad's.
Well, I'm sure it took a
lot of nights and weekends
to build a firm with
her name on the door.
That couldn't have been easy.
Except the name's
Dad's, too, which sucks.
I just think you're fun and smart
and she must really like you 'cause she
does not let a lot of people up here.
Well, I like her, too.
Hey, you guys, do you
have any of that pot left?
Well, yeah, but...
What?
If you're maybe looking for
a different sort of adventure.
So I have a confession.
Shoot.
I don't care much for Texas.
Why ever not?
Isn't it just a bunch of good old boys
in Dixie Trans Ams
speeding down dirt roads?
That'd be Georgia. And the
General Lee is a Charger.
- Okay.
- Never been, I take it.
No, I have not.
Tell me about it.
Well, it's like any other place
except more so.
Really? Like this place?
Well, we get all kinds.
Have to admit, not what I had
in mind when we walked in here,
but glad we did.
So you still have family there, yeah?
Here.
That little feller.
Oh, my God. He's beautiful.
Yeah.
It's a hell of a thing, ain't it?
God, it feels like it was just a few
days ago that I was braiding Kim's hair.
And now she has one
year left at Berkeley.
Everybody says it passes so fast.
I don't know.
Working as much as I do, I missed a lot.
Yeah, you and me both.
I thought I was gonna retire
in Texas. You know, be around.
I'd take little Sam to a ball
game a couple times a month.
I wanted to be able to tell
him I did things that mattered.
Now I got stories no one cares about.
Foolish things coming from a man my age.
Apologies.
No, not at all.
Gentlemen, welcome to the stage
Lady Divine.
- Gordon?
- Oh, hey.
- Hi.
- I didn't wake you, did I?
No, no, I'm just heading out.
Okay, uh...
well, good night.
- Hey, Cam.
- Yeah?
It was really fun today.
Yeah, it was.
Bye, Gordon.
You came.
I figured we should talk.
Come, sit with me.
I don't like this.
I don't like feeling this way.
I hate it, too.
I don't know how we got here.
You lied to me, Donna.
I know, but I...
it didn't feel like a lie at the time.
It felt like what was
best for the company,
like what was best for you.
I am just as good at this as you are.
No one ever said you weren't.
They don't have to say it.
It's there all the time.
It's deafening. Cam is the
genius. Donna is the mom.
So we're back where we started.
No.
No, not yet.
I mean, look at this place.
Did you ever think we'd be here?
How many times do you need to hear
that I can't do this without you?
I'm sorry that I lied to you.
I forgive you.
- Well...
- Well...
- Not the night I was expecting.
- Nor I.
Why don't you come back to
the house for a nightcap?
You know, it's getting a little late.
Let me just... I'll just
drop you back at your car.
You know, I could... I could...
come by.
No, it's fine.
You need to give Gordon credit.
Be pissed at me.
You have every right.
Just, Jesus, don't
take it out on Gordon.
He needs this.
Joe, do right by him.
Give him credit for what he built.
Say something.
Shall we celebrate?
Why?
That's a wedding ring
on your finger, isn't it?
I came here to talk about Gordon.
Did you?
It's 1:30 in the morning.
You were waiting in my hallway.
To talk about Gordon?
Is it what's his name?
It doesn't matter.
Could have been anyone.
You were happy for a moment
and you thought the person
standing closest to you was the source.
Trust me.
I've been there.
You need to give Gordon credit.
Hello.
Hello, I'm home.
- Mommy, Mommy!
- Hi.
What is all this?
Cameron broke the TV, so
Daddy bought a new one.
Isn't it so big?
Yeah, it sure is, baby.
Hey, how was it?
Oh, it was great. Really great.
I feel clearer.
Hey, how many of those have you had?
Only this one.
- She broke the TV, huh?
- Yeah, long story.
Okay. Is she home?
Well, she... she went out...
she went out late and I
didn't hear her come in.
Cam. Cameron.
Hold up, Donna. She could be asleep.
Cam?
Cam.
Oh, my God.
- Gordon?
- Ow!
- Cameron?
- It works!
You weren't in the office today.
Yeah, well, I needed a day
to put this thing together.
