This series began with the creation of a machine as the "star". It has since blossomed into a beautiful story about human relationships. This episode is the best I've ever seen in how humans deal with death. We have watched these characters bond & fight & connive & (finally) love for 4 seasons. Seeing them come together to deal with the death of one of their own is heartbreaking. It is magnificent!
12 Reviews
A grinding halt to allow the loss to sink in
jill-deschrijver-369-6849329 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This was a HALT episode that shadowcased grief and how to deal with it for different generations, characters and what role Gordon had in their life. It is one of the most moving portraits of such a devastating loss as I've ever seen.
The show started about building a PC, but it was never a tech or IT documentary. Tech or IT was the world building or setting, since whatever the characters and their companies do is fictional against real history. And they always used their projects to project their wishes onto human connections. You know from the start none of their projects or businesses will go down into history. It has always been about the characters, how they inspire, love, sabotage or destroy each other. After all, since 1x06 Camero tried to put a soul in the machine. And as the characters grew and bonded more, they require less tech and more personal interaction about life itself to influence each other.
We've been with Gordon since the first episode. Neither viewers nor the surviving characters who loved him could just "move on and re-launch" the episode after learning of his death.
In other writing hands it could have been corny. But it wasn't. It was all just devastatingly and beautifully human, from the daughters, to Donna, Joe who does not know how to deal with it, to Cameron, Katie who only had freshly fallen in love and was envious of a picture of a time Gordon shared with Donna, not knowing the wrongs he did at the time, and Bos making some soul food.
So, everything else came to a grinding halt for this episode, as it should be.
No need to "guess" this is their last season. The writers and actors confirmed that S4 was going to be the last season and that it was exactly what they needed to wrap up the series on their own writing terms.
The show started about building a PC, but it was never a tech or IT documentary. Tech or IT was the world building or setting, since whatever the characters and their companies do is fictional against real history. And they always used their projects to project their wishes onto human connections. You know from the start none of their projects or businesses will go down into history. It has always been about the characters, how they inspire, love, sabotage or destroy each other. After all, since 1x06 Camero tried to put a soul in the machine. And as the characters grew and bonded more, they require less tech and more personal interaction about life itself to influence each other.
We've been with Gordon since the first episode. Neither viewers nor the surviving characters who loved him could just "move on and re-launch" the episode after learning of his death.
In other writing hands it could have been corny. But it wasn't. It was all just devastatingly and beautifully human, from the daughters, to Donna, Joe who does not know how to deal with it, to Cameron, Katie who only had freshly fallen in love and was envious of a picture of a time Gordon shared with Donna, not knowing the wrongs he did at the time, and Bos making some soul food.
So, everything else came to a grinding halt for this episode, as it should be.
No need to "guess" this is their last season. The writers and actors confirmed that S4 was going to be the last season and that it was exactly what they needed to wrap up the series on their own writing terms.
Orchestrated chaos in the battlefield of grief.
sparecrow-8778525 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
What a succinct episode on the messy yet meaningful chaos, that is, grief. From chasing Gordon's sweater for Haley's sake for Joe to once again rebel against the man, to the two women who both held the intimacy of his heart having a moment of synchronous reflect...this is one of the few shows that rewards the viewer with meaningful life lessons. There are many to pull from this episode; You don't know what you have till it's gone... take time for the little things... old memories hide in the objects we give no honor to... I dunno folks. This show in general is an inspiring gem in the wasteland of Hollywood. I personally found so much meaning watching the ark of these characters. As someone who has worked long in the industry of death and watching how people grieve about loved ones gone recently, this show gets it. We are all destined for the grave, do you take time to make things matter? When moments present themselves to you that the little voice inside you says "shut the hell up and don't miss what's happening.." do you ignore it anyway? This episode nails post trauma after the immediate loss of a loved one and the grace and kindness we should be giving to those sharing the bond with us.
It's about people
RomeoQuint24 October 2017
Halt and Catch Fire is not a show about the history of computers, software or the internet - it is a show about people. All the main characters evolve over different stages in their lives. They reach milestones, fall to their lowest pits and climb back up. We see lonely narcissist evolve into family people. We see different stages of a marriage. We see kids growing up. We see business partners part their ways and reunite. We see rebellious and misunderstood teens. We see people coping with their midlife crisis. We see heartbreaks and we see the different phases of falling in and out of love.
