S02.E05: Infiltrator

[Tara Ariano]

Cameron and Joe cross paths again, putting Cameron in a tailspin. Meanwhile, Gordon searches for connection as he processes difficult news.

[Primetimer]

Can you keep a secret? Then you're miles ahead of any of the characters on Halt And Catch Fire.

Read the story

[SonofaBiscuit]

Joe = Admiral Eyebrows.  Ha!  Love it.

 

So, it looks like Donna is well on her way to inventing internet dating.  Oh, this show.

 

I do feel quite bad for Gordon (he is soo much better this season than last), but he's a bit dramatic.  When that lady at the club asked him why he wasn't dancing, he responded "I have brain damage.  I think I'm dying."  I'm sorry, it's mean, but I couldn't help but laugh.  Slow down, Gordon.  Nobody said you were dying.  Your symptoms may worsen, but geez, the doctor didn't say this illness was a death sentence!

 

I just can't with Cameron.  "I'm not the same naive girl anymore."  Are we supposed to believe that she was some sweet, innocent girl that Joe took advantage of?  Fuck no.  And then her little tantrum to Bos "I just want everyone to leave Mutiny alone.  It's mine."  I was actually really looking forward to Donna and Cameron this season, but at this point, I wish Donna would walk (and she needs to take Bos with her as well).  I'd love to watch Cameron's life and company implode without those two around running things.

[ketose]

Joe and Cameron deserve each other.

 

I think they were having one of those Mad Men plotlines tonight. Donna did nothing but drink coffee and beer. And she didn't even have to recycle the can.

[minamurray78]

Well, that was 42 min of one awkward moment between two characters to another awkward moment between three characters.

I kinda felt bad for everyone.

And Joe did come clean to both Jacob and Sarah. He’s still trying to do right. Brownie points for that. But I'm still waiting for shoe number two.

Also, now I'm kinda curious about those letters Joe sent to Cam and Gordon, Did any of them actually read them, what did they say?

[allonsyalice]

I really loved the scene in the parking lot between Joe and Cameron. Cameron took all the power in that scene and really quickly. Mindblowing.

I wish Donna and Gordon would talk about things, to be quite honest. Why are they both hiding things?

Joe's gonna mess this up some how.

[Shriekingeel]

I really hope they renew this show again in spite of the microscopic ratings. I have such affection for these characters.

[33kaitykaity]

I hope AMC puts it out of its misery so somebody can come back and do something else.  There are too much unbelievable deus ex machinas for my taste.  I tried, I really did.  Meh.  

[Snowprince]

"I just want everybody to leave Mutiny alone...it's mine".

 

Just keep throwing tantrums like a 2 year old Cameron, you may just get your wish. And you'll be by yourself when/if it all comes crashing down around you. Have to give her props for the meeting though, for a minute there she was actually almost an adult. Hope springs eternal.

 

Joe deserves every one of the lumps he's taking on the penance tour, but he's 1 of those people who always lands on his feet. I think he will again with Mutiny.

 

Grandma is a hoot! No such thing as too much Annette O'Toole in my book.

 

Anybody else get the feeling Gordo is on his "make amends and say goodbye" tour as he contemplates suicide in the wake of his brain damage news?  

[attica]

I knew the tantrum was coming when Cam told Donna 'I'd like a moment alone', but it still made me laugh.  All in the timing.

 

All in the delivery: Huss's line 'I have a cousin'. Holy moly, well played, TH!

 

I hate the use of progressively fatal illnesses as plot lines. Hate 'em.

[AConspiracy]

Who was Gordon with on the phone with near the end? I didn't catch who he was talking to about bringing the kids up to see.

[Cramps]

It seemed like Gordon was taking to his brother about bringing the kids to see his brother and his parents.

[SonofaBiscuit]

I don't think that Gordon is considering killing himself.  I just think he heard "your symptoms may worsen" and immediately jumped to DEATH.  Maybe he should have asked for some specifics there?

 

Gordon did briefly talk about building custom computers in this episode, but would it be safe for him to keep working with all of that hardware in the wake of his bad news?

 

I couldn't believe that Gordon wrote a check for $23,000 without discussing it with HIS WIFE first, and I can't believe that the MIL took it.  I mean, Gordon's money is Donna's, and vice versa, so she's taking that money from her daughter, even though she claimed that Donna didn't owe her a cent.

[2AT]

I knew the tantrum was coming when Cam told Donna 'I'd like a moment alone', but it still made me laugh. All in the timing.

All in the delivery: Huss's line 'I have a cousin'. Holy moly, well played, TH!