Why didn't you tell us you moved out?
I got married.
No, I'm serious.
I got married to Tom back in Texas.
Wow.
That's incredible.
I'm really happy for you.
Thanks.
I'm happy, too.
I didn't know you were
gonna be in this thing today.
I'm not.
I postponed the depo. We need to talk.
Have a seat.
No purchases and no promises.
That's what we said.
This morning I got a copy of a fax
from the NSFNET lawyers
came across my desk.
So when I called Mitch
Klowden for clarification,
he said that the two of you
had a lovely conversation this
weekend and that we're now in business.
Come on, Ken, just sit down.
You're done.
I gathered the board this morning
and we voted to remove
your executive authority
and kill the NSFNET deal.
Ken.
Of course you're more
than welcome to quit,
but we plan to enforce
the four-year non-compete.
So if I was you, I'd just keep
showing up for work, Mr. MacMillan.
Just sit up in that
office of yours like Buddha
on the goddamn mountain dispensing
pearls of nonsense to the tech press,
but you will never
spend another MacMillan Utility dime,
launch another project
or give another order.
And before you even dream
about running a fire hose
into the bullpen or
some other such bullshit,
I would meditate on
the Joe MacMillan clause
our lawyers had such fun drawing up.
One destructive move from you,
and every point of equity
you got goes up in smoke.
Let me know what you decide.
State your name.
Joe MacMillan.
And your title and place
of business, please.
Founding CEO, MacMillan Utility.
And in your capacity as CEO,
do you often review outside
submissions for software ideas?
No, never.
All product development
is done in-house, then?
Yeah, yeah.
Walk me through that process, please.
Mr. MacMillan?
Mr. MacMillan?
- I stole it.
- What?
- Turn that off. Turn it off.
- Don't.
I, Joe MacMillan, stole the code
to the security software
from Gordon Clark.
Everything this company
is built on is his.
29:26,233
- Gordon?
- Oh, hey.
- Hi.
- I didn't wake you, did I?
No, no, I'm just heading out.
Okay, uh...
well, good night.
- Hey, Cam.
- Yeah?
It was really fun today.
Yeah, it was.
Bye, Gordon.
You came.
I figured we should talk.
Come, sit with me.
I don't like this.
I don't like feeling this way.
I hate it, too.
I don't know how we got here.
You lied to me, Donna.
I know, but I...
it didn't feel like a lie at the time.
It felt like what was
best for the company,
like what was best for you.
I am just as good at this as you are.
No one ever said you weren't.
They don't have to say it.
It's there all the time.
It's deafening. Cam is the
genius. Donna is the mom.
So we're back where we started.
No.
No, not yet.
I mean, look at this place.
Did you ever think we'd be here?
How many times do you need to hear
that I can't do this without you?
I'm sorry that I lied to you.
I forgive you.
- Well...
- Well...
- Not the night I was expecting.
- Nor I.
Why don't you come back to
the house for a nightcap?
You know, it's getting a little late.
Let me just... I'll just
drop you back at your car.
You know, I could... I could...
come by.
No, it's fine.
You need to give Gordon credit.
Be pissed at me.
You have every right.
Just, Jesus, don't
take it out on Gordon.
He needs this.
Joe, do right by him.
Give him credit for what he built.
Say something.
Shall we celebrate?
Why?
That's a wedding ring
on your finger, isn't it?
I came here to talk about Gordon.
Did you?
It's 1:30 in the morning.
You were waiting in my hallway.
To talk about Gordon?
Is it what's his name?
It doesn't matter.
Could have been anyone.
You were happy for a moment
and you thought the person
standing closest to you was the source.
Trust me.
I've been there.
You need to give Gordon credit.
Hello.
Hello, I'm home.
- Mommy, Mommy!
- Hi.
What is all this?
Cameron broke the TV, so
Daddy bought a new one.
Isn't it so big?
Yeah, it sure is, baby.
Hey, how was it?
Oh, it was great. Really great.
I feel clearer.
Hey, how many of those have you had?
Only this one.
- She broke the TV, huh?
- Yeah, long story.
Okay. Is she home?
