On any other TV series, isolating lead characters and making them relate via technology might yield dramatic entropy.

But the arc of this exquisitely acted conversation exemplifiesHalt and Catch Fires dynamic powers.

And Joe and Camerons epic phone call is a metaphor for the evolution of online communication.

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Credit: Erika Doss/AMC

But the conversation involves real talking.

Using a phone to speak to each other?

We should try that!

The slick, computer-ageMad Menwannabe, buggy with tired edginess, sharpened and shaped up in season 2.

You see and feel how everyone is correct and selfish, and the outcomes have profound consequences.

There are two time jumps, a business collapse, and a new killer app to chase.