In this episode (and this is not a spoiler) we see a family (all of the main characters) trying to cope with an unexpected (it was hinted in the show itself) loss. This episode depicts grief in a manner I've never experienced on a TV show. It had me crying quite a few times. Basically because of the excellent job of setting all the characters up. They are not simply some brilliant geniuses that always succeed in life - they are human. Yes, even the Mystery-Man himself.
But mostly it had me crying because of Mr Clark himself. Sure, Gordo had his weird and shady moments, but he was a very lovable character. But it is not just that. He felt real. I don't know, if it were the different lenses/focal lengths they used to shoot Gordo in the last few episodes, but he felt so close...so..alive? Well, no more talk about this episode. It was absolutely great! To enjoy this episode at the maximum capacity you have to remember all the dynamics between all the main characters and Gordo. Makes it so much better.
In this episode (and this is not a spoiler) we see a family (all of the main characters) trying to cope with an unexpected (it was hinted in the show itself) loss. This episode depicts grief in a manner I've never experienced on a TV show. It had me crying quite a few times. Basically because of the excellent job of setting all the characters up. They are not simply some brilliant geniuses that always succeed in life - they are human. Yes, even the Mystery-Man himself.
But mostly it had me crying because of Mr Clark himself. Sure, Gordo had his weird and shady moments, but he was a very lovable character. But it is not just that. He felt real. I don't know, if it were the different lenses/focal lengths they used to shoot Gordo in the last few episodes, but he felt so close...so..alive? Well, no more talk about this episode. It was absolutely great! To enjoy this episode at the maximum capacity you have to remember all the dynamics between all the main characters and Gordo. Makes it so much better.
I wasn't ready for this.
durvall0025 July 2020
I gave a chance to this TV show because of the concept: I love technology and the history of it.
Then I kept watching it because of the actors: Lee Pace, Mackenzie Davis and one of my new favorite actors, Scoot McNairy. They were amazing together, a perfect mix!
And then I kept watching because of the characters.
The concept became just a background setting and the actors merged into the characters. I was there for them.
Yeah, I cried during this whole episode. It never happened to me before.
Thank God I decided to give a chance to this show. Thank God!
Yeah, I cried during this whole episode. It never happened to me before.
Thank God I decided to give a chance to this show. Thank God!
Crying like a baby Jesus Christ this show
kirbie218211 May 2020
I mean what can I say? I'm in tears as I type. As a viewer, you get sucked into these peoples lives, watching like a voyeur, as through their lives are your own. You are living through the eyes of each character as they learn how to navigate in the world and what a pleasure it is to get to watch them experience all of the universal feelings of love, loss, grief, pain, happiness, sadness, loneliness, anger, elation, success, failure and Everything else in between. These universal truths are what it means to be human. People everywhere, no matter where you're from, or what you do, have lived through these same emotions at different points throughout our lives. As a viewer, you are moved, not by their success or technical savvy, but by their pains and gains, their ups and downs, their happiness and unhappiness, their grief or joy, their shared experience and the their shared nostalgia from their time spent together. It's something everyone relates to. If nothing more this episode in particular emphasizes how Necessary, and sometimes tragic, human connection can be. It was never a show about the computer boom, or the upward tech movement that was the 80's, it has always been a show about people and their relationships at its heart. People who we cared about. People, who by one way or another, found each other, or crossed paths with one another, which lead them through their own personal journey and self discovery. For all of the achievements they made professionally, as well as the failures, the show never lost site of its true narrative. Personal connection, Relationships, families, friends, lovers, while all extremely important, it is rather messy. Life is messy that way, and this show never shyed away from the messiness of it all. The connections that are formed, either out of love, spite, envy, admiration, lust, or whatever the reason, they all end up going through The same personal and collective highs and lows, that is life tosses at. Life lessons are universal, and this show understands how to portray love and loss, grief and pain, sadness and happiness, success and failure, friendship and betrayal, feelings of bitterness, or rivalry and jealousy with style and substance. Things get messy because relationships are messy. Life is messy. It's human nature. So, Instead of being a show with technology at it's core, you come to realize that technology is just a prop in the story with human connection being its true core. It's a heartfelt portrayal of the struggles, the relationships, the good times, and the not so good