Halt and Catch Fire (2014–2017): Season 3, Episode 9 - NIM - full transcript
It's the fall of 1990, four years after Mutiny's failed IPO, Ryan's suicide, and Cameron and Tom's move to Tokyo. Gordon and Donna have split, and have joint custody of the girls. Donna, who is now using her maiden name Emerson, has just made senior partner in Diane's venture capital company, Donna's name which is first among the partners. Bos and Diane are now an established couple. Gordon has been working on the NSFNET project, which is funded by Donna and Diane's company, they all waiting for the government deregulation which they expect to happen in the next year or two. While Donna has focused on her career, Gordon, whose health problems have accelerated, has spent some time looking for love, he currently dating Michelle, one of his employees. They have not talked to Cameron at all, she who is still in Tokyo and who probably still has bad feelings about everything that happened with Mutiny. Donna has long wanted to mend fences with Cameron for personal reasons, but now has a project which she knows Cameron would fit like a glove if only she could find a friendlier messenger pass along the information to her. Cameron has just developed a successful game for Atari, and Donna knows she will be at COMDEX in Las Vegas to promote it. Also at COMDEX is Joe, whose presence there is not by accident as Cameron may believe. With Donna holding down the fort at work, Gordon has Joanie for the weekend, she now a rebellious fourteen year old. That rebellion demonstrates itself as Gordon and Michelle have a date in.
Previously, on AMC's
"Halt and Catch Fire"...
Look me in the eye and tell me
you had nothing to do with the leak.
I had nothing to do with this.
You alienate everybody.
Says the woman that will take any excuse
not to go home to her husband!
Hey!
Cameron, please don't do this.
Cameron gave her heart
and soul to Mutiny.
Two unemployed CEO's both
ousted from our companies.
My company is going public.
Tell me if it's good or bad.
You should move forward
with the NSFNET project.
Donna Emerson,
senior partner.
My God, that does have a ring to it,
doesn't it?
Here.
You know I like redheads, but my God,
that new girl at reception
got a real attitude.
- She make you sign in?
- Well, she damn well did.
Hey, I'm sorry I missed the celebration.
We had a big storm
down in the San Juans.
Wow. I never pegged you
for a Montblanc kind of guy.
Well, I ain't. I thought
it would go with the decor.
Also got that nice little
snowflake thing right on top.
- Thanks, boss.
- Sure.
Jeez.
Hey, you wanna stick around?
Maybe go downstairs, get
a cup of coffee, or...?
Oh, I would love to, but, uh...
I gotta hit the road.
Diane's already up at the Vineyard.
Look, anyway,
congrats.
Oh, say. Are you going
to Comdex this year?
Uh... no. Too much work this year.
Oh, you know, it's a circus
now. Not like it used to be.
It's more trouble than it's worth.
Well...
All right. Hey, now,
that's the good stuff.
Remember, respect the dirty bird
or fear the kickin' chicken.
"Kickin' chicken"?
_
...16-point lead.
...1:09 to go,
14 to nothing...
Morning, Ray.
Mm-hmm.
Amgen's a yes, put it on the tape.
Yeah, I'm not interested, Ray.
Pass.
Pass.
Pass.
The guy's hunting elephants
but bagging pigeons, Ray.
Pass.
Pass, Ray.
What's your position on Lam Research?
All right, set up a limit order.
I'm not interested. You
know I'm long on telecom.
That's all.
Look, we'd just prefer
if it was you coming
out, even for one night.
Guys, you're in great hands.
Elias will make sure that
CaminoWare is the talk of Comdex.
- Wait, wait, wait...
- And by the time you're back in San Jose,
I'll have the table set
for your Series B financing.
How does that sound?
All right.
Well, we should go pack.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh, Jesus, guys, I've
got your Heinekens.
Whatever you do, don't
do that at Comdex.
Okay, thanks.
It was really sweet of you.
Hey, Donna. This is your area of
expertise. Settle a bet for me.
This fellow thinks the feds are
gonna deregulate all of NSFNET by '91.
Gordon Clark, this here is...
Donna. Donna Emerson.
Nice to meet you.
Yeah, so I said the
goddamn federal government
can't even deliver my
Playboys without some creep
swiping them every other month.
'93 at the earliest.
Well, there's a senator in Tennessee.
He's a real dog with
a bone on this thing.
- Oh, you seem really sure of yourself.
- I am.
And you know, for a long time I wasn't.
And then this... weight was
suddenly lifted off of me.
What kind of weight exactly?
Like someone poured cement
in a bunch of bowling balls
and then strapped those bowling balls
onto a big fat circus man
and then he climbed this ladder...
- And then stood on your shoulders?
- You get it.
I do! I cut loose a ball
and chain of my own recently.
- Mm.
- Very liberating.
So, what now? Just
casual sex and cosmos?
- Casual sex and martinis.
- Mm.
Oh, but "casual" makes
it sound boring, lazy.
I'd rather go with "hot and dirty" sex.
Speaking of, what are you doing later?
Mm. Hot date, sorry.
We'll settle the bet later.
Yes, we will.
Who was that?
I don't know.
So, congratulations, it's official.
Donna Emerson. You really couldn't
stand being a Clark, could you?
Emerson has three syllables.
It's got stature, you know?
Plus, it takes up more
space on the sign, so.
Well, my name, your dad's
name... what's the difference?
We should probably get a move on if
we want to get our reservation, Gordo.
Um, yeah. Uh, Michelle, this is Donna.
- Donna, this is Michelle.
- Oh, of course.
