S02.E07: Working For The Clampdown

[Tara Ariano]

Gordon and Donna harbor secrets from one another as Gordon launches a new venture. Meanwhile, at Mutiny, an acquisition puts Cameron's principles to the test.

[Primetimer]

Is it possible to append enough number zeroes to the end of a check to make Cameron want to spend any time around Joe?

Read the story

[ketose]

Cameron got to be authentically right this week. Whatever Joe wants to do, it's gonna turn out bad. Joe may not have known the specifics, but he knew something would happen to Mutiny after it was bought. For all Joe's rewriting history to Bos, how exactly were they going to get to COMDEX without that money?

 

As for everyone else, I can see why Cameron was extra pissed at him. Joe killed her personalized OS. Everyone else just had to find another job. That was weird how Joe reminded us that he was a little gay for a while. I guess some Mutiny user invented Catfishing.

 

Well, Gordon is declining ridiculously fast. I assume he will be in a Christopher Pike chair by the end of the season.

[Dowel Jones]

Just recently Cameron/Donna made the proposal to the coders to forego their salaries in exchange for shares in the company.  Do they now have the right to sell their shares independently (their whole business model being rather ephemeral notwithstanding)?

 

Having recently invented broadband, it's nice to see them moving on so quickly to user-supported operating systems.  Touching all the bases.

 

ETA: 

Christopher Pike

 

Now that's a DEEP Star Trek reference.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Dowel Jones

[hincandenza]

You make an interesting point; those who stuck around shouldn't have been that surprised about how much of the company Cameron owned, since they were offered (and one would presume, off-screen with some actual document/contract) shares in the company.  It's actually far-fetched that the goofballs wouldn't push her to sell; that's a ~$50K payout to a lot of them, if I understand that 1% comment correctly, or about $110K in today's dollars as a "bonus" basically- plus they get to keep their job at a 64% raise of their original pay, over the $0 they earn now, and work on a platform that can stretch nationwide.  That Jacob West wanted to not go all in on the gaming aspect but rather focus on the community... I have the benefit of 30 years of foresight, but he's not wrong, and it's not like Mutiny would be prohibited from making games, just that they wouldn't make it the focus of advertising and recruitment.

 

Wheres Cameron's plan is to... fail, I guess when they lose their mainframe time after rejecting the deal, and go back to a dwindling customer base running on jerry-rigged hardware that catches fire all the time?  I am showing the pragmatism of my age, I suppose, and I get that Joe was uncharacteristically forthcoming about how Cameron would basically be struggling with a new boss, but honestly... you take the deal and suck it up.  Cameron could start her own new gaming software company to make whatever she dreams of with that kind of cash (although presumably any acquisition would include non-competes and gradual payouts of the signing amount contingent on staying for N years). 

 

I'm also confused; there are about 6-8 employees now besides Cameron and Donna, yet if Cameron has 90% ownership and those guys would get ~1% each... what exactly did Donna have?  Was she taking all that crap from Cameron all this time, with only a 1% or less ownership stake?!  Or does she have the other 10%, and the contract was for purely a bonus to the rank-and-file equal to 1% of the purchase price?  These last few weeks, she wasn't even getting paid, and was dipping into her own bank account to help fund them during the downtimes... why on earth would she do all that if she wasn't on some level a partner with 15-20% stake minimum?  It's an interesting thing that Joe and Jacob West were most taken with the community aspect- the thing Donna's been pushing for against Cameron all season. 

 

I think the show wants me to believe Cameron is right to not sell (out), but this pretty much vindicates Donna: it was her baby that is the most interesting to people, and which got them a sweet $5M deal.  If they'd sold, she in particular could thrive by focusing on how to expand community, and (assuming the writers just made a math error and she has a meaningful stake) her payout would make her and Gordon true millionaires.  Which would have been a good thing, since clearly their family will need to focus on themselves and their medical issues since clearly Gordon is getting worse.

