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Bitten by Reality

If You Like ‘The Social Network’ Then You’ll Love ‘Halt and Catch Fire’

By Skyler SaundersPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Christophers Cantwell and C. Rogers created a show of such emotional depth and creativity but it’s a shame Halt and Catch Fire (2014-2017) ran for only four seasons. Its overtones of the tug-o-war between the principal cast seemed like the tension found in the Academy Award-winning film The Social Network (2010).

Though different lawsuits fly in Halt, the dramatic dexterity is still apparent. The television show presents a world where women are on the rise in the male-dominated world of home computers. In Social, the bonds of friendship fray and tear with sparkling intensity thanks to Aaron Sorkin’s sterling script and David Fincher’s adroit direction.

A powerful period piece

A 1980’s saga, Halt reflects the same sentiments behind the early to mid 2000’s creation of Facebook. Halt explores the constant communication barriers between the lead characters. As Mark Zuckerberg struggles to relate to the people around him in several scenes, so does Lee Pace who has a singular vision of what computers ought to be.

The women, Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis) and Donna Clark (Kerry Bishé), never play the role of doting, nice, young ladies, there to carry the male leads on their backs like Atlas. They never get a chance to shrug because they never allow the weight of the men and their problems to be a hindrance to them.

A show’s deserved attention

The Social Network won three Oscars® and earned hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office worldwide. Halt and Catch Fire garnered no major television awards, and received tepid to moderate audience response. It deserved so much better. The series shows the complex intersection of sex, business, integrity, power controls, and the idea of pushing forward to the future.

Halt takes on all of the weight of the ratings and awards juggernauts, comparatively speaking, for AMC in Mad Men (2007-2015) and Breaking Bad (2008-2013). It nestled into its own niche, and carved out its own lane. The depiction of women charting their own course, while the men dominated the computer age is like the young men in Social who build the world of social networking on the internet.

Halt is worthy of more than its missed awards and lukewarm ratings. It brought to the screen a continuance of the golden age of television. Though it may have not achieved the accolades it deserved, or the reception from viewers to really propel it, the show stands on its own as a powerful piece of drama, wit, and truth.

The distinction between film and TV

Social, of course, is based on real people, but this TV show feels palpable, real in its own right. The principal cast channel the spirits of real-life computer personnel like Joe Mcmillain (Pace), who could mirror Steve Jobs, not just in looks, but in temperament. It’s only fitting Sorkin would go on to pen Steve Jobs (2015) and cast a strong woman like Kate Winslet as true-to-life marketing executive Joanna Hoffman. The residue of Social bled into Steve Jobs. Sorkin would’ve been proud of Halt and Catch and Fire. The show illustrates the joys and pains associated with creating the new world of home computers. While Halt focuses mainly on hardware and software, and Social lasers in on a website, the human drama is still apparent in both works. Halt is a shining example of multiple characters who live, laugh, fight, and work together. The struggles make the stakes seem to be placed ever higher. As the characters lock horns, break up, make up, and search their souls to retain some semblance of moral uprightness, all excel.

Halt and Catch Fire may not go down as one of the most watched television dramas, but it will reign as among the greatest dramas ever put on the small screen.

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Skyler Saunders

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