Hi. Nice to meet you.
You as well.
Um, let me just close out my tab?
Sure, yeah. I'm gonna grab my coat.
It was... It was nice meeting you.
Gordo?
Ms. Emerson.
She seems nice.
She is.
Hey, can you watch Joanie on Friday?
Haley's still at space
camp and, you know,
Joanie just listens to
CDs and makes collages.
You really don't have to do anything.
Look, Diane's at the Vineyard,
Elias is at Comdex, Gilson's useless,
so, the whole company's on my shoulders.
I just thought I'd ask.
Suck it up. It's your turn.
- Yeah?
- Joe.
It's Donna.
Donna Clark.
How have you been?
You shouldn't have this number.
All right, look, I'll cut to the chase.
Are you going to Comdex?
What do you want, Donna?
Cameron will be there.
I want to send you something...
to give to her... a memo.
You want me to go to Comdex
to give Cameron...
a memo?
Just read it.
If it makes the same impression
on you as it made on me,
you'll be on the next plane to Vegas.
If you want to get in
touch with Cameron so bad,
why are you calling me, not her?
You know why.
Joe, this thing is perfect for her.
Just... read it. You'll see.
I can't help you. Good-bye, Donna.
_
Mrs. Howe-Rendon?
Hi.
I almost didn't recognize you.
I expected you'd be
wearing a leather jacket
and have bunch of tattoos.
Like in Space Bike.
We're different people.
Of course.
Oh.
Let's get you set up.
They fly you all the
way out from the Orient
just for this?
Amazing.
Here it is.
- Whoa.
- Yeah.
Hi, I'm Tracy.
Hi, Tracy.
They told me not to sit on the
bike because I might crush it.
That's probably good advice.
You've got a few minutes to settle
in before the signing starts.
Oh, yeah.
Here's your lunch.
As you requested,
a bean and cheese burrito.
Thank you.
I've been in Japan for four years.
Oh.
Mmm.
If I had to choose one
word to describe myself,
I guess I would say, um, "seeker."
Yeah, you know? And, uh...
And "giver." Yeah.
I mean, I'm a tech professional
but I'm not just bits and bytes.
I own a regional network
that's part of NSFNET,
which connects researchers
to the National Science Foundation
super-computing center,
via T-1 backbone through
a Unix-based rout...
Look,
let's just say I do well for myself.
Fun is very important to me,
and listen, if, you know, it's casual,
you know, it stays
casual, I'm okay with that.
And if it becomes
something more than casual
then I'm okay with that too. Yeah.
And I like camping.
I really like camping.
Do... do you like camping?
Recently, I've gotten into
fine cuisine, uh, cooking.
But, like, really doing it.
You get to cook something,
and then you look at it,
and you think, "I made this!"
And then you get to
eat it and then move on.
That makes me happy.
My, uh, name... Can
I look into the thing?
- Uh, my name is Gordon...
- Joanie?
number 108A-2...
Joanie, that is private.
Mm. Yeah. Making a video that screams
"I need to get laid" is totally private.
"Get laid"? Who taught you that?
Dad, I know kids in
school giving handjobs
in the parking lot. I'm not a kid.
No, you don't. And yes, you are.
All right. Now, what time am
I taking you to this party?
- It starts at 9:00.
- Can I take you a little earlier?
My date... Okay.
I'm cooking dinner for someone
and she'll be here at 7:30.
Yeah, but Jennifer is
seeing Child's Play 2 at 6:30
to go stalk Bobby Ostoff.
So, she probably won't
even be back until 8:30.
The party's at Jennifer's?
Mom said I could go.
Yeah, well, Mom told me that
Diane was out of town all week.
You can't go to a party if
there aren't any parents there.
- You know that.
- But Mom said!
Joanie, when you're staying with me,
- I make the decisions.
- God!
- Joanie?
- Ugh!
Thanks.
Right, okay, so I've
got some banging ideas
for Space Bike 5.
Okay, so there's this...
there's this space goldfish...
Fantastic! So, just pay over there.
- Hi, I'm Jessica.
- Hey.
Alex.
You two going to the
Atari keynote later?
- Yeah.
- Good.
Don't let boys like that push
their way in front of you.
- Okay.
- Okay.
Okay.
Can you make it out to "Joe"?
Yeah, it's just a really
amazing culture, you know?
Do you even speak Japanese?
Ooh.
That means, "I don't want
the shrimp with the heads on."
It's a very useful phrase in Tokyo.
So, you're gonna stay?
Maybe, yeah.
It's... I don't know,
we've really settled in.
It was weird at first.
Like, alien, you know?
And that's what Space
Bike 2 was all about.
It was just, Tom was working a ton
and I was wandering around
this strange city feeling lost.
And then...
I don't know, one day I just
decided to give myself over to it.
Just like that, like
a... like a switch...
flicked in your brain?
Yeah.
It's just, you go through life
and you have this idea of who you are,
and what you do, and then...
you discover it's total bullshit.
It's a defense mechanism,
and once you stop defending
yourself you can be
all these other things, and that...
- Yeah.
- seems totally cheesy.
No, it's not.
I still suck at using chopsticks.
So, what are you doing here?
Are you still consulting?
I'm thinking about
getting back into that,
if the gig is right.
It's amazing how much
changes in just a few years.
And how much stays the same.
So, what do you think?
What should I see?
Oh, uh...
Well, you can skip all the laptops.
They're just variations on a theme.
Uh... the Microsoft booth is "ugh."
Gates' speech is overrated.
Just get the transcript.