[attica]

I got the sense that the director had a bit of a time blocking/shooting the scene between Jacob and Boz, who are, shall we say, differently heighted. But bless the actors who leaned right in, making the height differential pay off in terms of a power dynamic. Well played.

 

I dunno, having Joe talk about being gay-baited in school and then having him assert that Cam and Sarah are his serial soul mates kind of clanked for me. I think the writers want it both ways; I don't think they succeeded this time out.

[dubbel zout]

it's not like Mutiny would be prohibited from making games, just that they wouldn't make it the focus of advertising and recruitment.

 

Would the games even be supported? It sounded to me like West wasn't interested in the games at all because he thought Nintendo would be the next big platform.

 

I think the show wants me to believe Cameron is right to not sell (out),

 

Same here, but Cameron is such a terrible boss and so unwilling to give up any authority that I don't see how Mutiny can survive. Anyone who invests is going to make demands, and Cam reflexively says no even if there's no problem. It's kind of tiring to watch her bitch and moan about her vision being ignored.

 

I got the sense that the director had a bit of a time blocking/shooting the scene between Jacob and Boz, who are, shall we say, differently heighted.

 

Toby Huss is 6', so he's not exactly short, but across from the 6'7" James Cromwell, you need to be Lee Pace not to look teeny.

Edited July 13, 2015 by dubbel zout

[attica]

Toby Huss is 6'

 

That...surprises me. I see it's what the internets say, but it wouldn't be the first time an actor's height is [coughCruisecough] overstated. ;)

[Yolapukka]

I've got mixed feelings about Cameron's rejection of the offer; on the one hand, she's not wrong to reject something that will essentially gut the central premise of her company, on the other hand though, her company is potentially doomed, they could very well lose their mainframe time, and what Joe didn't tell her when he undermined Jacob's offer was that Jacob was also considering buying up the property Mutiny was renting, They could find themselves with no place to call home in a short time. On top of that, she could very well see her staff start to bail now that they've had to miss out on a very generous offer that would have put more money in their pockets and made their time at Mutiny a distinguished part of their resumes. I think either way, sell or not, Mutiny is if not doomed, certainly unlikely to be much more than a footnote, not unlike The Giant. It is overdue for her to acknowledge openly that for all her past warm and fuzzies about no titles, no structure, that she is indeed the person in charge, not just when it suits her to put on her boss hat for a few minutes, however her timing is not great.

 

I really do be believe Joe was being genuine when he warned her off, but it was also all about Joe, his need to atone for their differences, his urge to step away from proving himself to Jacob and pursuing his ambitions in order to maintain his relationship with Sarah.

[dubbel zout]

Toby Huss is 6'

That...surprises me. I see it's what the internets say, but it wouldn't be the first time an actor's height is [coughCruisecough] overstated. ;)

 

Hee. I think his height is accurate—he's a bit taller than Mackenzie Davis, who's 5'10".

 

I really do be believe Joe was being genuine when he warned her off, but it was also all about Joe, his need to atone for their differences, his urge to step away from proving himself to Jacob and pursuing his ambitions in order to maintain his relationship with Sarah.

 

Even when he's helping other people, Joe is always about Joe. It's incredible how he makes that work for him.

Edited July 13, 2015 by dubbel zout

[SonofaBiscuit]

Maybe I'm awful, but I'm hoping that Mutiny is a complete and utter failure, and all of these people walk away with nothing (except for Donna and Tom).  I guess it would make me a sellout or whatever, but I would have taken the deal.  Pass up $5 Million, new hardware, nice offices, a 64% salary increase, etc.?  No way!  You take the money, and walk away in a few years if you have to.  But then Cameron would actually have to be a responsible adult with a job, so I guess that's a no go.  

 

I had to laugh at Cameron going on about how Mutiny is their company, blah blah blah, and then we find out that no, 90% of it belongs to her.  Like I said last week, Donna needs to bail - she smart and has great ideas.  She doesn't need Mutiny!

