Summary: A flashback shows Darlene return to Elliot for Halloween and Elliot conceives of the idea for fsociety. In the present, Elliot is visited by Darlene and he tells her to stop furthering fsociety's goals but she doesn't listen. Elliot plays chess with Ray and is challenged by Mr. Robot to play a decisive game to determine which of them remain in control. Elliot consults Krista for help and she tells him not to play but he refuses to listen. Elliot plays the game and discovers he is in a permanent stalemate and that he can't be rid of Mr. Robot since he's a part of himself. Darlene learns from Cisco that the FBI found the arcade and that the Dark Army think somebody turned and will likely go after them. With her life in danger, Darlene phones Elliot to get on a computer. Elliot agrees to help Ray and uses his computer. He learns about Romero, the FBI, and the Dark Army from Darlene and decides to hack into the FBI. Angela speculates on Price's motives and gives him a proposition, but Price does not accept it. Joanna is running out of money while waiting for Tyrell and tries to negotiate Tyrell's severance pay from Scott, but Scott refuses.
The Good: These early episodes of season 2 have done a good job at expanding the world-building of the show and developing the many aspects of the plot in preparation for later. The opening scene does this perfectly. It starts off as a tease of answers from the season 1 finale, but eventually it becomes clear to us that we are watching a flashback. The scene is structured impressively subtly so that there are a number of different points where the viewer may realize it's a flashback. I was tipped off by Darlene's rhythmic knocking, but I'm sure that other people will clue in about the time jump at different points. Continuing on, the scene does a great job of filling in some gaps for our characters. The Darlene/Elliot relationship is explored and we get a better idea of the dynamic that they had prior to Elliot losing his memory. We also get a better understanding of Elliot, learning what he did before Allsafe and why he was seeing Krista (mental health concerns after his hack). This informs us more on Elliot compared to what he has told us from being inside his mind, and is changes our perception of him a little bit. Plus, we also get a better idea of the origins of fsociety. Where in the pilot it seemed like a highly organized team of hackers, now we get to learn of fsociety's true origins: the ramblings of a man who may or may not be crazy. It's a fascinating bit of expansion that brings to light how unlikely fsociety's success really was. The sequence then concludes with a clever jumpscare title drop, capping off what was a fascinating and inventive 11-minute (!) opening scene. If there's one thing this show has, it's ambition. This was skillfully executed and it held my attention the entire time. As has been the case this season, Elliot's story continued to develop his inner conflict with Mr. Robot as he continues to live in his uncertain environment cut off from the world around him. The past few episodes have seen Elliot try to wrestle control away from Mr. Robot and try to escape from him. This episode finally brings Elliot to a point of reckoning where he learns that this is not feasible. Ray tells him to open up, and Krista tells him to accept Mr. Robot as a part of himself but Elliot doesn't budge from his stance. Instead it's the unlikely source of Leon who gets through to Elliot. Leon asks Elliot what he is fighting for and that's when Elliot realizes that his main goal should not simply be freedom from Mr. Robot, it should be to build a future that he enjoys, a future that is beautifully realized by Sam Esmail in a top-quality dream sequence (see: Best Moment). With this in mind, Elliot is able to find new hope to keep moving forwards. His vain attempts to quash Mr. Robot's existence are finally halted after their chess game forces Elliot to realize how futile it all is. There is nothing he can do, and he better accept Mr. Robot soon or else he will be in a never-ending torrent of misery, accomplishing nothing. Finally Elliot understands what he needs to do, and he allows Mr. Robot to exist as he finally makes his move. With Darlene in danger, Elliot finally breaks away from his monotonous lifestyle and is back on a computer. And with big ambitions to hack the FBI (see: The Unknown), I can't wait to see what he does next. It has been very slow going to get to this point, but it feels huge that Elliot has finally accepted Mr. Robot as a part of him, and this exploration of the character was done very well. Angela's story has some good elements to it. She is learning how to carry herself and use her power, and it is great to see her compete with Price in attempts to outsmart him. But her desire for further power and ascension up the ladder ring a bit hollow. The encouraging voice she listens to every day tells her "my beliefs create my own reality" and "all of my dreams are coming true right now". But Angela's reaction indicates that she clearly does not believe this. She is starting