Oh, Phillips just
released a recordable CD
and Adobe added some cool stuff
to this thing called Photoshop.
So...
Yeah, great.
That's interesting.
Yeah.
Well, God, it was...
it was great to see you,
and, uh, this was a lot of fun.
Wait. Are those...
those guys from '83
that had that really terrible printer?
You convinced them you were from IBM?
Oh!
Yeah. We bought out
their suite for the Giant.
That suite came with
that free seafood tower.
Hey, what are you doing?
Offering, uh, fully-integrated
TypeKit compatibility
while our superior heat sink
ensures that your...
presentation won't drown,
but rather, float...
Into the sky.
Moreover, paper jams can scram...
- That just happens.
- Um...
meaning that you can
sit back and relax....
And enjoy the flight... the
flight of your data, that is,
due to transfer speeds so fast
that you'll think your documents were...
Come on. Come on, Petey.
There's a little breeze.
Get your hand in front of it.
Use your backhand.
On fire.
Cool, cool, cool.
So, it's called the,
uh, the "S Printer"?
Oh, no, um... "Sprinter."
- Because it prints really fast.
- No space.
It's kind of confusing
with the flame gag, though.
- It's a mixed metaphor.
- "S Printer" does sound better, though.
- Doesn't it?
- Yeah. It's got rigor behind it.
Like the R&D Department was unsatisfied
with models A through R,
and then finally, after
a lot of sweat and tears...
We proudly bring you version S.
Um... it's the Sprinter.
No space.
Hey, do I know you?
Here, help yourself to a
lighter. No, just one, please.
- Oh, that's a lot.
- Good luck, guys.
- Not all of...
- She took so many.
Just one, please, one.
- Hey. Michelle.
- Hi. Hi.
What you got, what's...
Oh, it uh,
it says "kiss the cook"
but in binary code.
So, uh.
Oh. Well.
It smells great.
That's the Bolognese.
You know, a lot of people
think that pasta's Italian,
but it actually originated in China.
- Huh.
- Yeah, 1100 B.C.
You're taking me to the party. I
left a message on Mom's service.
- She's gonna tell you to let me go.
- Um, Joanie?
- This is Michelle.
- Hi.
Michelle, this is my
lovely daughter, Joanie.
- Hello.
- Hey.
I, uh... I like your shirt.
It's very... cultural.
Do you like culture?
What's it, um, say?
Well, "shonen" is Japanese for "boy."
So, it means "boy knife."
Huh.
"Boy knife" means "dick."
- Hmm.
- Um, do you want some wine?
Mm-hmm.
I wonder how high you'd have to be up
for your spit to actually kill someone.
Okay, let's see what we got.
Ooh.
What do you think?
Oh, I wouldn't. They
make your ass look big.
Oh, okay.
Here are the rules.
Four rows of lighters.
When it's your turn,
you can take as many
or as few as you want, as long
as they're from the same row.
The person who ends up
with the last lighter loses.
You wanna go first or second?
Mm, bold.
Is there anything on
the floor catch your eye?
No, I'm going whole hog on the Sprinter.
Those guys really have
their finger on the pulse.
Actually it was...
it was all pretty overwhelming.
You know, if you look closely,
there are some diamonds in those dorks.
Would you really wish me on anyone?
You lose.
You go first this time.
Hey, I knew what I was doing,
you know, when we worked together.
And Mutiny took a
nosedive all on its own,
didn't need you to
screw that one up for us.
And Gordon,
would be the first to admit
that he made his own bed.
Yeah, but...
But Ryan, right?
Yeah, Tom and I were...
leaving for Japan when we heard.
At first I was...
angry.
At you...
and at him.
And at myself...
for all these things
I never said to him.
Then I realized
there was nothing anyone
could have done about it.
Not you and not me.
- You don't know that.
- Neither do you.
You're not that powerful.
So, eventually, my anger
turned into sadness,
and...
that's fine, that's healthy.
I mean, yes, be sad.
But Jesus, stop blaming yourself.
I win.
This isn't about Ryan.
It's, um...
I'm just saying I don't
think you should...
deprive the world of what you do.
Okay.
What is it that I do?
It's so hard...
to bring about actual change.
Real change.
The whole world
conspires to stop that from happening.
But you bring people together.
You... create change.
I think that that's...
really great.
Hey, so I have this
Atari party that I have to go to
that would be so much
more fun if you would come
and get drunk with me.
What, so I can fend off your groupies?
Exactly.
Mm.
I'm not really dressed
for that kind of thing.
Okay.
Well...
Okay.
Now I'm ready.
The future's so bright.
Anyways, back to the important stuff.
Do you know why most
people screw up their pasta?
- Here we go.
- Not salting the water enough.
You know, it should
taste like the ocean.
You know, when properly portioned,
salt will not make food taste salty,
but instead will enhance the
flavors that are already present.
It's for me. It's my mom.
She's a partner at a VC firm so
she has her own messaging service.
Mom?
Joanie, I got your
voicemail. What's going on?
You made it sound like World
War III from your message.
Yeah, Dad won't let me go to
the party, which is bullshit
because you explicitly
told me I could go.
I'm sure he has good reasons, Bug.
There is no good reason
why I should be stuck here
making pasta from scratch with freaking
Chef Boyardee and some random lady.
Is it that Michelle woman?
Bingo-rama. She works for Dad.
Look, when you're at
Dad's house, his word goes.
You know the rules.
- Can you just talk to him?
- No, I don't have time...
Dad! Mom wants to talk to you.
So, what grade are you in?
You know, I'm gonna,
like, go in a second.