I hate the use of progressively fatal illnesses as plot lines. Hate 'em.

I hate the progressively fatal illness as plot line too Attica, especially when the climax is "sorry, misdiagnosis!" I was wrong about Gordon's illness (I thought cancer), but I still think that Donna will get an abortion.

Bos is EVERYTHING! I also loved when he told Cameron that, from a business standpoint, taking out her operating system was the right thing to do. However, in that scene with Lev and the gang, given that Bos clocked a guy in Season One for implying that Joe was gay, I would have expected him to be a little more uncomfortable to say the least. I will say that the writers have shown Bos to be a progressive thinker in spite of being part of the "older generation," so I give that a pass- unlike the whole Joe/Cameron/Simon plot in last season's "Giant" episode that, in my opinion, was totally written from a 2014 perspective.

Wow, Sarah don't take no mess! I like that and I hope that wasn't the end of her this season. I would like to see more.

Edited June 29, 2015 by 2AT

[dubbel zout]

Joe did come clean to both Jacob and Sarah. He’s still trying to do right.

 

I got the feeling Joe told Jacob and Sarah only because he was at the point where he had to, and he could spin it as something positive. I'm not sure Joe doesn't ever not have ulterior motives. I find him inherently untrustworthy in that way.

 

I wish Donna and Gordon would talk about things, to be quite honest. Why are they both hiding things?

 

Donna and Gordon are the worst right now, but no one talks to anyone.

 

Grandma is a hoot! No such thing as too much Annette O'Toole in my book.

 

NGL, I half-expected Grandma and Gordon to start drunkenly making out.  

 

I couldn't believe that Gordon wrote a check for $23,000 without discussing it with HIS WIFE first, and I can't believe that the MIL took it.  I mean, Gordon's money is Donna's, and vice versa, so she's taking that money from her daughter, even though she claimed that Donna didn't owe her a cent.

 

All of that bothered me, too, but Gordon was kind of a badass when he wrote that check ("Let's just call it $23,000, okay?") on the spot.

 

I was surprised the Nintendo mention didn't go any further—it was quite the anvil—but maybe Cameron has enough to deal with at the moment. 

 

All in the delivery: Huss's line 'I have a cousin'. Holy moly, well played, TH!

 

I loved that. Soooo awkward for poor Toby there.

Edited June 29, 2015 by dubbel zout

[scowl]

In Nerd News, it looks like Mutiny is indeed going to whip out a trivial 3D maze program in no time at all. I emailed one of the old programmers I worked with back in 1981. He remembers that we used a CORDIC graphic rotational language library and this allowed us to release a buggy game with 3D vector graphics in only four months. CORDIC is a fast method of doing trig functions on CPU's (like the 6502) that didn't have a multiplication instruction.

[Jordan Baker]

Why was the pregnancy kit in the trash at Mutiny?? Didn't Donna take it at her own house? Was she trying to hide the package from Gordon?

 

I thought the scene in the garage was great, but what struck me (perhaps because I'm on the short side of average) was the contrast between Cameron and Sarah while they were talking to Joe. Cameron isn't much shorter than Joe, but poor Sarah looked like a little kid between them.

 

I'm off to read up on chronic toxic encephalopathy . . .

[Bort]

Why was the pregnancy kit in the trash at Mutiny?? Didn't Donna take it at her own house? Was she trying to hide the package from Gordon?

Donna did take the test at her house. Unless she took a second one later at Mutiny, I would assume she was throwing it away outside her house (although a McDonald's dumpster would have been a better idea).

I thought the scene in the garage was great, but what struck me (perhaps because I'm on the short side of average) was the contrast between Cameron and Sarah while they were talking to Joe. Cameron isn't much shorter than Joe, but poor Sarah looked like a little kid between them.

Lee Pace is 6'5" and Mackenzie Davis is 5'10". They're giants.

[ketose]

Nintendo is going to blow away online gaming over modems. At least I hope so, because I am so sick of Mutiny. It would be funny if the only things that survive are the chat rooms.

[thuganomics85]

So, Gordon really is pretty messed up, huh?  No cure or anything.  Of course, the doctor didn't seem to say that he would actually die, but it sure seems like that is how Gordon is interpreting it.  It really feels like he's now trying to check off some kind of personal bucket list.  I'm guessing the guy he was talking to at the end will be his brother.  Which, from what I saw in the previews, is totally Kevin Rankin which is awesome!