Well, she... she went out...
she went out late and I
didn't hear her come in.
Cam. Cameron.
Hold up, Donna. She could be asleep.
Cam?
Cam.
Oh, my God.
- Gordon?
- Ow!
- Cameron?
- It works!
You weren't in the office today.
Yeah, well, I needed a day
to put this thing together.
Why didn't you tell us you moved out?
I got married.
No, I'm serious.
I got married to Tom back in Texas.
Wow.
That's incredible.
I'm really happy for you.
Thanks.
I'm happy, too.
I didn't know you were
gonna be in this thing today.
I'm not.
I postponed the depo. We need to talk.
Have a seat.
No purchases and no promises.
That's what we said.
This morning I got a copy of a fax
from the NSFNET lawyers
came across my desk.
So when I called Mitch
Klowden for clarification,
he said that the two of you
had a lovely conversation this
weekend and that we're now in business.
Come on, Ken, just sit down.
You're done.
I gathered the board this morning
and we voted to remove
your executive authority
and kill the NSFNET deal.
Ken.
Of course you're more
than welcome to quit,
but we plan to enforce
the four-year non-compete.
So if I was you, I'd just keep
showing up for work, Mr. MacMillan.
Just sit up in that
office of yours like Buddha
on the goddamn mountain dispensing
pearls of nonsense to the tech press,
but you will never
spend another MacMillan Utility dime,
lau
"Halt and Catch Fire"...
We are going to create
a regional network
right there.
My date just canceled,
and I have a plus one.
I was thinking about John Bosworth.
You're gonna ask the board
to go deeper in the hole?
I don't care what the
board thinks anymore.
CQ, CQ. Is anybody out there?
Since when do you make
decisions for my company?
I don't love Doug and Craig,
but I totally respect your decision.
Like I told Donna,
I'd have paid for them to go away.
So when does that 3090 get delivered?
They said by 5:00 P.M. today.
And we've got Stanford on Monday, right?
Cisco and MCI the week after.
I'd take a good look.
Soon it'll be hardware
and handshake deals,
endless troubleshooting and upgrades.
But right now... right now it's perfect.
The room?
The idea.
All goes well, by the end of the month
we'll be sitting down with
the sector chief of NSFNET
to walk him through the bid.
It's Mitch Klowden.
We go back to my IBM days.
He's a good guy. Sharp dresser.
Well, this all sounds fantastic.
I have to discuss it with the team,
but I should have an
answer for you by Monday.
- Excellent.
- And you.
Where'd you find this one, hmm?
Great to meet you, Ryan. Hell
of a head on those shoulders.
Thank you, Mitch.
And a nice cut on that suit.
Mitch, it was great to see you again.
- Great to see you, Joe.
- Thank you for coming by.
Did I get the wrong time?
No, your info's as good as mine.
Haven't seen Mutt or Jeff all day.
And the ladies are in
their respective foxholes
as seems to be their wont these days.
Do you ever try to be the
bigger man in this business,
but the universe just gives you
a shit sandwich for your efforts?
Indeed I have.
But I'm treating myself to
"Turan-dot," so I can't complain.
- What?
- "Turan-dot."
The opera.
I'm broadening my horizons.
Know my new town.
It's "Turandot."
- Hmm.
- Hmm.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Sorry, guys. I got stuck on a call.
Okay, let's get started.
Uh, shouldn't we wait
for Doug and Craig?
That would be a waste of time.
- Why?
- I fired them.
When?
This morning.
Why?
Well, SwapMeet's fully integrated
and the cash feature's bug-free,
so I no longer need them.
And what are we going to
do about their earn-out?
I feel like Diane was pretty clear
she wanted us to make it work.
Was she?
Yeah, I mean...
why would you...
I just wish you'd
discussed it with us first.
Sorry, Diane Gould is
here for both of you.
Oh, should be fun.
Well, I must admit I'm surprised.
I thought you all had found
a manageable work flow.
Well, we discussed it and we decided
that Doug and Craig's
usefulness had run its course.
And we both figured based
on our earlier conversations
that you'd have our backs on this.
Well, as I've said, I'll
authorize the earn-out
if that's what you feel you need.