You don't have to talk to me anymore.
Donna, I don't wanna have
this conversation right now.
- Neither do I.
- She wants to go over to Jennifer's
and there's not gonna
be any parents there.
I already told her that
she has to listen to you.
She just put you on the phone
because she thought we'd fight
and she'd come out on top.
Since when do you make pasta?
Oh, well, I-I...
I took a cooking class.
Ah.
My parents got divorced
when I was little, too,
so, I know it stinks.
But it gets better.
All right, you're, uh, you're not going.
So, even with a conservative
estimate of the licensing fees
for the voice-recognition component,
we'll be in three million domestic
refrigerator-freezers by the end of Q3.
And I'll hit profitability by Q4.
So, what is it you do?
- I think this is definitely him.
- I think it's him!
Listen, man, we hereby
confer upon you...
Uh, Bob.
Bob!
...the greatest honor of Comdex '90:
the Party Pitch Swami
and a Vanquisher of Earthly Tedium.
And we proudly present to you...
This...
100% synthetic
ergonomically designed OSHA-approved
Cisco wrist rest.
Live the life of your words, Bob.
Hey.
You want a refill?
Yeah!
Jesus, my refills want refills!
I love Space Bike!
Oh! I love you!
Cameron?
Cameron!
How are you? How's Japan?
What are you doing here?
You know, I just...
came to make an appearance
at the parties, and...
Okay...
Look, I...
I came to see you.
I don't know why you would do that.
Well, because I've got this...
There's this thing.
It's really exciting and
I want to show it to you.
- You've got to be kidding.
- Please, just...
Come on, have lunch with me tomorrow.
No, I'm on an early flight out to Tokyo.
It's been four years, we need to...
We don't need to do anything!
We both did things we're not proud of,
and if could turn back the clock,
I'm sure we'd do it differently.
I can't believe this is happening.
What, you're gonna tell me
that you've completely moved on?
No.
I think about you and me every day.
And it makes me furious.
So, let's fix it. I wanna fix it.
I don't.
Everything okay?
Let's go.
Parmigiano-Reggiano?
Yes, please.
I'm a vegetarian.
Oh, yeah? Since when?
Since I started paying attention
to the thinking, feeling
creatures we share the planet with,
and realized they probably
don't like being eaten.
That's since when.
Well, you can rinse yours off.
Mmm.
Too late. It's tainted.
Mmm. This is really good.
Mm.
Grazie.
What did you put in this?
Ah, it's the Bolognese.
It's taken a while to perfect, but...
Did you know
that almost all beef you
buy at the supermarket
tests positive for E. coli?
- Mm-mm. - Because cows,
when they're slaughtered,
are decapitated. And
when you decapitate a cow,
all the stuff in the
intestines and the stomach
flies out through the neck
hole, all over the body.
And E. coli is found only in excrement.
Basically...
there's shit in your Bolognese.
Okay, Joanie, we are trying to eat.
So am I.
And that's why we all need to
think about the gross, and, like,
inhumane process that we get all
the stuff we consume on our plates.
Well, did you know there's a detectable
level of cow piss in most milk?
You know, I understand. When I was five,
I gave up eggs for a whole year
because I thought when
you cracked the eggs,
that you were killing
little baby chicks,
and every time my dad made an
omelet I would just burst into tears
and just cry for hours.
I'm 14, not five.
She'll grow out of it. It's a phase.
You think this is just a phase?
Okay, Joanie, why don't you take
your plate into the other room
and we'll talk about this tomorrow.
Fine.
I am so sorry.
No. No, no, no. Why? I mean,
I honestly can barely taste
the shit in your spaghetti.
Uh, for me, friendship is...
is very important. I mean, I...
It's not all bits and bytes for me.
And I see a lot of movies
and it would just be nice
to have someone special
to share that with or
talk to about that stuff.
Intimacy, that's... it's... that's nice.
So, listen, um.
I... I really am sorry.
I, um...
- I'll see you at the office.
- Okay.
Joanie.
What the hell was that?
You should have just
let me go the party.
Joanie, just because you
are unhappy does not mean
that you can inflict your
total misery onto everyone else.
- You're so obvious!
- What is that supposed to mean?
You work for Mom and now
Michelle works for you.
You could do better.
You already did once.
Can you believe her?
It's like she ambushed me.
Why does she care so much
about kissing and making up?
We don't even live in
the same country anymore.
She called me.
A few days ago.
Why?
She wanted me to find you...
and bring you some idea.
That's why you're here?
No.
I told her if she wanted to talk
to you, she could do it herself.
I don't even know what the idea was.
I didn't read it and I don't care.
Come on, Cam.
You can trust me.
God, that's terrible.
Hey, I think I figured it out.
You can't beat me. It's...
It's a system. You have
to count in Nim sums.
It's just a trick.
Why...
are you here?
You know why.
Nope.
Tell me.
You.
I came to see you.
We shouldn't be up here.
It's getting late.
I have to leave early tomorrow.
Maybe we should call it a night.
Yeah.
Yeah, we should call it a night.
...lawyer.
Slater, I am impressed.
Spare me.
I want to have at least seven kids!
Oh, great, so I'll have to take
a number to get into the bathroom!
Seven kids? Slater, I don't know.
Consistency.
I can admire that.
Why? Because I'm a good boss.
God, I hate it when Slater does that
stupid turnaround thing with his chair.
I know.
It's like, okay, we get
it, you're the cool jock.
Are you serious?
What?
- You...
- I can't totally commit to a label.
