Despite numerous advances in the medium, video games remain largely a (mostly lonely) frivolity, at least when it comes to representation on screen. Even when a show seems around Games — Your playeryour Mythical Quests – it’s really all about the interactions that happen outside of the games or the process of creating them.
Stop and catch fire seems to fit that. The popular AMC series made no secret of the fact that it was never really about the technology covered in a season; in the words of Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace), the computer was always “the thing that takes us to the thing,” a vector for connection, expression, or some other deeper human need. In this way, Stop and catch fire understands the appeal of video games better than any other show before.
This is first evident in the second season, when Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis) leaves computer company Cardiff Electric after a scandal and company liquidation to start Mutiny, a primitive attempt at online gaming. The seed for the rest of the season is planted when Donna Clark (Kerry Bishé) notices that two players are still connected after quitting a game, leading to the creation of a chat board. Despite the limitations of dial-up and 1-bit graphics, people still found ways to communicate with each other.
In many shows set in the 80s, Super Mario Bros. on the NES. But not many would accompany two adults over several days as they try to make it through, offering tips on how to get through a tricky part, taking turns when one gets tired so they don’t have to start the long ordeal all over again, and at the end of it all, having grown closer and developed a deeper understanding of the people around them. It’s less about nostalgia and more about proving how technology – no matter how rudimentary – can lead to moments of insight and catharsis.
Season 4 takes up this idea and expands it: Cam has a new Myst–like a game called pilgrim that no one seems to understand. No one, that is, except Donna, who solves everything on her own. By this point in the show, Cam and Donna have fallen out, and whatever had made them such great co-owners has been destroyed by hubris and intrigue. It’s a beautiful scene that captures Cam’s desire to create some kind of higher art form through her games, and Donna remembers the time when she actually Do something, problem solving instead of financing projects. It spurs their hasty reconnection, and one of the Stop and catch fireAmong the many strengths of The 4000 is its willingness to let any member of the ensemble become the villain for a season or more. Donna’s betrayal still stings; she pushes people to create a competitor to her friends’ new company. But there’s always an understanding of where someone is coming from, and in this case, it’s a desire – unconscious or otherwise – to apologize and repair a relationship that may have broken beyond repair. pilgrim is a perfect symbol of their relationship and the idea that 100 people can play your game, but you only need one person to understand it.
Stop and catch fire excels in those little moments of beauty, sometimes as simple as the way a particular line is read. Video games aren’t always the main plot, but it understands the inherent appeal in them, both in their communal aspects and their artistic perspectives. After all, what is a game like Animal fountain or Outer Wilderness but an attempt to pull you into the minds of the creators while leaning on the support of others? The characters may have failed time and time again throughout the series, but they will never stop searching for that sudden feeling of connection, no matter where it may be found.
Stop and catch fire streams on The Roku Channel and AMC Plus.