times, that is what we call life. One day your just living your life, and the next day something happens, and you realize that what you once believed to be so important, ends up being trivial I'm comparison. We get to see the characters through their journey to self discovery, and how The end up reaching that conclusion in different ways. Life really is about the little things, and the people you meet along the way, and the ones you get to share it with. It's about making lifelong friends, and sometimes foes, but coming out the other end knowing that for better or worse, sick or heathy, rich or poor, none of it matters if you have no one to share it with or to care for. Each character reaches a point where they learn to value each other more than placing so much value and effort into becoming successful in business. Some come to that conclusion earlier than others, some perhaps never do, but all those things they have experienced and lived through to tell the tale isn't as great If there is no one to tell it to or share it with. At the end of the day the material and need for success isn't as important as it use to be. It's a story of what happens when you're so busy living your life, always busy thinking of the next big thing, that you forget what matters most. Life is all about the people you meet along the way. The ones who helped shape your life. Those who stuck by you. The people who know you the best. The people who you've seen, and who have seen you, at your worst and at your best, and everything in between. It's how you end up forming lifelong connections with people, knowingly or unknowingly, which shape each others lives in one way or another. It's a moving portrayal of universal themes such as: love, loss, grief, success, failure, sadness, happiness, togetherness, loneliness and everything else in between. It's what makes us human. Sure computers are great and all, but it's the connections made between humans that really make computer's worth pursing. Because at the end of the day, it's the relationships we formed over the years that really matter. The rest of it is just figuring out what to do next, while going through the motions, on your path to self discovery, all to end up discovering it's those connections with those people that matter the most in the first place.
Now that is a send-off!
darkxpyder1 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
A whole episode dedicated to say farewell to a great character, i'd never felt so emotional so many times in a row as i did when watching this episode, and, while i had to admit, this wasn't the type of thing i expected from this show, i can't deny it was awesomely done.
Great stuff, R. I. P. Gordon Clark.
Great stuff, R. I. P. Gordon Clark.
Out of Kleenex
dean7016 November 2020
This was a great episode. Perhaps the saddest hour I have ever seen of any show on television. After reading some reviews, I don't think they understood it. This show has always been based on strong character development and after 4 seasons of trials and tribulations and their individual desires to drive in different directions, this hour was a "glue" episode that brings all the characters back together in support of each other. You no longer feel like they are pitted against each other and are humbled by the inevitable.
A Moving Denouement
LoveStallion12 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I can't believe there are still two episodes of the show left. I don't mean that in a sense of denial about only having a bit more to watch. I mean it in the sense that we've just gone through a huge emotional arc in the show, and I'm curious where it'll go to close things out.
Some have said an episode like "Goodwill" is absurd because it's not about the development of the internet. I think that criticism misses the mark. While the first season of Halt and Catch Fire developed characters while keeping its eye on the plot-the creation of the Giant-subsequent seasons have more deftly interwoven character growth along with some plot ideas. And here we are in the fourth season with a show still goes after big workplace ideas, but it has done such a fantastic job developing its characters that we can watch them all mope about a house for an entire episode and be completely gripped.
Gordon's death in the last episode was perhaps inevitable at some point, and it was a stirring conclusion to his arc. Watching his friends come together to work through their grief is incredibly moving television.
Donna struggles with the loss of a man she loved and probably still loves. Her daughters confront their new reality and clean out the house. Sharing an unspeakable loss gets Donna and Cameron to talk not just civilly to one another, but again as sisters. Bos plays a more paternal role, even getting Joe to stop what he's doing and eat.
This episode made me think plenty about Joe. HACF has done an impressive job shifting Joe from a self-absorbed lunatic who burns down the first shipment of Giants to a somewhat melancholy character, grounded in his love for Cameron, thinking seriously about his legacy, and mourning the loss of Gordon perhaps more than anyone. The writers of the show have done such a terrific job that you believe all of this. HACF has somehow covered 11 years in four seasons with only 40 episodes, but I believe every bit of character development I've seen.