People aren't one thing.
Yeah.
You're right.
All right.
Is it bad this morning?
No, it's fine.
I'm just a little stiff.
Nothing a hot shower won't fix.
This is ridiculous.
I'm making you switch bedrooms with me.
Climbing these stairs
is totally dumbass.
Yeah. I'm sure that would
work out great for you.
Nice fancy bed, big closet...
Oh, it's really the bathroom I'm after.
Working with you was...
the most fun I ever had in my life.
Okay?
Oh, Cam.
I picked up the phone so many times.
Never actually called, though. Did you?
Well...
I'm here now.
Uh-huh.
Did you even read it?
What?
What I sent Joe. The idea.
He never even showed it to me.
What was it?
_
"Halt and Catch Fire"...
Look me in the eye and tell me
you had nothing to do with the leak.
I had nothing to do with this.
You alienate everybody.
Says the woman that will take any excuse
not to go home to her husband!
Hey!
Cameron, please don't do this.
Cameron gave her heart
and soul to Mutiny.
Two unemployed CEO's both
ousted from our companies.
My company is going public.
Tell me if it's good or bad.
You should move forward
with the NSFNET project.
Donna Emerson,
senior partner.
My God, that does have a ring to it,
doesn't it?
Here.
You know I like redheads, but my God,
that new girl at reception
got a real attitude.
- She make you sign in?
- Well, she damn well did.
Hey, I'm sorry I missed the celebration.
We had a big storm
down in the San Juans.
Wow. I never pegged you
for a Montblanc kind of guy.
Well, I ain't. I thought
it would go with the decor.
Also got that nice little
snowflake thing right on top.
- Thanks, boss.
- Sure.
Jeez.
Hey, you wanna stick around?
Maybe go downstairs, get
a cup of coffee, or...?
Oh, I would love to, but, uh...
I gotta hit the road.
Diane's already up at the Vineyard.
Look, anyway,
congrats.
Oh, say. Are you going
to Comdex this year?
Uh... no. Too much work this year.
Oh, you know, it's a circus
now. Not like it used to be.
It's more trouble than it's worth.
Well...
All right. Hey, now,
that's the good stuff.
Remember, respect the dirty bird
or fear the kickin' chicken.
"Kickin' chicken"?
_
...16-point lead.
...1:09 to go,
14 to nothing...
Morning, Ray.
Mm-hmm.
Amgen's a yes, put it on the tape.
Yeah, I'm not interested, Ray.
Pass.
Pass.
Pass.
The guy's hunting elephants
but bagging pigeons, Ray.
Pass.
Pass, Ray.
What's your position on Lam Research?
All right, set up a limit order.
I'm not interested. You
know I'm long on telecom.
That's all.
Look, we'd just prefer
if it was you coming
out, even for one night.
Guys, you're in great hands.
Elias will make sure that
CaminoWare is the talk of Comdex.
- Wait, wait, wait...
- And by the time you're back in San Jose,
I'll have the table set
for your Series B financing.
How does that sound?
All right.
Well, we should go pack.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh, Jesus, guys, I've
got your Heinekens.
Whatever you do, don't
do that at Comdex.
Okay, thanks.
It was really sweet of you.
Hey, Donna. This is your area of
expertise. Settle a bet for me.
This fellow thinks the feds are
gonna deregulate all of NSFNET by '91.
Gordon Clark, this here is...
Donna. Donna Emerson.
Nice to meet you.
Yeah, so I said the
goddamn federal government
can't even deliver my
Playboys without some creep
swiping them every other month.
'93 at the earliest.
Well, there's a senator in Tennessee.
He's a real dog with
a bone on this thing.
- Oh, you seem really sure of yourself.
- I am.
And you know, for a long time I wasn't.
And then this... weight was
suddenly lifted off of me.
What kind of weight exactly?
Like someone poured cement
in a bunch of bowling balls
and then strapped those bowling balls
onto a big fat circus man
and then he climbed this ladder...
- And then stood on your shoulders?
- You get it.
I do! I cut loose a ball
and chain of my own recently.
- Mm.
- Very liberating.
So, what now? Just
casual sex and cosmos?
- Casual sex and martinis.
- Mm.
Oh, but "casual" makes
it sound boring, lazy.
I'd rather go with "hot and dirty" sex.
Speaking of, what are you doing later?
Mm. Hot date, sorry.
We'll settle the bet later.
Yes, we will.
Who was that?
I don't know.
So, congratulations, it's official.
Donna Emerson. You really couldn't
stand being a Clark, could you?
Emerson has three syllables.
It's got stature, you know?
Plus, it takes up more
space on the sign, so.
Well, my name, your dad's
name... what's the difference?
We should probably get a move on if
we want to get our reservation, Gordo.
Um, yeah. Uh, Michelle, this is Donna.
- Donna, this is Michelle.
- Oh, of course.
Hi. Nice to meet you.
You as well.
Um, let me just close out my tab?
Sure, yeah. I'm gonna grab my coat.
It was... It was nice meeting you.
Gordo?
Ms. Emerson.
She seems nice.
She is.
Hey, can you watch Joanie on Friday?
Haley's still at space
camp and, you know,
Joanie just listens to
CDs and makes collages.
You really don't have to do anything.
Look, Diane's at the Vineyard,
Elias is at Comdex, Gilson's useless,
so, the whole company's on my shoulders.
I just thought I'd ask.
Suck it up. It's your turn.
- Yeah?
- Joe.
It's Donna.
Donna Clark.
How have you been?
You shouldn't have this number.