But that's not what I'm here to discuss.
I have news.
You have an acquisition offer.
From CompuServe.
Uh... CompuServe?
I know. I don't think
it's a good fit either,
but it sets a floor.
How much?
20 million.
That's four times
what Westgroup offered.
I mean, have we really grown that fast?
Here's the thing, and I didn't think
we'd be having this
conversation so soon,
but I think it's a good time to consider
the possibility of an IPO.
The things we could do
with that influx of cash.
Okay, it's not like we'd get to
spend the money, though, right?
I mean, we'd have to get a board
and chase quarterly earnings.
Absolutely, but it's also
important to consider the landscape.
Look at Sun, Oracle.
I mean, Jesus, the money
that Microsoft has raised.
Plus right now Mutiny
is the dominant player
in the online transaction market.
Once they hear the news of this offer,
there'll be imitators.
I mean, just think,
everything we've ever
wanted to play with.
We could hire a whole team for R&D.
Yeah, okay, I'm not chopping
my company up into pieces
so that you can ring
a bell on Wall Street.
Okay, this is just a lot.
I need time to process it.
Sure, okay. You think about it.
Take all the time you need.
This is a huge decision
and both of you should
take a lot of time with it.
But whatever you have going on
here, you need to deal with it.
I'll tell you what. I
have a place up in Sonoma.
It's a little vineyard.
It's quite peaceful.
It's a good place to get
your thoughts in order.
Why don't you guys go
there, take the weekend,
get on the same page?
We'd love to.
Great.
I'll be around all weekend if you
want to talk any of this through.
Thanks, Diane. Really.
So do you want to drive
up tonight or tomorrow?
Yeah, uh, well,
while a wine farm retreat
with you sounds super romantic,
I am busy this weekend.
Modern society sits on a foundation
of services we now take for granted.
Railroads.
Highways.
Water.
Power.
Network computing will be
the next great public utility.
My actions have placed
us at the vanguard
and we are poised to reap vast rewards.
America's early entrepreneurs
were bound by space and time.
This new network will be limitless.
Just... I just... just to be clear,
ahem, the N... what?
The NSFNET is nonprofit, right?
It's just for research labs
and governments and colleges.
- There is no commercial use?
- That's correct.
- On page...
- 22.
...there's a memo from
Taylor and Ernst Strategies.
They anticipate a five-year
legislative process.
And we've already spent
six million on the 3090
and another 400,000 on
routers and switches.
Wait, with these speed
and capacity issues,
why are we investing in faster
equipment than the network can bear?
It's only 56K now, but all signs
point to a T1 upgrade coming soon.
Guys, I understand the skepticism.
There's no denying this
is a bold futures bet,
but it is a sure one.
It may take some time,
but the money will come.
You know what, gentlemen?
Why don't we do this?
Why don't we take the weekend
to digest this impressive proposal?
What do you say? Yeah?
Good. Thank you very much.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Pleasure.
- Great to see you again.
- Thank you.
Hey, you owe me 18.
Hey, good seeing you. Say
hi to Becky for me, okay?
I love the ambition. I do.
- I just need you to slow down.
- We wait, we lose.
I hear you, I do. And I
believe in your vision.
That's why I'm here, but please, Joe...
no more purchases.
- No promises.
- Just get them on board.
That's why you're here.
Well, this is the process, you know?
You should have seen their faces
when I told them the
Citadel was going to be free.
Good work today.
Yeah?
Are you sure you don't mind me going?
No, it's fine. It's fine.
Well, I appreciate it. I really
need some time away from Cameron.
And I just need one
damn hour of peace, okay?
- The girls think this place is...
- Oh, my God.
- Donna!
- Babe, I'm so sorry.
- Which one do you want?
- This one.
Thank you.
Who you talking to?
Just some guys.
Well, I'm glad you're having fun.
No! Ah! Sorry.
Now, wait, wait. Slow down,
you're gonna miss the coin room.
- Where?
- The tube on the left.
- But watch out for the piranha.
- No! No!
- Can we please play now?
- In a second.
We're better at the bosses.
Then how come you're dead?
