‘Halt and Catch Fire’ episode 2 preview: What lies ahead for Lee Pace, cast

Tonight, AMC aired what was a pretty strong start to their new series “Halt and Catch Fire.” Thanks to that, we’re left now interested in what is coming up, but not exactly with a ton of information at our disposal. Knowing that this new series is in some ways similar to “Mad Men” in that its information is much better hidden from the audience, they are not going to be revealing much in their episode synopses … though their episode promos may at least be a step above out-of-context quotes.

What we can tell you now about the second episode for Lee Pace and company is that it is entitled “FUD,” and that is a term (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) that stems back to real IBM situations with Gene Amdahl, who was in some ways the real-life Joe MacMillan. He argued that the company used this term as a way to persuade consumers to stick with them, rather than go with a new option that they may not have much experience with.

Now, let’s get to that very-short episode synopsis:

“Joe’s team must overcome internal differences and start building the new machine.”

One of the interesting challenges that this show in particular faces is knowing where to balance history and fiction, which is something that “Mad Men” has also worked on. The issue here is that computer rivalries are things that can make national news, whereas Don Draper could still do his job well and be a virtual unknown. If Joe finds success, it will be fascinating to see how the show handles that and twists history slightly to suit their needs.

What do you want to see moving forward on “Halt and Catch Fire”? We want to know your thoughts with a comment.