![]() (By the end, with the exception of Cameron, they also all live in pretty sweet, seemingly pricey homes.) But they never quite get to the next level in terms of making their marks. Gordon, Joe, Cameron, and Donna are intelligent, talented, and determined, and they all achieve their share of success. While the show’s core quartet may be Boomers, their professional experiences - which usually involve getting very close to achieving something revolutionary, then getting beaten to the punch, and/or receiving little credit for their work - are more emblematic of the stereotypical Gen-X identity, one rooted in being dismissed because of the larger, louder generations that flank it. The dialogue in the last couple of episodes also notes that Cameron is now 32, which puts her date of birth in 1961 or ’62, the tail end of the baby boom. In the first episode of season four, Gordon celebrates his 40th birthday, confirmation, in case we forgot, that he was born in the 1950s. The final season also makes a point of reminding us of the characters’ ages, which highlights the generational connections within the story it’s telling. Halt and Catch Fire doesn’t just “get” the ’80s and ’90s, it immerses the viewer in those time periods. I especially loved how mainstream ’80s music was dropped into the final season during moments of heightened emotion or nostalgia: The extended sequence in which the group cleans out the late Gordon’s house while “So Far Away” by Dire Straits spins on the turntable is just perfect. Extremely obscure bands like Crippled Pilgrims were featured, as were deep-ish cuts from Peter Gabriel and a Tribe Called Quest, and well-known classics by the Clash or the Breeders. ![]() For several reasons, Halt and Catch Fire may actually be the most Gen-X show on recent television.įrom a nostalgic point of view, Halt and Catch Fire aimed right for the Gen-X sweet spot, setting its action between 19, and fully capturing the vibe in its spot-on production design, costume design, and especially its music choices, which were often wonderfully surprising. In an understated way that matches Halt and Catch Fire’s understated sensibility, this moment and others strongly imply that the show is ultimately about a group of Baby Boomers slowly learning to pass the baton to - or at least share it with - Generation X. By the early 1990s, Joe seems to realize he might have something to learn from his students’ responses. The difference is that back then, he was a guest speaker who arrogantly thought he knew all the answers. ![]() “Let me start by asking a question,” he says, repeating the same words he utters in the very first episode. ![]() In the last scene, Joe once again stands in front of a classroom, as he did in the pilot, addressing students who may aspire to do what he’s done. But they’re also interested in mentoring other women to rise up in the tech world, and encouraging younger people - specifically Donna and Gordon’s daughters, Joanie (Kathryn Newton) and Haley (Susanna Skaggs), who are like nieces to Cameron and Joe - to fearlessly pursue their dreams, too.Īfter watching the finale, this idea of making room for the next generation emerges as central to the lasting message of the series. Lee Pace on Joe MacMillan’s Fate in the Halt and Catch Fire Finaleīy the time Halt and Catch Fire reaches its conclusion, which lands near the end of 1994, Gordon (Scoot McNairy) has passed away and Joe (Lee Pace) has moved back to New York to become a professor, leaving Cameron (Mackenzie Davis) and Donna (Kerry Bishé) as the only ones still in California, chasing after the next potential game-changer. ![]()
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