Look, guys, why don't
y'all go outside, okay?
It's nice out. Just till
we finish this world.
But that'll be 40 and 100 hours.
Look, you guys go
outside, ride some bikes.
As soon as you get back, okay,
you can have a turn. I promise.
- Whatever.
- It's Joanie's Nintendo anyway.
Let's beat the game today.
Come on, Donna's away. When
else are we gonna do it?
Let's just see how far we
get before the girls get back.
If we could just skip the water world.
I hate the water world.
"Your princess is in another castle."
Look, if we don't beat it this time,
then I think I gotta
call it quits for the day.
Okay?
What are you doing?
- Whoa.
- What are you doing?
- Yes.
- Yes!
- Holy shit!
- Welcome to the warp zone!
Oh, God, I can't believe
it took me this long.
Here, here, here. You go.
You're better at the cloud level.
- Okay.
- Whoa!
- Oh, it's on now. It's on now.
- Yes, yes.
- Come here, you spiny, turtle-birthing butt.
- Oh, my God.
Yes, kill it. Watch out.
Gordon?
Gordon? Jesus Christ.
- Gordon, are you okay?
- Yeah.
- Gordon?
- Yeah, I'm fine.
- What? What the hell just happened?
- I'm fine.
I just...
I just need to eat something.
What?
I'm fine.
- Push.
- I am pushing.
Oh.
Whoa.
Okay.
I'm not buying it.
The blood sugar excuse.
It's neurological.
I've been dealing with
it for about a year.
They... they found very
small areas of atrophy.
So technically it's degenerative, but...
Jesus Christ.
- So you're dying?
- No.
No, I'm not dying.
I mean, we're all... we're all dying,
but, no, it's under control.
I'm taking medication
and most days I'm fine.
Other days...
You pile-drive a Zenith.
No, that's a...
that was a first.
Donna knows?
Who else?
Where are the router configurations
for the existing Fuzzballs?
Uh, they should be in the binder
with the rest of the UCSD research.
Okay.
Oh.
Yeah, this is Joe.
Hey, Mitch. Didn't expect to
hear from you on a Saturday.
Is everything all right?
That's great news. Great news.
I assure you the feeling is mutual.
Mitch, we should hire you to run PR.
Yeah, me, too.
Uh, hey, listen.
Messenger over the paperwork on Monday
and I'll have my lawyers
go through it ASAP.
Yeah, we'll be talking.
Oh!
Hey, congrats.
- You made it on the train.
- Yeah!
Where's that UCSD binder?
We should celebrate.
Celebrate?
That bid they just
approved is half fiction.
Now we make it real.
Come on, let's get to it.
But, Joe,
right now it's perfect.
Have you ever had 30-year-old scotch?
- Hello?
- Oh, my God!
Oh, you're Diane's daughter.
I recognize you from the pictures.
I'm Donna Clark. I work with your mom.
Oh, hi. Sorry.
Yes, I'm Kimberly.
- Kimmie, everything okay?
- Oh, I'm fine. It's fine.
This is Donna. She works with my mom.
This is my boyfriend Travis.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- And his roommate Rob.
- Hi.
Hello.
Is that my mom's sweater?
I was just in the bath.
I'm so sorry. I can go get a hotel.
No, no, no, no. Please. We just
decided to drive up from Berkeley today.
We can totally drive back.
Oh, no, don't do that.
No, it's fine. I'm kind of supposed
to ask before I come up here anyway.
Well, look, it's a huge house.
I brought more food
than I can possibly eat.
So what about this... I
don't tell your mom I saw you
and we keep it between us that
I was trying on her clothes?
That's insane.
Yeah, I know.
Did you consider it?
Sort of. I mean, it
was 70% of a fortune.
Well, souls don't come cheap.
I don't understand how you're
so good at the underwater level.
It's a gift.
You know, I don't even
really care about the money.
I just want him to admit what he did.
Yeah.
All right, you can do this.
- Okay.
- I believe in you.
- Wish I could pelt Joe with fireball...
- Shh.
Don't.
- Yeah! Finally!
- Yeah!
- Victory!
- Finally.
- You want to see something cool?
