‘Halt and Catch Fire’ finale review: Meet Mutiny, and Joe plays with fire

“Halt and Catch Fire” did many things during its season finale, whether it be paint a picture of hope, hand over a few more shocking twists, and above all remind us of how much we want to see this show return for a second season.

As for whether or not that will actually happen, however, that’s still up in the air. The finale definitely makes us want more, thanks mostly to the bizarre, unusual position that many of the show’s characters were left in. Take, for example, Joe MacMillan. Who in the world is this man, really: A genius, or someone who just likes to see things burn? His exit for Cardiff, right after he started to get everything that he wanted, was something we never saw coming, even if it was staring us right in the face.

As for Gordon, what we have here is a mixture of what he always wanted, and what he never wants. He has the job that many dream of, but he’s also completely alone. He has no one that he had back during the early days of the season at his side, and he has to forge the path forward by himself.

Instead, the season ended with the women on this show being the ones who really had the dreams and the aspiration. Cameron has her new Mutiny project, and she now officially has Donna on board and at her side. This was an unexpected glimmer of hope and respect, given that at one point on the show, we wondered whether or not the female characters were being largely tormented because they were thought of as lesser characters. We are glad to know that this is not the case, and they are being rewarded for being slightly less-than-terrible people.

But why did Joe decide to literally halt and let the truck catch fire? The only real answer that we can offer up right now is simply the fact that this was not the product he originally envisioned. He doesn’t want to just be a success; he wants to be a visionary, and with that, he is never happy with just being “okay.”

We’re still left with many questions for certain, but we’re fine with that given the quality of the episode. It took some time, but “Halt and Catch Fire” has finally found its way to greatness. We’re only now left to wonder what its next path will be. Grade: A.

What did you think about the “Halt and Catch Fire” finale? Let us know your thoughts with a comment, and click here to read a little more on the show’s renewal prospects.

Photo: AMC