Even in the end of the episode, one of the final shots is Joe with a little bit of mist in his eye, a man struggling to process his own emotions while supporting those of others.
What a fantastic way to slow down and let the characters endure the pain. I've rarely seen grief so well portrayed in media.
Some have said an episode like "Goodwill" is absurd because it's not about the development of the internet. I think that criticism misses the mark. While the first season of Halt and Catch Fire developed characters while keeping its eye on the plot-the creation of the Giant-subsequent seasons have more deftly interwoven character growth along with some plot ideas. And here we are in the fourth season with a show still goes after big workplace ideas, but it has done such a fantastic job developing its characters that we can watch them all mope about a house for an entire episode and be completely gripped.
Gordon's death in the last episode was perhaps inevitable at some point, and it was a stirring conclusion to his arc. Watching his friends come together to work through their grief is incredibly moving television.
Donna struggles with the loss of a man she loved and probably still loves. Her daughters confront their new reality and clean out the house. Sharing an unspeakable loss gets Donna and Cameron to talk not just civilly to one another, but again as sisters. Bos plays a more paternal role, even getting Joe to stop what he's doing and eat.
This episode made me think plenty about Joe. HACF has done an impressive job shifting Joe from a self-absorbed lunatic who burns down the first shipment of Giants to a somewhat melancholy character, grounded in his love for Cameron, thinking seriously about his legacy, and mourning the loss of Gordon perhaps more than anyone. The writers of the show have done such a terrific job that you believe all of this. HACF has somehow covered 11 years in four seasons with only 40 episodes, but I believe every bit of character development I've seen.
Even in the end of the episode, one of the final shots is Joe with a little bit of mist in his eye, a man struggling to process his own emotions while supporting those of others.
What a fantastic way to slow down and let the characters endure the pain. I've rarely seen grief so well portrayed in media.
Heart wrenching
stumblesover13 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Watched the entire series and loved every minute of it. Crazy on/off relationships, fantastic storey line, strong roles for women (Dad of 3 girls). Teared up when Gordy died and I'm a 59 year old bloke. Done really well and not the norm. Will def go into withdrawals. Oh, and I love IMDb and rating system. Aim to watch stuff over 7.8. This show blew that away!!
Episode made me cry
keyserholiday11 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The opening to this episode was so well done and powerful. I was crying watching it. It took me a while to listen to Dire Straits' So Far Away with thinking of Gordo. This show and episode would never been allowed on network TV. This was a masterpiece. So much was conveyed without any talking. I was always pulling to Gordo and Donna to get back together. When people ask me which fictional characters death impacted me the most. I say Gordo. The previous episode had me. I watched an episode of cops for decompress. Men are emotional. I enjoy a good cry, but this was a sad cry. I felt each characters pain. Excellent writing and directing. I was waling my dog, Tina and had So Far Away on, and shed a tear for Gordo.
H&CF is losing the plot.
dinoluigivercotti8 October 2017
This entire episode was about clearing the house of a deceased character. A whole hour of soap opera.
Who do they think the audience for this show is? There is not a single reference to the history of the internet, the supposed theme.
They started out doing a pretty good job but this show has become simply an agenda for the ambition of the director, writers and actors.
This episode in particular is the ultimate proof of this. All the actors get to ham it up in what seems to be a deliberate and desperate bid for an Emmy.
No one expects H&CF to be anything else than dramatized documentary of the internet. Lately it has been all drama and no documentary. It is not as if they have run out of material - they have only covered the 70s up to the 90s.
They have abandoned their audience to pander to baby-boomer Academy judges. I expect this will be their last season.
Who do they think the audience for this show is? There is not a single reference to the history of the internet, the supposed theme.
They started out doing a pretty good job but this show has become simply an agenda for the ambition of the director, writers and actors.
This episode in particular is the ultimate proof of this. All the actors get to ham it up in what seems to be a deliberate and desperate bid for an Emmy.
No one expects H&CF to be anything else than dramatized documentary of the internet. Lately it has been all drama and no documentary. It is not as if they have run out of material - they have only covered the 70s up to the 90s.
They have abandoned their audience to pander to baby-boomer Academy judges. I expect this will be their last season.
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