- Yeah.
The radio spectrum's like
a long measuring tape.
- Uh-huh.
- The AM band's the low frequency.
And it's down here on the bottom.
And the FM is way up here on the top.
You follow?
Man, Gordon, I got to be honest.
I didn't know what you were doing
in here, but this is pretty rad.
You really think so? I
mean, it's kind of silly.
No, no, I mean it. I think it's cool.
Yeah, well, I wish Donna
shared your enthusiasm.
Yeah.
You know, I hope you realize
what a rare thing you've done.
- Mm-hmm.
- You and Donna.
I mean, you guys built something real.
Yeah, so did you.
Oh, please. You don't have to do that.
I built a couple of
machines no one will remember
and a piece of software
everybody thinks is Joe's.
Enough about that jackass.
Let's fire this thing up.
That's weird. I was just
talking on it last night.
Maybe there's a loose connection.
Oh, you sure about that?
Here.
Fire it up.
Hmm.
Hey there.
Could I just get two fingers
of something brown back there?
Did... did you hear?
Could we just pretend that you
were holding a place in line for me?
Well, look who it is.
Uh, this young lady
will have a gin and tonic
with lime, please.
- Are you here with someone?
- No, flying solo.
What can I say? Me and
Puccini go way back.
You?
It's a blind date.
He's a friend of a friend
of a banker or something.
I forget how I ended up here.
I have enjoyed our time together, Doris.
Gracias.
Well, thank you for saving me.
You don't strike me much
like a woman needs saving.
Hey, listen.
There's a bar I pass on the way
here. Looks like a good time.
We can get another
cocktail after the show.
Give me two minutes.
I'll meet you outside.
Here's to me, Doris.
But, of course, he is
nowhere to be found.
And, of course, the emergency
exit locks behind me.
So I'm totally naked, super drunk
with this alarm blaring
and he and my coat
are at a different door,
but I didn't know that.
So I ran all the way back to my dorm
ducking behind bushes
like some cartoon spy.
Thank God it was finals
week and no one was around.
I hope you broke up with him.
I married him, actually.
Oh, no.
I can't believe you
actually work at AGG.
Oh, no, no, your mom's
an investor in my company.
It's an online service called Mutiny.
Shut up. Shut up.
- You own Mutiny?
- Yeah, a part of it.
Wait, are you CamHowe?
This is insane. I'm EstimatedProphet.
No, no, Cam is my partner.
It's like the best. I'd
been looking for a tape
of this June '77 Winterland
show for literally years.
Signed up on Mutiny,
found it 20 minutes later.
That's great.
So, Donna, you and my
mom should be friends.
Oh, I think we are friends.
No, yeah, I mean, friend friends.
'Cause all my mom's got are work friends
and everyone else was Dad's.
Well, I'm sure it took a
lot of nights and weekends
to build a firm with
her name on the door.
That couldn't have been easy.
Except the name's
Dad's, too, which sucks.
I just think you're fun and smart
and she must really like you 'cause she
does not let a lot of people up here.
Well, I like her, too.
Hey, you guys, do you
have any of that pot left?
Well, yeah, but...
What?
If you're maybe looking for
a different sort of adventure.
So I have a confession.
Shoot.
I don't care much for Texas.
Why ever not?
Isn't it just a bunch of good old boys
in Dixie Trans Ams
speeding down dirt roads?
That'd be Georgia. And the
General Lee is a Charger.
- Okay.
- Never been, I take it.
No, I have not.
Tell me about it.
Well, it's like any other place
except more so.
Really? Like this place?
Well, we get all kinds.
Have to admit, not what I had
in mind when we walked in here,
but glad we did.
So you still have family there, yeah?
Here.
That little feller.
Oh, my God. He's beautiful.
Yeah.
It's a hell of a thing, ain't it?
God, it feels like it was just a few
days ago that I was braiding Kim's hair.
And now she has one
year left at Berkeley.
Everybody says it passes so fast.
I don't know.
Working as much as I do, I missed a lot.
Yeah, you and me both.
I thought I was gonna retire
in Texas. You know, be around.
I'd take little Sam to a ball
game a couple times a month.
