Summary: Elliot meets briefly with Shayla who is held captive and he's put on the phone with Vera who tells him to get him out by the end of the day or Shayla dies. Elliot goes to his house under the supervision of Isaac and begins to work. He hacks into Isaac's phone immediately and enlists Darlene for help in secret, but with no time Darlene isn't successful and she is found and used as a hostage by Isaac. Elliot comes to terms with the likelihood of Shayla dying abut comes up with a final plan. He meets with Vera in jail and reveals that he plans to open all prison cells after accessing the prison's wifi. He threatens Vera, telling him hot to kill him or Shayla or he will leak the gang's operation, having accessed it all by hacking Isaac's phone. The set-up for Elliot's plan works but Isaac takes Elliot away and prepares to kill him. Elliot realizes Isaac wants Vera dead because Vera is going to kill him and talks Isaac out of murdering him. The prison escape happens and Elliot and Isaac wait for Vera. Vera has his henchman kill Isaac and lets Elliot go. He gives Elliot the keys to Isaac's car and Elliot finds Shayla dead in the trunk.
The Good: This was good stuff. It was essential that Vera was a legitimate threat throughout this episode for there to be tension and it was managed perfectly. We learn that he is still in prison, but that his gang is fully operational and highly capable. The opening scene with Elliot and Shayla talking is superb. It's clear that something is wrong through some great acting, and then we get the big reveal as Shayla is once again abducted in broad daylight, with everyone in the restaurant pretending to be oblivious - obviously they have learned to turn a blind eye to the gang's dealings out of fear, which is a masterful way to establish a threat without any exposition or needless dialogue. Vera himself is really entertaining as a villain. I like the connection he has developed with Elliot. Vera is obviously not intelligent, but he excels in street-smarts after running a gang for so long. That makes him both a loose cannon, and incredibly dangerous, but it also makes his strange fascination with Elliot more plausible. Vera seems to be fascinated by Elliot more than he is frightened or interested in revenge. It feels like he is taking revenge simply because that's the way the world works, but deep down he respects Elliot's intelligence and his guts. It's an interesting dynamic, especially with how one-sided it is. Elliot couldn't care less for Vera, but Vera can't help but admire Elliot's drive. We spend a lot of time with Elliot in this episode and his experience feels highly personal. There is loads of suspense as Elliot works to find a way out of this scenario he's got himself trapped into. This leads to some great tension-based drama, but also a lovely moment of introspection as Elliot talks with "Mr. Robot" (see: The Unknown) about the situation with Shayla, and he comes to terms with the fact that he might not be able to save her, and that she was dead the moment that she did business with Vera. And unfortunately that is true, because looking back, there is no outcome no matter what Elliot does where Shayla comes out alive. It's a depressing reality that Elliot desperately tries to avoid, but he ends up facing it at the episode's end in an outstanding scene (see: Best Moment). The plot itself is pretty good. There are some small quibbles in the writing (see: The Bad), but overall this plot is suspenseful, effective and well-written. Darlene's involvement further increased the stakes, and I appreciate that Isaac was smart enough to understand that Elliot was working with her. I also liked the twist with Isaac where it's revealed that he has to kill Vera in order to survive. On the surface it sounds like a meaningless surprise, but when you consider that the entire operation was organized by Isaac, it is sensible that Isaac will be blamed, and a loose cannon like Vera absolutely would kill Isaac. So it is sensible for Isaac to desperately look for a way out where he lives, but he ultimately dies anyways. I liked the developments in Tyrell's story. That Tyrell's power move in the previous episode failed was a big surprise to me. This is the kind of storyline that would always work in TV shows, but impressively "Mr. Robot" shows off a bit of extra realism by having Tyrell fail as Sharon shares everything he did with Scott. Tyrell's intentions and weaknesses are immediately found out and exposed as Scott utterly demolishes him in the power game. It's a surprise twist that I really enjoy. I find it difficult to relate to characters when they are unrealistically intelligent, and seeing Tyrell's move in the last episode get thrown back in his face is superb writing. It leads into a lovely bit of film-making as Tyrell rages uncontrollably in the background while his wife calmly snacks in the foreground. The Bad: I have some reservations about this episode. I question the need to have a gang-related storyline in this show. For a show about hackers and psychological drama, do we really need a drug dealer subplot? It feels like a plot too many, especially considering that Angela and Tyrell have had their own stories going on in the background. Vera is a cool character, but I never expected him to be more than a flashy side character. Yet now he has killed Shayla, so he has to be a major player now or else this episode will feel inconsequential. I just question the need to include this storyline, not every show after "Breaking Bad", "The Wire", and "The Sopranos" needs to have gangs included in some way. Shayla's death fell a bit flat because I never cared about her as a character. The death was telegraphed early on in this episode so I had a feeling it was coming. And while it was tragic when we learned her fate, I felt bad for Elliot instead of feeling bad for her. That tells me that Shayla was poorly realized as a character and never emerged past being a plot device for Elliot's character development. I wish that the show had found a way to connect us more with Shayla so that her death could have more meaning. There is some suspension of disbelief that has to be done in this episode. A lot of the hacking feats feel a bit far-fetched. Darlene's USB scam is so risky because there is a very low chance that the guard who picks up the USB will be dumb enough to fall for the trap. Any sane person would ignore the obvious bait. Thank god that it did not work. Even worse is the prison security. Elliot being able to open all prison cells without ringing all alarms is a step too far in my opinion. Furthermore, the prisoners' escape is far too easy. Surely the guards roaming the building would be able to stop, or at least try to stop, the hoard of prisoners escaping through the courtyard. Jailbreaks are not this easy. The Unknown: How did Vera learn about Elliot's hacking ability? Was that just speculation or did somebody tell him? Why did Vera leave Elliot alive? Does he intend on using his talents later? When will we see him again? I'm certain that he's not gone for good. What is Tyrell's plan to handle Scott? It seems like he does not intend on completely pulling back. Is Tyrell married to his wife because of her intelligence? She comes off as more patient and intelligent than he is. I wonder if they are pragmatic enough to marry due to a mutual desire for power rather than any form of love. Mr. Robot's random appearance in this episode suggests further evidence that he is in Elliot's head. But we have seen him interact with others, so I wonder if only some of his scenes are in Elliot's head. Something very strange is going on with him and I'm not sure what. Why did Angela visit Colby? What is she planning to do with him? How does this connect to her attempted lawsuit on E Corp? Best Moment: In the final minutes of the episode, Vera gives Elliot the keys to the car he has been in this entire time, telling him that Shayla has been "with him the entire time". Elliot opens the trunk, and for a long time the camera doesn't pan to what he sees. We are just fixated on Elliot's reaction, which Rami Malek conveys superbly. We suspect that we know what he found in the trunk, and the slow escalation of Elliot's reaction followed by the horrifying concluding shot of Shayla's dead body is a perfect explosion of emotion to conclude the episode. This show's biggest strength remains its directing. The decisions made when shooting these scenes make the show so much better. With just a shot of Shayla's body, this scene wouldn't be anything special, but by fixing us on Elliot's reaction for such a long time, the scene goes from being just good to being terrific. Character of the Episode: Vera. Conclusion: This was another brutally tense episode, this time with a painful and emotional ending. The overall experience of this episode is excellent, and it more than delivers. I did have some reservations and concerns about this episode, but regardless, I still think that this is great television. Score: 69
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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