Halt and Catch Fire Episode 4.06 A Connection is Made

Donna makes a play for a heavy-hitter; Gordon confronts his daughter about an issue at school; Cameron finds a new fan; Joe sees a new side of Haley.

Cameron wakes up in her trailer. Joe cooks breakfast and playfully barrages her with potential slogans for Comet. Cameron says that Bosworth wants to apologize about the Rover algorithm. Joe insists it's not necessary.

Donna orders Cecil to step down from Rover so that they can reverse-engineer the algorithm without any legal repercussions. She instructs him to tell Elliot and Vera that he's leaving because he's burned out.

Gordon surprises Haley with an assortment of model rockets for her birthday. Haley begs him to launch the rockets with her that afternoon and suggests they invite Katie.

The Rover team reels from the news of Cecil's departure. Donna assures them that they will be able to attract a top-notch CTO and mentions the highly sought-after Bobby Aron.

Cameron, Gordon, Haley and Katie decorate rockets in the field by Cameron's trailer. Cameron assuages Gordon's concerns that Haley didn't invite any school friends to her birthday celebration. She declares that she's done working in the tech world, but Gordon is skeptical.

Joe helps the group set up the rockets, and Cameron videotapes them with a camcorder as everyone launches their rockets.

Joanie tells Donna that she visited Bosworth at the hospital by pretending she was his granddaughter. Donna praises Joanie for being fearless. "Don't ever stop yourself because you're scared," she says.

At home, Joe marvels to Cameron at how grown-up Haley has become.

Cameron checks her email and deletes several unread messages from Tom. She finds an email from Haley with a link to "The Howe of It All," a website devoted to Cameron's work. Cameron smiles as she revisits her work.

Joe goes around the office with a camcorder and asks employees what they think of when they hear the word "Internet." Underwhelmed by the responses, he gets an idea.

Donna calls Gordon to tell him that Haley is flunking two classes. She suggests that Haley take a break from Comet. Gordon reluctantly agrees to speak with Haley.

Joe takes Haley to Hound Dogz, a fast food joint that Haley frequents, and videotapes her opinion of the Internet. Haley explains that she was drawn to the Internet because it's a place where no one pretends. Vanessa, a Hound Dogz employee, stops by to chat with Haley about music. Joe notices Haley light up with Vanessa.

Donna takes Bobby Aron out for drinks to woo him over to Rover. Bobby tells her he already accepted an offer with Microsoft but kept their meeting because he was a big fan of Mutiny's Community. Donna describes the exhilaration of working on a risky project like Rover. Her speech convinces Bobby to work for Rover after all. They toast.

Donna wakes up, hungover, in Bobby's bed after sleeping with him.

Diane suggests to Bosworth that they get married. Bosworth confesses that he lost $300,000 in a bad investment and that he enlisted Cameron to help build the search engine so that Rover could succeed. Diane storms out.

Gordon orders Haley to take time off from Rover until she gets her grades back up. Haley flings her milkshake at the wall and stomps out of Gordon's office.

Diane discusses the algorithm dilemma with Donna. Diane insists they pay Cameron for the algorithm rather than reverse-engineer it. "I can't," pleads Donna. Diane orders her to buy the algorithm from Cameron and then hand Rover over to Trip. She tells Donna to get herself together.

Cameron meets with Alexa Vonn after receiving numerous emails regarding a new work opportunity. Alexa offers to help Cameron work on whatever project she'd like without interference or VC oversight. "I want to see what you do next," she says.

Joe checks on Gordon and hints that Haley might like Hound Dogz for reasons other than the food. He insists that Haley isn't like other kids and needs Comet. Gordon maintains that discipline is a necessary part of parenting.

Donna plays Pilgrim while drinking wine at home. Joanie excitedly tells her about a teacher who studied in France. Donna praises Joanie's fearlessness again. "Don't ever say no to somethin because you're scared," she says, repeating herself from the other day. Joanie notices Donna's empty wine glass.

Joe finds a note from Cameron: "Went to Airstream, need to think." Bosworth calls looking for Cameron. Joe asks how he's holding up.

Joe and Bosworth meet for beers and discuss Bosworth's troubles. Bosworth admits a part of him just wanted to shake things up. Joe reveals that he wants kids but hasn't shared this with Cameron.

Donna drives and sings along to Pat Benatar. A cop pulls her over.

Gordon picks up Donna at the police station after she's arrested for drunk driving. Donna tells Gordon that she's picturing her 22-year-old self pitching the Symphonic to her current self and getting crushed. Gordon insists that she isn't as ruthless as she believes and that he loves all parts of her. Donna cries.

The next day, Donna drives to Cameron's trailer. Cameron signs the paperwork to give the algorithm to Rover but turns down compensation. She notices Donna's fragile mental state and asks if Donna is OK. Donna pauses but is interrupted by the arrival of an MCI van. She thanks Cameron and leaves.

Gordon stops by Hound Dogz on his way to work. He orders some food from Vanessa and notices a sparrow tattoo on her chest, just like a sparrow that Haley painted on one of her rockets.

Cameron sits at a new computer work station inside her trailer. She fires up the modem and smiles.