 

Speaking of not needing Mutiny... Mutiny needs James Cromwell, but James Cromwell doesn't need Mutiny.  They won't sign the contract and take the deal, so all he needs to do is steal the community idea, pour money into that, and have someone else develop it for him.  How about someone like Yo-Yo?  And then it's goodbye Mutiny!

 

 

[attica]

Hee. I think his height is accurate—he's a bit taller than Mackenzie Davis, who's 5'10".

 

Oh, all right, dub. I yield.

[thuganomics85]

Bosworth and Jacob meet!  It was very brief, but I was glad we at least got a little bit of James Cromwell and Toby Huss together. Always great when two pros like them get to interact for a scene or two.

 

Not surprised that Cameron didn't sell at the end, although her briefly considering it was surprising, until Joe told her what was really going to happen.  I have no idea if I'm suppose to agree with her or not, but I have to think that things are not going to end well for Mutiny.  While I'm not sure Jacob was completely right (I actually think Joe was onto something with focusing on a game and then spring it into bumping up their community), he is right to be concerned over Nintendo entering into the picture, and I do think that is going to really put a dent in Mutiny's games.  And Cameron continues to treat the community aspect like it's inferior, so I don't see her changing that mindset.

 

I'm glad Cameron finally just dropped the whole "democracy" bullshit, because seriously: it was way too obvious that Cameron practically thinks she single-handily runs the damn show, and everyone else is just working for her and should stay out of her way (expect Donna, Tom, and John. And that's whenever they agree with her, of course.)  At least this is all out in the open.  Embrace it, Cameron!  You are the one that knocks!

 

Meanwhile, Joe is apparently going to leave the company now, in order to prove to Sara (she's back!), that he isn't the same old Joe.  I wish I could care, but I don't.  Plus, I think Jacob won't make it easy.

 

Gordon isn't looking very good, folks.  At least he got one order in!

[mjc570]

I enjoyed the episode, since everybody pretty much acted consistently with their characters, but there was some movement (Gordon telling Donna, the whole Mutiny thing).  I have to say, though, that I was totally distracted by Ton's obvious lip coloring. Come on, makeup artists! 

[Kel Varnsen]

Speaking of not needing Mutiny... Mutiny needs James Cromwell, but James Cromwell doesn't need Mutiny.  They won't sign the contract and take the deal, so all he needs to do is steal the community idea, pour money into that, and have someone else develop it for him.  How about someone like Yo-Yo?  And then it's goodbye Mutiny!

That would be the old Kevin O'Leary (Shark Tank) trick where he would say why would I spend 5 million on Mutiny, when you only have a relatively small number of (probably local) users when for the same 5 million I can set up my own competing company using my computer resources and crush you? Especially since all he wants is community, which means no need for game designers, and if he sets up his own version, he can kick Mutiny off his network. In that kind of scenario I am not sure it is worth 5 million just to get the Mutiny name, their library of games and the employees/Cameron.

 

Also watching the episode, why did it seem to take the coder guys so long to put the ripped up offer sheet back together. The thing couldn't have been in more than 30 pieces. My daughter could put together 30 piece puzzles when she was 3. 

 

Also speaking of the coders, why is that one guy always wearing a laser tag helmet. Did those helmets even fit adults?

Edited July 14, 2015 by Kel Varnsen

[Cramps]

If Domna barely owns any of the company, and Cameron isn't interested in Community, why doesn't Donna start her own company?

Edited July 14, 2015 by Cramps

[dubbel zout]

I don't think Donna wants that much responsibility. If Cameron were less controlling, she'd concentrate on the game side, as that's her interest, and give Donna free reign over the community part of Mutiny.  I wonder if West will try to hire Donna away to do just that. It would be an interesting test of Donna's loyalties.

[scowl]

With almost no technical stuff in this episode, I couldn't find the energy to follow another Joe vs. Cameron story. Cameron is a liar, a drama queen, a nightmare boss and a worthless businesswoman. She need to go back to writing code in a basement. 

 

How long will Gordon's business last when any company can do the same thing?