 

Credit to Cameron I guess for listening to Bos, and being mature at the actual meeting and not letting her anger towards Joe mess it up.  She did get to confront him in the parking lot at least, which was nice.  Of course, she then had to go all "I want everyone to leave Mutiny alone.  It's mine!"  She seems to think at times that she is running the damn show all by her lonesome, and doesn't know or want to admit how much Donna and even Bosworth, are stopping things from just imploding.  But, again, the episodes ends with her crying in Tom's arms, so I guess I"m suppose to feel bad for her and everything.  Same old, same old.

 

Continue to love Jacob/James Cromwell.  I like that Jacob does listen to Joe and will back him if he thinks he is going the right direction, but it is clear that he doesn't fully trust him.  It's a good balance: I don't want him to be all "That will do, pig!" with Joe, but I don't him to be one of those characters whose main purpose is just to be a barrier between Joe and his goal.  As long as Joe's goals benefit him too, he's content to let Joe go wild.

 

Of course, now it looks like Sarah "needs space."  Doubt she will be gone for long, since Aleksa Palladino is in the credits and everything, but I have no idea what plan for this character is going to be.  Does Joe actually love her?  With him, I really have no idea.

 

Bosworth continues to be his best.  His reaction to Lev saying he was flirting with a guy was fantastic.  Toby Huss is just killing it.

[scowl]

Gaming on PC's was a pretty big thing through the 90's. During that decade gamers were building custom machines with top of the line CPU's and expensive 3D graphics boards. They often upgraded every few months. I think at some point the standard game consoles became so good that most gamers stopped building machines and went back to playing games. There are far fewer games released for PC's these days.

[Glory]

 Does Joe actually love her?  With him, I really have no idea.

 

I know! In my head, I feel like Joe wants to love her. But he's seriously so fucked up I think he's just playing house and pretending its real love. 

 

I don't think I really want Joe and Cameron together, either, but Tom and Sarah deserve much better than those two head cases. 

[riverheightsnancy]

So, I looked up some stuff on chronic toxic encephalopathy. I knew when I heard the term encephalopathy, that there was likely a chance that it could have outcomes similar to Parkinsons and Alzheimers, I immediately thought Mad Cow disease and that is correct in regards to the impact on the CNS. It appears that exposure to a neurotoxin causes central nervous system issues and like the doc said on the show, in this case it is irreversible. It really depends on the neurotoxin and the length of exposure and severity of exposure. Other factors that can impact how one reacts to the exposure are age (younger children or in utero) are more likely to be severely impacted and depending on the length and severity of exposure to a neurotoxin could cause death in a fetus or such profound CNS issues that the baby may not survive after birth. For older people the toxin may not be as severe, but if the person is under stress or has other issues known or yet unknown, exposure to the toxin can cause some other issues to come forth and those added stressors can cause reaction to the neurotoxin to be more severe. In some forms of this illness, identifying and removing the toxin can reduce the symptoms, but that is completely contingent on the type of toxin that one is exposed to. Anyone who knows someone who had Alzheimer's knows that it is a progressive illness which will kill a person. So, Gordon is not necessarily wrong, although we do not know how long he has. It could be years, but they haven't said anything specific. He could have many, many years, we don't know. The thing that I am really curious about is WHAT neurotoxin was he exposed to? If he was exposed at Cardiff, then others were exposed too. How is he sure that there isn't some continued exposure at home? That is when the symptoms started!!. Generally, these symptoms start pretty quickly because the toxins are very toxic. I hope that they identify it (on the show) and it isn't something that is still in his house. The reason I say that is because if Donna keeps the baby, the fetus could be getting exposed and the CNS is most susceptible to neurotoxins for the greatest length of time during fetal development. If this show goes there with this, then I will be pretty impressed because this is a story theme that I never expected to think about (i.e., the toxicity of components in computers and the potential for harm to humans) with a show about creating a computer. No one really talks about this aspect of technological advances. Here is a website with really in-depth details for those so inclined: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3521923/ 

[attica]

Lee Pace has a convincing post-O face.

[DrSpaceman]

As an actual neurologist I have to say Gordon's storyline is pure Hollywood crap in my opinion. 

 

Never said WHAT toxin.  You aren't making that diagnosis based on history, exam and a few abnormalities on an MRI.  You can't be sure its going to get worse........many toxic exposures stabilize if you at least remove the person from the exposure.  How do you know its a toxin and not his cocaine use damaging his brain?  I thought he said it was lead toxicity, which can actually be treated. 

 

It COULD be a toxic encephalopathy, but for a diagnosis like that, if I am Gordon, I am at the very least getting a second opinion and likely going to a speciality center at a University to get their opinion. 

. 

