A brilliant obscure piece of television is what I would consider AMC's Halt And Catch Fire. For those of you who don't know about this show (and I am sure they must be in plenty), the show is still going on. After completing 2 seasons, the show is currently on a break, but is renewed for a third season, scheduled to release in August this year (according to IMDb, anyways)
The show revolves around Gordon and Donna Clark (Scoot McNairy and Kerry Bishé), a couple struggling to hold on to their jobs and to each other, Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace), a shrewd salesman and a visionary in his own sense and Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis), a loudmouth computer savant and Joe's temporary love interest. The show is set in the early 1980's on the backdrop of the computer industry revolution that hit Texas' markets.
To refer to the official description AMC has given in IMDb, the story is about a visionary, an engineer and a prodigy whose inventions directly confronts the corporate behemoths of the time. The story perfectly weaves in the hardships faced by small time companies in staying afloat against corporate giants like IBM and the effect it has on the people involved.
Each character is well developed and leaves you in a sense of anticipation as to what they might do next. Each of them has a void in their life that they want to fill and in doing so, they reach a tipping point and you never know what side they may lean towards. Perfectly coupled with Paul Haslinger's music and some sharp cinematography, a perfect onscreen world comes up that just engulfs you.
This show teaches you to follow your dreams, but it also shows the hazards of following through blindly and not thinking ahead. Those interested in computers and the story behind it would definitely love to see a group of adults gawking at a 15 pound machine that hardly holds 1MB of RAM. There is also a huge chunk of the show dedicated to the online gamers but that is something you have to watch instead of me telling you.
Do let me know your thoughts on the show (if you have seen it) and let me know if you want any TV shows to be reviewed. And as always, feedback welcome.
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