History YMMV / HaltAndCatchFire

** In "The Way In", Gordon doesn't think to do a test run of his program on an isolated copy of the Mutiny BBS (or at least give it a second look to debug it) before merrily uploading it and running it on the real thing. Disaster strikes when his program eats the BBS's software.

** In "New Coke", Gordon sends his former colleague Stan to pick up Haley and Joanie without calling the school. Then again, Gordon was high on cocaine.

** In "Landfall", Gordon fails to check a package to see if it contains a Franchise/CabbagePatchKids doll ''before'' giving $80 to a complete stranger.

* NeverLiveItDown: Just before IBM's legal team shows up at Cardiff Electric, Bosworth tells Joe that he's not going to forget what Joe has done.
-->'''Bosworth:''' I've worked here for 22 years. I helped build this company into what it is. And you backed me into a corner ''in my own home''? I'm never... I'm ''never'' gonna forget that. Never. I'm gonna root through your closets, boy. Oh, I'm gonna pull every loose thread.

** Joe smashing the windows of his apartment to Music/{{XTC}}'s "Complicated Game".

* ContinuityLockOut: Like many AMC original series, to fully understand what's going on, one has to start at "I/O".

* ContinuityLockOut: To fully understand what's going on, one has to start at "I/O".

** In "Adventure", Gordon drunkenly talks shit about his father-in-law catalog company to the Japanese, ''especially'' when said father-in-law was the one who brokered the meeting in the first place.

* WhatAnIdiot: Gordon drunkenly talking shit about his father-in-law to the Japanese, ''especially'' when said father-in-law was the one who brokered the meeting in the first place.

** "Up Helly Aa", the penultimate episode of Season 1, opens with the Music/{{Talking Heads}}' "Psycho Killer". Later, Music/AFlockOFSeagulls' "Space Age Love Song" plays during Cardiff's suite party.

** Promos for the show use Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".
** In the third episode, Cameron wanders the empty Cardiff offices while listening to "Germ Free Adolescents", which seems appropriately spacey for someone who acts like a visitor from another planet.
** The opening sequence in episode five observes Joe struggling to get ready in the morning [[spoiler:a week after getting the shit beaten out of him]], set to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cEdfc2_YAs Big Black Delta's "Capsize"]].

** In "FUD", Joe turns on nearly every stereo at full blast in a hi-fi audio store, creating an auditory nightmare.

* NightmareFuel: In "Landfall", Gordon finds a dead body near a downed power line. In the following episode, Gordon has a nightmare where ''he's'' the one lying on the ground dead, and his screaming scares his daughters.

* NightmareFuel: In "Landfall", Gordon finds a man lying on the ground dead near a downed power line. In the following episode, Gordon has a nightmare where ''he's'' the one lying on the ground dead, and his screaming scares his daughters.
* TheScrappy: Cameron has received a lot of hate from the viewers for her bratty behavior.

* AcclaimedFlop: The show performed strongly with critics, but a niche subject matter crossed with DarknessInducedAudienceApathy quickly sank the ratings lower than previous one-and-done AMC shows ''Series/{{Rubicon}}'' and ''Series/LowWinterSun''.

* AcclaimedFlop: The show performed strong with critics, but a niche subject matter crossed with DarknessInducedAudienceApathy quickly sank the ratings lower than previous one-and-done AMC shows {{Series/Rubicon}} and [[Series/LowWinterSun Low Winter Sun]].

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Ratings for the show have been abysmal, and the fact that at least two of the three main characters are complete assholes probably has something to do with it.

* AcclaimedFlop: The show performed strong with critics, but a niche subject matter crossed with DarknessInducedAudienceApathy quickly sank the ratings lower than previous one-and-done AMC shows ''Rubicon'' and ''LowWinterSun''.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: Gordon, though not the best father, not only manages to fix his daughters' Speak & Spell, he also reprograms it to greet them by name on startup.

** In general, each character's playlist on AMC's Halt and Catch Fire Spotify account is 'absurdly' awesome. Cases in point: Joe's slick synthpop and new wave collection, and Cameron's jagged girl punk mix.

** Promos for the show use Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".