Edited June 30, 2015 by DrSpaceman

[SonofaBiscuit]

I, too, thought that the doctor confirmed lead as the toxin.  I'm a bit concerned for poor Gordon as I doubt he has any intention of avoiding future exposure by staying away from whatever components contain the toxin (especially since his newest idea is to build computers, and I imagine that at least some of the parts probably contain lead).

[scowl]

Unless Gordon starts eating computer parts or never washes his hands, the lead will not pose a danger to him when building computers.

 

I sometimes wonder about the lead/tin solder I used to build projects as a kid but I didn't directly inhale anything.

[SonofaBiscuit]

Unless Gordon starts eating computer parts or never washes his hands, the lead will not pose a danger to him when building computers.

 

Well, this is Gordon, so you never know, but you're right.  I wasn't thinking.  Merely touching lead isn't a problem, I don't think.  He'd have to ingest it, I guess.  But I thought the doctor specifically mentioned all those years of Gordon working with the toxin, leaving us to infer that this is how he was exposed.  Hmm, are we supposed to conclude that years of inhaling lead solder fumes are what caused his issues?  So confused.  Really, it doesn't matter, so I don't know why I'm even bothering to think about this!

 

I was impressed that Cameron actually acted like a normal, stable human being in the meeting with Joe's future FIL.  She didn't even take the presented opportunity to badmouth Joe.  Instead, she just said that he's a hell of a guy!  But I really hope that the show avoids putting those two back together.  They are at their WORST when they are circling each other.

[Bort]

I sometimes wonder about the lead/tin solder I used to build projects as a kid but I didn't directly inhale anything.

It's not just that, solder spatters and leaves little bits everywhere. Solder stations I used to work at were very explicit about hand washing and not allowing food/drink nearby -- not because they feared spillage, so no one would ingest it.

[ketose]

I work at a place that had solder paste machines, which are generally safe because they have a hoods. Guys like Gordon would have their faces inches from a hot soldering iron back in the days when solder was about 40% lead. The lead is one thing, but boards were also made from some nasty chemicals which got into their air when heated

From my extensive research of reading 2 Wikipedia pages, toxic encephalopathy symptoms can stabilize when the patient is removed from the toxin and makes some lifestyle changes. There are medications to control symptoms as well. The MRI thing is kind of hilarious because MRIs had only started being used in 1982. While it is the standard diagnostic tool for toxic encephalopathy now, it wouldn't have been in 1985 no matter how much money Gordon has.

[Jeffurry]

I'm finally watching this week's episode. Am I the only one who after Donna said, "Joe Who?" shouted out "Joe Mama!"

[Texasmom1970]

I know I am like the lone viewer who thinks this, but I still like Cameron. Temper tantrums and all. Now Captain Eyebrows on the other hand. I like Lee Pace, but he has done a wonderful job as portraying Joe in a way I can't stand him.

Bos is wonderful the look on his face when he found out he was flirting with another guy, priceless. Surely Donna is going to have to either tell Gordon about being pregnant or do somethin soon. She cannot keep up that pace at work and expect to hide her symptoms from him much longer. And vice versa for that matter.

[ketose]

I know I am like the lone viewer who thinks this, but I still like Cameron. Temper tantrums and all. Now Captain Eyebrows on the other hand. I like Lee Pace, but he has done a wonderful job as portraying Joe in a way I can't stand him.

I can understand liking Cameron, but the show is trying to make us love Cameron and make her the center of the show. Her character isn't nearly as bad as the way everyone else seems to coddle her. So far, her accomplishments were writing a BIOS they didn't use and writing a game that's gone stale.

[MissScarlett]

"I just want everybody to leave Mutiny alone...it's mine".

 

Just keep throwing tantrums like a 2 year old Cameron, you may just get your wish. And you'll be by yourself when/if it all comes crashing down around you. Have to give her props for the meeting though, for a minute there she was actually almost an adult. Hope springs eternal.

 

Joe deserves every one of the lumps he's taking on the penance tour, but he's 1 of those people who always lands on his feet. I think he will again with Mutiny.

 

Grandma is a hoot! No such thing as too much Annette O'Toole in my book.

 

Anybody else get the feeling Gordo is on his "make amends and say goodbye" tour as he contemplates suicide in the wake of his brain damage news?  

 

Mistakenly I thought that Cameron and Donna were partners in Mutiny.  Apparently, they are partners only when it suits Cameron.  I don't really like Cameron this season.  I struggle to find sympathy for her and will probably delight when she falls on her ass.

 

I felt bad for both Joe and Gordon.