 

Except for Gordon's soap opera disease, the show is constantly dropping last week's crisis and creating a new one for each episode.

[gryphon]

 SonofaBuscuit wrote:

 

"They won't sign the contract and take the deal, so all he needs to do is steal the community idea, pour money into that, and have someone else develop it for him.  How about someone like Yo-Yo?"

 

 

I miss YoYo.  I really don't care about the Joe/Sara story.  Is Mutiny really that secure that they can afford not to sell?  How many subscribers do they have now....I have no idea how it's staying afloat. 

[dubbel zout]

Is Mutiny really that secure that they can afford not to sell?

 

It's not about security, it's about Cameron's inability to give up any sort of control of her company. She thinks it's selling out. Which, of course, it is, but given how terrible a manager she is, there's no way the company can grow and expand if she doesn't allow outside investment. And outside investment almost always means outside say in how things are done.

Edited July 14, 2015 by dubbel zout

[orza]

It's not about security, it's about Cameron's inability to give up any sort of control of her company. She thinks it's selling out. Which, of course, it is, but given how terrible a manager she is, there's no way the company can grow and expand if she doesn't allow outside investment. And outside investment almost always means outside say in how things are done.

It's not selling out it's just selling. Cameron has personalized the company and made it an extension of herself so she is not able to realistically assess her position and make responsible business decisions. For a split second she was actually considering selling the company and doing right by all the people who work at Mutiny, until she heard that Jacob was interested in Mutiny for the community, not the gaming side. She took it as a personal affront.

[SonofaBiscuit]

It's frustrating to watch Cameron be offered  $5 million for an idea that wasn't even hers, and was something she wanted to scrap on top of that!  Meanwhile, Donna, the brains behind community, is saddled with an unwanted pregnancy (which was terminated, yes) and a sick husband.  I know, I know, it's that old chesnut "life's not fair," but I really want Cameron to fail and Donna to come out on top. 

[scowl]

Last season I was willing to put up with Cameron's antics and hope she succeeded, mainly because Joe was the epitome of an insane boss that always had some new impossible requirement every week, even if it contradicted last week's impossible requirement. This show has done a damn good job of making Cameron even worse than Joe who at least had some direction. These developers must feel they have no future in the software industry to put up with this madness at little or no pay. 

 

Send my resume back in time to Donna.

[ganesh]

Cameron could start her own new gaming software company to make whatever she dreams of with that kind of cash (although presumably any acquisition would include non-competes and gradual payouts of the signing amount contingent on staying for N years).

 

I know. Seriously. Take your money and maybe ask Bos for some financial help to invest it. Write some games on the side, when the non-compete is up, you're in a better position than you started. 

 

Really though, with Nintendo and Atari, even Cameron has to know her market share for online gaming is slim. And, the chat rooms are something new and unique. There's nothing wrong with that. I know she's not a genius business sense, but after this long, I'd think she'd think about some more long term options. 

 

It's fair to me mad. They ripped out your OS. It happened. I think it's long enough now to move on though. She can't get over it, and everyone's going to be moving past her. 

 

Same here, but Cameron is such a terrible boss and so unwilling to give up any authority that I don't see how Mutiny can survive.

 

Nor any business model. And that's fine. That's what Bos is for. Kick Joe out of the room, and listen to what Donna and him have to say.

 

I'm not saying she's OOC, but I've seen enough of this now. 

 

But then Cameron would actually have to be a responsible adult with a job, so I guess that's a no go.

 

She was ranting on and on about having to wear a tie to work. I presume that the offer included language about staying in the house. I mean, read it at least. That little speech was just ignorant to me. 

 

It would be an interesting test of Donna's loyalties.

 

No, it wouldn't. Donna would negotiate something fair, like a pay cut for working from home, creative control over the chat room, or a higher per cent of the shares. With Gordon's illness, she'd take financial stability in a second. She'd feel bad about it, but she'd do it. Cameron wasn't interested in the chat rooms at all, talked behind her back about her husband, and yelled at her in front of everyone numerous times. The show might make her agonize over it, but this would be a slam dunk.

