Who said a story about building a computer couldn't be sexy? The new character video for AMC's period drama Halt and Catch Fire offers more than a hint of sexiness as it focuses on Mackenzie Davis' character Cameron Howe, the young, volatile prodigy among the trio of people who are working to build a game-changing computer to rival IBM's PC. As the video reveals, Cameron tends to speak her mind, as she's an "idea person" with an awareness of current technology. That's probably putting it mildly.
As for character collisions, this preview gives us an indication of the direction of the relationship between Cameron Howe (Mackenzie Davis) and Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace), which is described as combative and sexual. And we're given a glimpse of that passion in the video above. "They're drawn to each other, in a lot of ways because their damage is a mirror of one another," We're told. "Of course that's not going to be a healthy relationship, longterm." So it sounds like this isn't meant to last. But it's certainly one way to add a bit of drama to this story. Everything about Cameron seems designed for drama, as this preview presents her as a woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind (or "clear" it in whatever way works) and share her ideas.
Halt and Catch Fire is set in the 80s after IBM has unveiled their big PC, all but cornering the market on personal computing at the time. In this fictional story, Lee Pace's Joe MacMillan, a former IBM executive, enlists the help of Scoot McNairy's character Gordon Clark, along Mackenzie Davis' Cameron Howe, to reverse-engineer IBM's flagship product and try to build their own computer. From what we've seen form this upcoming new drama, these characters are taking a big risk, but it's one that could pay off if they're successful.
As we mentioned, this series takes place in the 1980s - specifically, 1983. AMC has released this video, which focuses on presenting this period of time to viewers in Halt and Catch Fire, including the wardrobe, the sets and general tone of the time period.
Out with the wood, in with the metal! It's interesting to hear them talk about creating a "contemporary period drama," that looks at the time period nostalgically, but also aims to be honest with it. We'll have to wait and see how that translates with the series once we see it all in context.
Halt and Catch Fire will premiere on AMC on June 1 at 10:00 p.m. ET.