All right, look, I'll cut to the chase.
Are you going to Comdex?
What do you want, Donna?
Cameron will be there.
I want to send you something...
to give to her... a memo.
You want me to go to Comdex
to give Cameron...
a memo?
Just read it.
If it makes the same impression
on you as it made on me,
you'll be on the next plane to Vegas.
If you want to get in
touch with Cameron so bad,
why are you calling me, not her?
You know why.
Joe, this thing is perfect for her.
Just... read it. You'll see.
I can't help you. Good-bye, Donna.
_
Mrs. Howe-Rendon?
Hi.
I almost didn't recognize you.
I expected you'd be
wearing a leather jacket
and have bunch of tattoos.
Like in Space Bike.
We're different people.
Of course.
Oh.
Let's get you set up.
They fly you all the
way out from the Orient
just for this?
Amazing.
Here it is.
- Whoa.
- Yeah.
Hi, I'm Tracy.
Hi, Tracy.
They told me not to sit on the
bike because I might crush it.
That's probably good advice.
You've got a few minutes to settle
in before the signing starts.
Oh, yeah.
Here's your lunch.
As you requested,
a bean and cheese burrito.
Thank you.
I've been in Japan for four years.
Oh.
Mmm.
If I had to choose one
word to describe myself,
I guess I would say, um, "seeker."
Yeah, you know? And, uh...
And "giver." Yeah.
I mean, I'm a tech professional
but I'm not just bits and bytes.
I own a regional network
that's part of NSFNET,
which connects researchers
to the National Science Foundation
super-computing center,
via T-1 backbone through
a Unix-based rout...
Look,
let's just say I do well for myself.
Fun is very important to me,
and listen, if, you know, it's casual,
you know, it stays
casual, I'm okay with that.
And if it becomes
something more than casual
then I'm okay with that too. Yeah.
And I like camping.
I really like camping.
Do... do you like camping?
Recently, I've gotten into
fine cuisine, uh, cooking.
But, like, really doing it.
You get to cook something,
and then you look at it,
and you think, "I made this!"
And then you get to
eat it and then move on.
That makes me happy.
My, uh, name... Can
I look into the thing?
- Uh, my name is Gordon...
- Joanie?
number 108A-2...
Joanie, that is private.
Mm. Yeah. Making a video that screams
"I need to get laid" is totally private.
"Get laid"? Who taught you that?
Dad, I know kids in
school giving handjobs
in the parking lot. I'm not a kid.
No, you don't. And yes, you are.
All right. Now, what time am
I taking you to this party?
- It starts at 9:00.
- Can I take you a little earlier?
My date... Okay.
I'm cooking dinner for someone
and she'll be here at 7:30.
Yeah, but Jennifer is
seeing Child's Play 2 at 6:30
to go stalk Bobby Ostoff.
So, she probably won't
even be back until 8:30.
The party's at Jennifer's?
Mom said I could go.
Yeah, well, Mom told me that
Diane was out of town all week.
You can't go to a party if
there aren't any parents there.
- You know that.
- But Mom said!
Joanie, when you're staying with me,
- I make the decisions.
- God!
- Joanie?
- Ugh!
Thanks.
Right, okay, so I've
got some banging ideas
for Space Bike 5.
Okay, so there's this...
there's this space goldfish...
Fantastic! So, just pay over there.
- Hi, I'm Jessica.
- Hey.
Alex.
You two going to the
Atari keynote later?
- Yeah.
- Good.
Don't let boys like that push
their way in front of you.
- Okay.
- Okay.
Okay.
Can you make it out to "Joe"?
Yeah, it's just a really
amazing culture, you know?
Do you even speak Japanese?
Ooh.
That means, "I don't want
the shrimp with the heads on."
It's a very useful phrase in Tokyo.
So, you're gonna stay?
Maybe, yeah.
It's... I don't know,
we've really settled in.
It was weird at first.
Like, alien, you know?
And that's what Space
Bike 2 was all about.
It was just, Tom was working a ton
and I was wandering around
this strange city feeling lost.
And then...
I don't know, one day I just
decided to give myself over to it.
Just like that, like
a... like a switch...
flicked in your brain?
Yeah.
It's just, you go through life
and you have this idea of who you are,
and what you do, and then...
you discover it's total bullshit.
It's a defense mechanism,
and once you stop defending
yourself you can be
all these other things, and that...
- Yeah.
- seems totally cheesy.
No, it's not.
I still suck at using chopsticks.
So, what are you doing here?
Are you still consulting?
I'm thinking about
getting back into that,
if the gig is right.
It's amazing how much
changes in just a few years.
And how much stays the same.
So, what do you think?
What should I see?
Oh, uh...
Well, you can skip all the laptops.
They're just variations on a theme.
Uh... the Microsoft booth is "ugh."
Gates' speech is overrated.
Just get the transcript.
Oh, Phillips just
released a recordable CD
and Adobe added some cool stuff
to this thing called Photoshop.
So...
Yeah, great.
That's interesting.
Yeah.
Well, God, it was...
it was great to see you,
and, uh, this was a lot of fun.
Wait. Are those...
those guys from '83
that had that really terrible printer?
You convinced them you were from IBM?
Oh!
Yeah. We bought out
their suite for the Giant.
That suite came with
that free seafood tower.
Hey, what are you doing?
Offering, uh, fully-integrated
TypeKit compatibility
while our superior heat sink
ensures that your...
presentation won't drown,
but rather, float...
Into the sky.
Moreover, paper jams can scram...
- That just happens.
- Um...
meaning that you can
sit back and relax....