[AllyB]

I just can't get over Cameron owning 90% of the company. I know it was just my assumption but I always figured that for what she was putting into it, Donna would have something like a 30% stake. Without that sort of stake, why the hell was she putting her family's money into the company? Why wouldn't she have just accepted that Cameron wanted to cut Community and then go strike out on her own? Why would she even have thought she had the authority to demand Cameron stop making unilateral decisions? Because as much as Cameron is a bad company owner, if it's 90% her company, she can hire whoever the hell she wants. If Donna isn't a partner of significant standing, she doesn't get a say in who Cameron hires.

 

I do quite like this show but I don't feel like the writers think things through enough. Instead of seeing a show with logical character progression we are treated nearly each week to Mutiny either being pioneers of or outright inventing another mainstay of 21st century tech. It's irritating. Especially when last season's wunderkind Cameron's OS wasn't actually something that took off. The only 'computers' I've ever owned that have any kind of conversation with the user are my son's Vtech and Leapfrog learning toys. Joe was right in his speech at Comdex, adults don't want to be friends with their computers, they just want them to carry out the required functions as quickly and as easily as possible. Cameron got that very wrong but she is still utterly married to the idea and resents everyone who questions her vision.

[Kel Varnsen]

It's not about security, it's about Cameron's inability to give up any sort of control of her company. She thinks it's selling out. Which, of course, it is, but given how terrible a manager she is, there's no way the company can grow and expand if she doesn't allow outside investment. And outside investment almost always means outside say in how things are done.

Which really makes me wonder where she is going to go after passing on the deal. I would have to assume that saying no means that there is no more sweet deal for the oil company's network. So is it back to running Mutiny off of the computers in her closet? Plus if Jacob did want to start his own company, what is stopping him from poaching all of Mutiny's employees who would have voted yes to the deal (and aren't currently getting paid and whose share value just took a huge hit). 

 

Really though, with Nintendo and Atari, even Cameron has to know her market share for online gaming is slim. And, the chat rooms are something new and unique. There's nothing wrong with that. I know she's not a genius business sense, but after this long, I'd think she'd think about some more long term options. 

As someone mentioned in a previous episode thread, Cameron's market share is also pretty much limited to her local area.  I mean is anyone going to be calling long distance from another part of the US to play tank battle or even Parallax? 

 

It's fair to me mad. They ripped out your OS. It happened. I think it's long enough now to move on though. She can't get over it, and everyone's going to be moving past her.

 

I'm still kind of confused. Is she mad about the fact that they didn't use her operating system or is she mad about how her relationship with Joe ended?

[ganesh]

I think both. I think in the end, she felt used up and thrown out, whether by Joe or the building the computer. And, like I said, it's fine to be mad about it. The OS was really cool. 

 

Bos told her a couple of episodes ago that it was the right call to make and that she needs to get over it. I was expecting that to happen, even if slowly. TPTBs really seemed to have dropped the ball with Cameron and Bos. They had the beginnings of a good father/daughter relationship with the letters and her revealing her real name, etc., but it hasn't seemed to go anywhere. Bos could be a really valuable member of Mutiny, but he just hasn't done much. 

 

People don't always grow and that's fine. But this is tv, and with Cameron it's been the "oh, here she goes again". Not for anything, Donna is an adult. So am I. There's no way a 20 y/o kid yells at me like that. You don't have to yell back, but you can explain privately how her behavior isn't appropriate especially in front of everyone. 

 

There's a whole sloppiness here. And I like the show, but I'm kind of eyerolling Cameron. Not because I don't like her, but I think she is better than this, and her friends, like Bos, aren't stepping in to help much. 