I wanted to be able to tell
him I did things that mattered.
Now I got stories no one cares about.
Foolish things coming from a man my age.
Apologies.
No, not at all.
Gentlemen, welcome to the stage
Lady Divine.
- Gordon?
- Oh, hey.
- Hi.
- I didn't wake you, did I?
No, no, I'm just heading out.
Okay, uh...
well, good night.
- Hey, Cam.
- Yeah?
It was really fun today.
Yeah, it was.
Bye, Gordon.
You came.
I figured we should talk.
Come, sit with me.
I don't like this.
I don't like feeling this way.
I hate it, too.
I don't know how we got here.
You lied to me, Donna.
I know, but I...
it didn't feel like a lie at the time.
It felt like what was
best for the company,
like what was best for you.
I am just as good at this as you are.
No one ever said you weren't.
They don't have to say it.
It's there all the time.
It's deafening. Cam is the
genius. Donna is the mom.
So we're back where we started.
No.
No, not yet.
I mean, look at this place.
Did you ever think we'd be here?
How many times do you need to hear
that I can't do this without you?
I'm sorry that I lied to you.
I forgive you.
- Well...
- Well...
- Not the night I was expecting.
- Nor I.
Why don't you come back to
the house for a nightcap?
You know, it's getting a little late.
Let me just... I'll just
drop you back at your car.
You know, I could... I could...
come by.
No, it's fine.
You need to give Gordon credit.
Be pissed at me.
You have every right.
Just, Jesus, don't
take it out on Gordon.
He needs this.
Joe, do right by him.
Give him credit for what he built.
Say something.
Shall we celebrate?
Why?
That's a wedding ring
on your finger, isn't it?
I came here to talk about Gordon.
Did you?
It's 1:30 in the morning.
You were waiting in my hallway.
To talk about Gordon?
Is it what's his name?
It doesn't matter.
Could have been anyone.
You were happy for a moment
and you thought the person
standing closest to you was the source.
Trust me.
I've been there.
You need to give Gordon credit.
Hello.
Hello, I'm home.
- Mommy, Mommy!
- Hi.
What is all this?
Cameron broke the TV, so
Daddy bought a new one.
Isn't it so big?
Yeah, it sure is, baby.
Hey, how was it?
Oh, it was great. Really great.
I feel clearer.
Hey, how many of those have you had?
Only this one.
- She broke the TV, huh?
- Yeah, long story.
Okay. Is she home?
Well, she... she went out...
she went out late and I
didn't hear her come in.
Cam. Cameron.
Hold up, Donna. She could be asleep.
Cam?
Cam.
Oh, my God.
- Gordon?
- Ow!
- Cameron?
- It works!
You weren't in the office today.
Yeah, well, I needed a day
to put this thing together.
Why didn't you tell us you moved out?
I got married.
No, I'm serious.
I got married to Tom back in Texas.
Wow.
That's incredible.
I'm really happy for you.
Thanks.
I'm happy, too.
I didn't know you were
gonna be in this thing today.
I'm not.
I postponed the depo. We need to talk.
Have a seat.
No purchases and no promises.
That's what we said.
This morning I got a copy of a fax
from the NSFNET lawyers
came across my desk.
So when I called Mitch
Klowden for clarification,
he said that the two of you
had a lovely conversation this
weekend and that we're now in business.
Come on, Ken, just sit down.
You're done.
I gathered the board this morning
and we voted to remove
your executive authority
and kill the NSFNET deal.
Ken.
Of course you're more
than welcome to quit,
but we plan to enforce
the four-year non-compete.
So if I was you, I'd just keep
showing up for work, Mr. MacMillan.
Just sit up in that
office of yours like Buddha
on the goddamn mountain dispensing
pearls of nonsense to the tech press,
but you will never
spend another MacMillan Utility dime,
launch another project
or give another order.
And before you even dream
about running a fire hose
into the bullpen or
some other such bullshit,
I would meditate on
the Joe MacMillan clause
our lawyers had such fun drawing up.
One destructive move from you,
and every point of equity
you got goes up in smoke.
Let me know what you decide.
State your name.