 

I agree that Joe is experiencing Karma for the things that he has done.  However, it seems that he is really trying to put his best foot forward and make amends for the things he has done.  I too wonder what was put in the letters. I think Sarah left him because of obvious residual feelings between him and Cameron.

 

Poor Gordon just can't seem to catch a break.  You would think bringing home a payout of almost a million dollars would make him feel like he's accomplished something but he just seems lost.  Now, this brain disease.  The fact that Donna is clearly over their marriage.  I am just waiting for her to have an abortion (so she doesn't get "saddled with anymore kids" as Cameron so callously mentioned), meet some guy in online chat and cheat on Gordon.

 

Last season her issue was that Gordon was not present in their marriage or present with their daughters.  Now, he is present and she is not.

 

Bos really wins this show for me.  I love his character and the fact that he is the moral compass, the wisdom and aside from Joe... the only character showing growth.

I'm finally watching this week's episode. Am I the only one who after Donna said, "Joe Who?" shouted out "Joe Mama!"

 

That never gets old! lol

Edited July 5, 2015 by MissScarlett

[tennisgurl]

I still find myself sympathizing with Cameron, but maybe not in the way the show wants me to? Like, when has her "Mutiny is MINE" rants, I think she comes off as a brat, but I think most of the characters can come off as unlikable at times, but I still like watching them, and can sympathize. I just really like them all, even with their various flaws. 

 

I think Joe really is trying to be a better person, but I almost wonder if he is subconsciously playing games still? Like, its something he cant turn off, even when he tries, and Sarah has started to pick up on how messed up he is? 

 

Captain Eyebrows shall be his new name, now and forever. 

[CherryMalotte]

Pace is such a wonderful actor, even when Joe was in his dickish spells last season I still think there's something very vunerable and human there.  When there was the long shot of Sarah walking away from Joe after she tells him she's leaving and going back to Austin, he just slumps - he knows in his bones they probably aren't getting back together.  Great job.

 

Hell, I'd like to hang with Donna's mom - I bet Ms O'Toole is a hoot and a half.   

[ganesh]

I really liked this episode. Probably because all the main chatterers are interacting. Bos really stole the scene with the ”i have a cousin.” His scene with Cameron about how taking out the os was the right call was really good.

I have to roll my eyes at Cameron. She's a bit much. Yes, Mutiny might be yours, but you know you don't know how to run it, and you should really be listening to Donna and Bos. I'm also not buying how bad Joe ”wronged " her so. You did still back out the IBM bios and helped make a successful clone.

Given how they name checked Nintendo, I would think that they're not going to change the history that much, so it may be that Mutiny ends up inventing online dating. They've made a big deal of it over the last two episodes.

[Kel Varnsen]

Watched this last night and noticed that the episode was called Infiltrator. Makes me wonder who the infiltrator is? The only one I can think of is that the old oil baron guy thinks that Joe is trying to infiltrate his company.  It is kind of interesting (and probably planned) that they had The Terminator playing in this episode, since the T-800 Terminator (Arnold's character) is an infiltrator model, which is why they were designed to look like humans.

 

The scene with Gordon and Donna's mom was super uncomfortable. I was surprised she didn't know the exact amount he owed her down to the penny. Although did people really carry around their chequebooks back in the 80's?

 

 I am also starting to wonder why Donna doesn't tell Gordon she is pregnant. Is it just because she loves the work she is doing at mutiny and doesn't want to have to give it up, or is it because she doesn't want to have Gordon's kid?

[Bort]

Although did people really carry around their chequebooks back in the 80's?

Oh yes. I have been trying very hard to break my dad of his old timey habit of check-writing. I told him to pay attention when he's paying at the grocery store because I guarantee that the person behind him in line groans as soon as he pulls out a checkbook. I know I do.

[ketose]

Back then, there were places that didn't take checks. I think this was when credit cards were still run on carbons.

 

I can't see why checks at the grocery store are that bad. You don't even fill them out now.

[scowl]

My checkbooks still have "19__" on them.

[dubbel zout]

I am also starting to wonder why Donna doesn't tell Gordon she is pregnant. Is it just because she loves the work she is doing at mutiny and doesn't want to have to give it up, or is it because she doesn't want to have Gordon's kid?

 

She has two of Gordon's kids already. It might be as simple as not wanting three kids. Both girls are in grade school, so there'd be at least a six-year difference between the youngest and a baby. I doubt the prospect of diapers and night feedings is all that appealing.

[DangerousMinds]

I still have to fill out my checks.

[ganesh]

In the 80s, every mom carried around a checkbook.