[Hanahope]

So if Jacob isn't interested in games, which is what the majority of Mutiny 'employees' are doing, what buy the company? If all he really wants is Community, just go to Donna, she's the one that came up with that idea.  If he wants the 'brain power' of the Mutiny 'employees', then he needs to make an offer to them individually.  Cameron obviously isn't interested, and if she sold the company/herself to Jacob believing one thing and then finding out the job would be completely different, she's the type that would sabotage the company rather than continue to work for it like a good employee.  So it really makes no sense why Jacob would try to buy Mutiny, or really even want to.  I'm also fairly certain that the nerd-herd that works for Mutiny are not the only computer geeks around who could figure out the broadband proto-type.

 

And yeah, while we are all very familiar with Nintendo, which has definitely stood the test of time with its various products, there certainly was a time in the 90s when PC-computer games were very popular and shortly after that on-line PC computer games exploded with Ultima, Everquest and WoW, which were very popular in the late 90s-00s.  So simply saying 'why do this when Nintendo will do all' is not completely correct.

[Glory]

And yeah, while we are all very familiar with Nintendo, which has definitely stood the test of time with its various products, there certainly was a time in the 90s when PC-computer games were very popular and shortly after that on-line PC computer games exploded with Ultima, Everquest and WoW, which were very popular in the late 90s-00s.  So simply saying 'why do this when Nintendo will do all' is not completely correct.

I got the impression Jacob was looking at in the short term. In the next 6 months we'll focus on Community because we're not going have something ready to go to market before the holiday blitz and Nintendo-mania begins. 

[orza]

Jacob doesn't know that Donna is the brains behind community. He is assuming that Cameron, as the owner of the company, is fully behind everything Mutiny does. He has no idea that Cameron barely tolerates community and is just looking for an excuse to toss it overboard. Jacob also probably assumes that, like many startups, Cameron is the big creative talent and the other guys are supporting players so he really needs her to make the deal worthwhile. I can't remember if Joe knows that Donna created community and keeps it going. Jacob just knows Cameron from that one meeting where she miraculously pulled it together long enough to give the impression that she is a normal, rational adult. Joe sure isn't gonna tell him that Cameron is stuck in the bratty teenager stage.

Edited July 15, 2015 by orza

[DrSpaceman]

So it was a crappy thing for Jacob to pull, but really, from a business standpoint, getting rid of the online gaming is the right move.  Nintendo is about to take off and dominate gaming.  The type of games and service Mutiny is offering right now (meaning in the current show time, mid to late 1980s) simply is not that feasable with the technology at the time to compete with Nintendo and home gaming systems.  I am sure they could eek out a company for awhile in a niche market, but turning down $5millon for that? 

 

She could take the $5million, wait out a noncompete for a year or so and make a new company. 

 

She is making business decisions based on personal feelings, which is not wise. 

 

And another story about Joe getting beat up or picked on as a kid.  He must have been a real litte snot nosed brat for all the beatings he took.  Which is completely believable. 

 

And now I am not saying he deserved what happened in the story of condoning homophobia, just commenting generally on how it seems no one liked Joe even as a kid.

That would be the old Kevin O'Leary (Shark Tank) trick where he would say why would I spend 5 million on Mutiny, when you only have a relatively small number of (probably local) users when for the same 5 million I can set up my own competing company using my computer resources and crush you? Especially since all he wants is community, which means no need for game designers, and if he sets up his own version, he can kick Mutiny off his network. In that kind of scenario I am not sure it is worth 5 million just to get the Mutiny name, their library of games and the employees/Cameron.

 

Also watching the episode, why did it seem to take the coder guys so long to put the ripped up offer sheet back together. The thing couldn't have been in more than 30 pieces. My daughter could put together 30 piece puzzles when she was 3. 

 

Also speaking of the coders, why is that one guy always wearing a laser tag helmet. Did those helmets even fit adults?

 

 

That would certainly make a lot more sense to use the $5million that way.  No idea how they came up with a $5million price for a company that has what maybe a$100K TOPS in assetts and a small library of local online user games? 

[Glory]

That would certainly make a lot more sense to use the $5million that way.  No idea how they came up with a $5million price for a company that has what maybe a$100K TOPS in assetts and a small library of local online user games? 