Joe MacMillan.
And your title and place
of business, please.
Founding CEO, MacMillan Utility.
And in your capacity as CEO,
do you often review outside
submissions for software ideas?
No, never.
All product development
is done in-house, then?
Yeah, yeah.
Walk me through that process, please.
Mr. MacMillan?
Mr. MacMillan?
- I stole it.
- What?
- Turn that off. Turn it off.
- Don't.
I, Joe MacMillan, stole the code
to the security software
from Gordon Clark.
Everything this company
is built on is his.
29:26,233
- Gordon?
- Oh, hey.
- Hi.
- I didn't wake you, did I?
No, no, I'm just heading out.
Okay, uh...
well, good night.
- Hey, Cam.
- Yeah?
It was really fun today.
Yeah, it was.
Bye, Gordon.
You came.
I figured we should talk.
Come, sit with me.
I don't like this.
I don't like feeling this way.
I hate it, too.
I don't know how we got here.
You lied to me, Donna.
I know, but I...
it didn't feel like a lie at the time.
It felt like what was
best for the company,
like what was best for you.
I am just as good at this as you are.
No one ever said you weren't.
They don't have to say it.
It's there all the time.
It's deafening. Cam is the
genius. Donna is the mom.
So we're back where we started.
No.
No, not yet.
I mean, look at this place.
Did you ever think we'd be here?
How many times do you need to hear
that I can't do this without you?
I'm sorry that I lied to you.
I forgive you.
- Well...
- Well...
- Not the night I was expecting.
- Nor I.
Why don't you come back to
the house for a nightcap?
You know, it's getting a little late.
Let me just... I'll just
drop you back at your car.
You know, I could... I could...
come by.
No, it's fine.
You need to give Gordon credit.
Be pissed at me.
You have every right.
Just, Jesus, don't
take it out on Gordon.
He needs this.
Joe, do right by him.
Give him credit for what he built.
Say something.
Shall we celebrate?
Why?
That's a wedding ring
on your finger, isn't it?
I came here to talk about Gordon.
Did you?
It's 1:30 in the morning.
You were waiting in my hallway.
To talk about Gordon?
Is it what's his name?
It doesn't matter.
Could have been anyone.
You were happy for a moment
and you thought the person
standing closest to you was the source.
Trust me.
I've been there.
You need to give Gordon credit.
Hello.
Hello, I'm home.
- Mommy, Mommy!
- Hi.
What is all this?
Cameron broke the TV, so
Daddy bought a new one.
Isn't it so big?
Yeah, it sure is, baby.
Hey, how was it?
Oh, it was great. Really great.
I feel clearer.
Hey, how many of those have you had?
Only this one.
- She broke the TV, huh?
- Yeah, long story.
Okay. Is she home?
Well, she... she went out...
she went out late and I
didn't hear her come in.
Cam. Cameron.
Hold up, Donna. She could be asleep.
Cam?
Cam.
Oh, my God.
- Gordon?
- Ow!
- Cameron?
- It works!
You weren't in the office today.
Yeah, well, I needed a day
to put this thing together.
Why didn't you tell us you moved out?
I got married.
No, I'm serious.
I got married to Tom back in Texas.
Wow.
That's incredible.
I'm really happy for you.
Thanks.
I'm happy, too.
I didn't know you were
gonna be in this thing today.
I'm not.
I postponed the depo. We need to talk.
Have a seat.
No purchases and no promises.
That's what we said.
This morning I got a copy of a fax
from the NSFNET lawyers
came across my desk.
So when I called Mitch
Klowden for clarification,
he said that the two of you
had a lovely conversation this
weekend and that we're now in business.
Come on, Ken, just sit down.
You're done.
I gathered the board this morning
and we voted to remove
your executive authority
and kill the NSFNET deal.
Ken.
Of course you're more
than welcome to quit,
but we plan to enforce
the four-year non-compete.
So if I was you, I'd just keep
showing up for work, Mr. MacMillan.
Just sit up in that
office of yours like Buddha
on the goddamn mountain dispensing
pearls of nonsense to the tech press,
but you will never
spend another MacMillan Utility dime,
lau