And enjoy the flight... the
flight of your data, that is,
due to transfer speeds so fast
that you'll think your documents were...
Come on. Come on, Petey.
There's a little breeze.
Get your hand in front of it.
Use your backhand.
On fire.
Cool, cool, cool.
So, it's called the,
uh, the "S Printer"?
Oh, no, um... "Sprinter."
- Because it prints really fast.
- No space.
It's kind of confusing
with the flame gag, though.
- It's a mixed metaphor.
- "S Printer" does sound better, though.
- Doesn't it?
- Yeah. It's got rigor behind it.
Like the R&D Department was unsatisfied
with models A through R,
and then finally, after
a lot of sweat and tears...
We proudly bring you version S.
Um... it's the Sprinter.
No space.
Hey, do I know you?
Here, help yourself to a
lighter. No, just one, please.
- Oh, that's a lot.
- Good luck, guys.
- Not all of...
- She took so many.
Just one, please, one.
- Hey. Michelle.
- Hi. Hi.
What you got, what's...
Oh, it uh,
it says "kiss the cook"
but in binary code.
So, uh.
Oh. Well.
It smells great.
That's the Bolognese.
You know, a lot of people
think that pasta's Italian,
but it actually originated in China.
- Huh.
- Yeah, 1100 B.C.
You're taking me to the party. I
left a message on Mom's service.
- She's gonna tell you to let me go.
- Um, Joanie?
- This is Michelle.
- Hi.
Michelle, this is my
lovely daughter, Joanie.
- Hello.
- Hey.
I, uh... I like your shirt.
It's very... cultural.
Do you like culture?
What's it, um, say?
Well, "shonen" is Japanese for "boy."
So, it means "boy knife."
Huh.
"Boy knife" means "dick."
- Hmm.
- Um, do you want some wine?
Mm-hmm.
I wonder how high you'd have to be up
for your spit to actually kill someone.
Okay, let's see what we got.
Ooh.
What do you think?
Oh, I wouldn't. They
make your ass look big.
Oh, okay.
Here are the rules.
Four rows of lighters.
When it's your turn,
you can take as many
or as few as you want, as long
as they're from the same row.
The person who ends up
with the last lighter loses.
You wanna go first or second?
Mm, bold.
Is there anything on
the floor catch your eye?
No, I'm going whole hog on the Sprinter.
Those guys really have
their finger on the pulse.
Actually it was...
it was all pretty overwhelming.
You know, if you look closely,
there are some diamonds in those dorks.
Would you really wish me on anyone?
You lose.
You go first this time.
Hey, I knew what I was doing,
you know, when we worked together.
And Mutiny took a
nosedive all on its own,
didn't need you to
screw that one up for us.
And Gordon,
would be the first to admit
that he made his own bed.
Yeah, but...
But Ryan, right?
Yeah, Tom and I were...
leaving for Japan when we heard.
At first I was...
angry.
At you...
and at him.
And at myself...
for all these things
I never said to him.
Then I realized
there was nothing anyone
could have done about it.
Not you and not me.
- You don't know that.
- Neither do you.
You're not that powerful.
So, eventually, my anger
turned into sadness,
and...
that's fine, that's healthy.
I mean, yes, be sad.
But Jesus, stop blaming yourself.
I win.
This isn't about Ryan.
It's, um...
I'm just saying I don't
think you should...
deprive the world of what you do.
Okay.
What is it that I do?
It's so hard...
to bring about actual change.
Real change.
The whole world
conspires to stop that from happening.
But you bring people together.
You... create change.
I think that that's...
really great.
Hey, so I have this
Atari party that I have to go to
that would be so much
more fun if you would come
and get drunk with me.
What, so I can fend off your groupies?
Exactly.
Mm.
I'm not really dressed
for that kind of thing.
Okay.
Well...
Okay.
Now I'm ready.
The future's so bright.
Anyways, back to the important stuff.
Do you know why most
people screw up their pasta?
- Here we go.
- Not salting the water enough.
You know, it should
taste like the ocean.
You know, when properly portioned,
salt will not make food taste salty,
but instead will enhance the
flavors that are already present.
It's for me. It's my mom.
She's a partner at a VC firm so
she has her own messaging service.
Mom?
Joanie, I got your
voicemail. What's going on?
You made it sound like World
War III from your message.
Yeah, Dad won't let me go to
the party, which is bullshit
because you explicitly
told me I could go.
I'm sure he has good reasons, Bug.
There is no good reason
why I should be stuck here
making pasta from scratch with freaking
Chef Boyardee and some random lady.
Is it that Michelle woman?
Bingo-rama. She works for Dad.
Look, when you're at
Dad's house, his word goes.
You know the rules.
- Can you just talk to him?
- No, I don't have time...
Dad! Mom wants to talk to you.
So, what grade are you in?
You know, I'm gonna,
like, go in a second.
You don't have to talk to me anymore.
Donna, I don't wanna have
this conversation right now.
- Neither do I.
- She wants to go over to Jennifer's
and there's not gonna
be any parents there.
I already told her that
she has to listen to you.
She just put you on the phone
because she thought we'd fight
and she'd come out on top.
Since when do you make pasta?
Oh, well, I-I...
I took a cooking class.
Ah.
My parents got divorced
when I was little, too,
so, I know it stinks.
But it gets better.
All right, you're, uh, you're not going.
So, even with a conservative
estimate of the licensing fees
for the voice-recognition component,
we'll be in three million domestic
refrigerator-freezers by the end of Q3.