to sacrifice her own sense of self for power, and that troubling road can potentially lead her somewhere very dangerous. The Bad: The problems I outlined in my last review still stand. I can tell that this will be fascinating to rewatch when I have a complete understanding of everything that is going on, but for now I am left feeling frustrated with the storytelling. So much mystery, so little clarity, and such slow pacing is not a good combination. I don't have enough of an understanding of the plot to emotionally connect, and the slow-burn makes it even tougher because there is so much I want to know, but episode after episode I get no answers or clarity. I'm willing to be patient and wait for it, but it is frustrating when we get so many scenes that are specifically constructed around not giving us any answers and it is immensely frustrating. Price and Whiterose's conversation should have escalated the stakes and cleared up the motives of both characters, but instead it serves as an almost infuriating test of my patience as both characters say so much while somehow revealing absolutely nothing. I feel similarly about Joanna's scenes. I have no idea what to make of her and her situation because I know nothing about her or her situation! The scene with Scott did nothing for me because I'm unclear on Joanna's goals and why she needs the money so badly. The constant barrage of questions are making this story incredibly convoluted, and my interest is waning as things become increasingly difficult to follow along. I'm concerned that the season may end up like "Westworld" if it isn't careful and if it starts relying on random shocks, twists, and misdirection too much. Angela's story is good on paper and there are some creative choices made in how it is told but it still doesn't entirely work for me. I was disappointed that Angela's decision on whether or not to use the evidence against Jim and Saul was skipped over. At least we saw the fall-out, but this is a huge moment for the character. Why on Earth was it skipped? I also find myself struggling to follow along with what Angela wants from E Corp, and this is likely continued problems from the whiplash effect of how Angela's character changed between seasons. She seems to genuinely want more power, and yet she is still helping her lawyer with the case. I'm confused by this and I want more clarity on Angela and her motives so that these scenes can mean more. At least there wasn't such excessive monologuing in this episode, but the slow pace is really starting to kill me after four episodes. Especially with there being so many hour-long episodes where very little actually happens. Let's see some plot movement now. Even "Better Call Saul", a notoriously slow TV show, has much more plot progression and character work happening in every episode. "Mr. Robot" seems to be trying to hide its slow pace and inefficient character development behind flashy cinematography and directing. The Unknown: What were the FBI pages for? What was Romero looking into? What is Operation Berenstain? Who started that operation? Does it have something to do with Elliot or Tyrell? What deal did Kareem agree to with Joanna? Why did it lead him into danger? He is the same man who confronted Elliot about Tyrell's car being parked for 3 days. Did he have a deal with Joanna by this point or did that come after? Why does Joanna need this money? What is she funding? Why is E Corp keeping Tyrell's money? Apparently the FBI were supposed to guarantee that he gets his money. Why? Are the government in on Tyrell's disappearance? What are Whiterose and Price planning? Why is Angela so important (I presume the "she" that they discussed in Angela)? Was Angela wrong when she confronted Price? I suspect that she wasn't, and perhaps Price simply did not like that Angela attempted to take power from him, so he rejected her. What is Darlene's plan to avoid being killed by the Dark Army? Will she help Mobley and Trenton too? What is Elliot's plan? How does he plan to hack into the FBI? What will this accomplish? Will Ray be fine with this? Best Moment: Elliot's dream sequence was wonderful and does nicely to illuminate Elliot's inner desires. He does wish the hook up with Angela, he genuinely cares for Darlene and wants her to be happy, and in a lovely moment, he still feels guilt over what he did to poor Bill Harper back in "eps1.4_3xpl0its.wmv", and wishes to make up with him. The sequence was nicely edited and was genuinely moving as we finally got to see Elliot dare to dream of a better future to fight for. Character of the Episode: Elliot. Conclusion: Another slow-burn episode that patiently develops the story, but loses me at several points along the way. I'm sure that this is going somewhere interesting, and the visual style of the show is tremendous, but the frustration is setting in and that is hurting the show. Elliot's story keeps me going, but I need more substance to connect with the story that is being told. Score: 56
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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