After the episode I turned to my husband and said, "Would they have really gotten 5 million for the company in the late 80's"? This was after watching Silicon Valley in about a day and noting that Pied Piper was happy with a 10 million dollar investment. It seemed like a lot. 

[ganesh]

If all he really wants is Community, just go to Donna, she's the one that came up with that idea.

Jacob doesn't know that Donna is the brains behind community. He is assuming that Cameron, as the owner of the company, is fully behind everything Mutiny does.

 

Joe never talked about who is doing what at Mutiny. He only thought of the company as a whole. So the idea to buy them and focus on the chat rooms seems sensible to him. 

 

I actually don't think Joe knows who created Community either. Joe always acknowledged Donna's talent and skills, so if he knew, I wouldn't be surprised if he offered Donna her own deal. 

[DrSpaceman]

After the episode I turned to my husband and said, "Would they have really gotten 5 million for the company in the late 80's"? This was after watching Silicon Valley in about a day and noting that Pied Piper was happy with a 10 million dollar investment. It seemed like a lot. 

 

 

Very true, that makes it more hard to believe. 

 

Silicon Valley I think is the far superior show between the two as well.  I know one is more comedy and the other drama, but still prefer Silicon Valley

[scowl]

I think both. I think in the end, she felt used up and thrown out, whether by Joe or the building the computer. And, like I said, it's fine to be mad about it. The OS was really cool.  

 

Having worked in software development for over 30 years, I'd tell Cameron to suck it up because that how the industry works. These businesses hire you to write code for a project. If they have more work, they'll keep you. They don't hire you because they want you to be part of their family. 

 

Last season I laughed and laughed at Cameron when she whined that Cardiff was just going to dump her after she was finished with the BIOS. Yes, Cameron, sometimes that happens. Then you put that job experience on your resume and you get a better job. Then you repeat it and get a better job, over and over. Or you start your own business. Or you become a consultant. Cameron acted like she'd be living in a cardboard box in the street.

[RustbeltWriter]

I don't understand how Mutiny is still in business. The network drops off like it was managed by Time Warner Cable, Gordon's program corrupted their customer's computers and Cameron looks and sounds like a homeless person screeching that her bag of can is hers, not yours, but hers. They're going to regret not taking the buyout offer; especially once Donna figures out she could make a hell of a payday running community for Westgroup. After all, she's the one that saw the potential in it.

[qtpye]

I think Cameron's vision for her company is an extended version of her own ego.   She is the best coder ever (Joe said so and Bos gave up everything to go to jail for her) and the company will always be cutting edge coding to her.  This is not reflected in community.  I also wonder where are all the amazing games a coder with her knowledge should be putting out?  We found out Parralax is lame after chapter 13 and everything else is pedestrian at best.

 

Despite all her obnoxiousness the actress still makes me like Cameron.  I would just like her to take responsibility for her own actions and realize she can not be "too punk rock for you" forever.  I also really hope that there is not a last minute hail mary that makes Mutiny a billion dollar company and show us that Cameron was right not to take the deal.

 

I find it interesting that despite all there wealth Gordon and Donna have not yet moved to a Mcmansion.  The eighties were the "greed is good decade" but it seems people had much more simple tastes back then.

[ganesh]

I think the show is taking place before "greed is good" really settled in. 

[dubbel zout]

It also seems like Gordon is pretty free spending, what with bailing out Mutiny, writing $23,000 checks, and dropping $30,000 ($40,000?) on hardware. That adds up.

[riverheightsnancy]

It also seems like Gordon is pretty free spending, what with bailing out Mutiny, writing $23,000 checks, and dropping $30,000 ($40,000?) on hardware. That adds up.

Donna will probably take over on all that because he won't be able to be responsible due to his condition. She already asked one of the men working on the project about his behavior. So, she is likely to know sooner rather than later.  

[scowl]

How long will Gordon's business last when any company can do the same thing?

 

The answer to my question: one episode!