And I'll hit profitability by Q4.
So, what is it you do?
- I think this is definitely him.
- I think it's him!
Listen, man, we hereby
confer upon you...
Uh, Bob.
Bob!
...the greatest honor of Comdex '90:
the Party Pitch Swami
and a Vanquisher of Earthly Tedium.
And we proudly present to you...
This...
100% synthetic
ergonomically designed OSHA-approved
Cisco wrist rest.
Live the life of your words, Bob.
Hey.
You want a refill?
Yeah!
Jesus, my refills want refills!
I love Space Bike!
Oh! I love you!
Cameron?
Cameron!
How are you? How's Japan?
What are you doing here?
You know, I just...
came to make an appearance
at the parties, and...
Okay...
Look, I...
I came to see you.
I don't know why you would do that.
Well, because I've got this...
There's this thing.
It's really exciting and
I want to show it to you.
- You've got to be kidding.
- Please, just...
Come on, have lunch with me tomorrow.
No, I'm on an early flight out to Tokyo.
It's been four years, we need to...
We don't need to do anything!
We both did things we're not proud of,
and if could turn back the clock,
I'm sure we'd do it differently.
I can't believe this is happening.
What, you're gonna tell me
that you've completely moved on?
No.
I think about you and me every day.
And it makes me furious.
So, let's fix it. I wanna fix it.
I don't.
Everything okay?
Let's go.
Parmigiano-Reggiano?
Yes, please.
I'm a vegetarian.
Oh, yeah? Since when?
Since I started paying attention
to the thinking, feeling
creatures we share the planet with,
and realized they probably
don't like being eaten.
That's since when.
Well, you can rinse yours off.
Mmm.
Too late. It's tainted.
Mmm. This is really good.
Mm.
Grazie.
What did you put in this?
Ah, it's the Bolognese.
It's taken a while to perfect, but...
Did you know
that almost all beef you
buy at the supermarket
tests positive for E. coli?
- Mm-mm. - Because cows,
when they're slaughtered,
are decapitated. And
when you decapitate a cow,
all the stuff in the
intestines and the stomach
flies out through the neck
hole, all over the body.
And E. coli is found only in excrement.
Basically...
there's shit in your Bolognese.
Okay, Joanie, we are trying to eat.
So am I.
And that's why we all need to
think about the gross, and, like,
inhumane process that we get all
the stuff we consume on our plates.
Well, did you know there's a detectable
level of cow piss in most milk?
You know, I understand. When I was five,
I gave up eggs for a whole year
because I thought when
you cracked the eggs,
that you were killing
little baby chicks,
and every time my dad made an
omelet I would just burst into tears
and just cry for hours.
I'm 14, not five.
She'll grow out of it. It's a phase.
You think this is just a phase?
Okay, Joanie, why don't you take
your plate into the other room
and we'll talk about this tomorrow.
Fine.
I am so sorry.
No. No, no, no. Why? I mean,
I honestly can barely taste
the shit in your spaghetti.
Uh, for me, friendship is...
is very important. I mean, I...
It's not all bits and bytes for me.
And I see a lot of movies
and it would just be nice
to have someone special
to share that with or
talk to about that stuff.
Intimacy, that's... it's... that's nice.
So, listen, um.
I... I really am sorry.
I, um...
- I'll see you at the office.
- Okay.
Joanie.
What the hell was that?
You should have just
let me go the party.
Joanie, just because you
are unhappy does not mean
that you can inflict your
total misery onto everyone else.
- You're so obvious!
- What is that supposed to mean?
You work for Mom and now
Michelle works for you.
You could do better.
You already did once.
Can you believe her?
It's like she ambushed me.
Why does she care so much
about kissing and making up?
We don't even live in
the same country anymore.
She called me.
A few days ago.
Why?
She wanted me to find you...
and bring you some idea.
That's why you're here?
No.
I told her if she wanted to talk
to you, she could do it herself.
I don't even know what the idea was.
I didn't read it and I don't care.
Come on, Cam.
You can trust me.
God, that's terrible.
Hey, I think I figured it out.
You can't beat me. It's...
It's a system. You have
to count in Nim sums.
It's just a trick.
Why...
are you here?
You know why.
Nope.
Tell me.
You.
I came to see you.
We shouldn't be up here.
It's getting late.
I have to leave early tomorrow.
Maybe we should call it a night.
Yeah.
Yeah, we should call it a night.
...lawyer.
Slater, I am impressed.
Spare me.
I want to have at least seven kids!
Oh, great, so I'll have to take
a number to get into the bathroom!
Seven kids? Slater, I don't know.
Consistency.
I can admire that.
Why? Because I'm a good boss.
God, I hate it when Slater does that
stupid turnaround thing with his chair.
I know.
It's like, okay, we get
it, you're the cool jock.
Are you serious?
What?
- You...
- I can't totally commit to a label.
People aren't one thing.
Yeah.
You're right.
All right.
Is it bad this morning?
No, it's fine.
I'm just a little stiff.
Nothing a hot shower won't fix.
This is ridiculous.
I'm making you switch bedrooms with me.
Climbing these stairs
is totally dumbass.
Yeah. I'm sure that would
work out great for you.
Nice fancy bed, big closet...
Oh, it's really the bathroom I'm after.
Working with you was...
the most fun I ever had in my life.
Okay?
Oh, Cam.
I picked up the phone so many times.
Never actually called, though. Did you?
Well...
I'm here now.
Uh-huh.
Did you even read it?
What?
What I sent Joe. The idea.
He never even showed it to me.
What was it?
_