Summary: Irving is a fixer who works for the Dark Army. He is called by Tyrell and saves Elliot. Power goes out in the city. Later, Elliot wakes up with Angela who confirms everything that happened to him. Elliot goes back to his apartment and meets with Darlene. He tells her about stage 2 and tells her that he wants to stop it by blocking the backdoor. Darlene takes Elliot to a hacker tournament to use the internet there, since the city is blacked out. Elliot closes the backdoor, but he and Darlene are picked up by the Dark Army who take them to Irving. Elliot tells him he is backing out of the deal and Irving accepts. Elliot returns to Angela and asks for a job at E Corp. He also asks Angela to watch him and make sure he isn't Mr. Robot. He kisses her again but Angela says it is a mistake. Elliot stays the night. Mr. Robot wakes up at night and Angela meets with him, taking him to Irving to get stage 2 back underway. Mr. Robot is taken to where Tyrell is being kept. Later, Mr. Robot speaks with Angela who reveals why she is okay to betray Elliot like this. Power returns to the city.
The Good: This was an immediate improvement on season 2. The biggest notable change for me was the removal of the frustrating teasing that made season 2 so convoluted. This episode was very open with us about everything, and that immediately played dividends, in ways that I will describe below. Where season 2 left us in the dark and created drama from us questioning what was happening, season 3 returns to more conventional storytelling and it works wonderfully. Every character's motivations are immediately cleared up. Elliot gets a lengthy speech to establish that he has taken a completely 180 from his viewpoint in the pilot; he no longer believes in the revolution he created. We finally understand what Angela is doing for once and why: she's now working with Whiterose and the Dark Army in order to create a reality where her mother never died, a natural change in direction from the revenge she was seeking in season 1. Now these sound like very basic ways to tell a story, and they are. But you have to understand that in season 2, the reveal of this information would have been teased for episodes and it would never be told to us outright. Seeing the show step back to basics and address character motivations, relationships, and plot details is so refreshing and it's a sign that Sam Esmail's ambition can now work alongside the story rather than working against it. I'm overjoyed that season 3 is immediately correcting the biggest problem I had with season 2. Now let's dive into more specifics, because it is much more exciting to talk about "Mr. Robot" now that I have substance to appreciate instead of simply grasping at straws in the hopes that I am comprehending the story. I loved the opening sequence of the episode. We start at The Red Wheelbarrow, which was mentioned on a flyer in the season 2 finale, and we soon learn that it's a meeting hub of sorts for the Dark Army. Here we meet Irving, played wonderfully by Bobby Cannavale. Unlike with Dom in season 2, "Mr. Robot" nails the introduction of this character. He charms us immediately, and through a clever interaction at the restaurant we know everything we need to know about his personality, and we immediately also figure out that he's a fixer working for the Dark Army because he is called by Tyrell to help save Elliot. And that's it, no smoke and mirrors, no needless mystery, no needless confusion. We are introduced to a new character, we learn who he is and what he does, and we learn why he is essential to the plot in quick time. It's perfectly paced, entertaining to watch, and makes the most out of Sam Esmail's unique directorial style without falling into the trappings of season 2. I hate to keep harping on season 2 over and over again since it's not like I utterly hated the season, but I feel that it is necessary to properly convey what a step up this episode felt like. Whiterose is another character who gets a fantastic bit of clearing up to start the season. She's only here in one scene, but the scene does a terrific job of finally clearing up that messy mystery that season 2 introduced and completely failed to turn into a compelling narrative. This single scene completely cleans up the mess that was left behind and tells us exactly what is important. It would seem that Whiterose's project at the Washington Township Plant will have something to do with time or even a parallel universe (see: The Unknown), and that is a much more fascinating bit of detail to ponder on than simply thinking "oh I wonder what Whiterose is doing". The mystery has been streamlined in a way that it is now far more effective. Furthermore, Whiterose even goes as far as to connect this to Elliot and his father, letting us know why we should care about this - it is directly linked with the main character! Plus, we get another added detail that Whiterose will be looking to kill Elliot when she is done with him, adding in a sense of danger as well. The sense of danger is important because it creates a level of suspense that makes it much more interesting to explore this story. Again, it's so great to see "Mr. Robot" adhering to the basic rules of writing a story, and the show thrives as a result. As for Elliot, I really enjoyed his story in this episode. Upon waking up, season 3 is quick to resolve the messiness of season 2 and push forwards, which I think is the right decision. Elliot starts to ponder the existential questions of last season in terms of being in control and whether Tyrell is real or not. But Angela immediately confirms what's what for Elliot, and from there, there's no looking back. We finally get to see Elliot on a mission, fully understanding himself and what he wants. There's an excellent sequence in the middle of the episode that sees Elliot launch into a rant in his own head about what he needs to do. The scene is shot masterfully, and it conveys what this character feels with perfection. Elliot's opinions have changed sharply since his hate-filled rant in the pilot, and season 3 needed to address just how much he has grown after the 5/9 hack. He still hates the rich people at the top, but he no longer believes that his revolution accomplished anything. The only thing he did was create a world of chaos that is incredibly hard on the average person, but is a world of opportunity for the high-ranking businesses. I appreciate the show addressing this idea and I think that the question of if 5/9 was a good idea or not is a brilliant one to explore this season. It's wonderful to see Elliot spend time with Angela and Darlene in this episode since we haven't seen a whole lot of developing character relationships last season. This has immediately changed and we are given some exciting stuff to start off with. Elliot and Darlene catch up and he takes her along to help him stop stage 2. Their interactions are a lot of fun, and I like that Darlene is grateful for him and willing to help, but still cold and angry since Elliot, in his haste, ends up ignoring her emotions following Cisco's death at several points in the episode. There's also the added intrigue of if Darlene is an FBI informant and if Elliot knows this, which added another layer to their interactions (see: The Unknown). Things with Angela are just as interesting. Finally the show is pulling the trigger on bringing Elliot and Angela closer together and it is working so far. Their friendship is beautiful and effective, and it's nice to see it develop further. It's sensible that Elliot trusts Angela to keep him in check to help them reverse 5/9. What I was not expecting was the fantastic twist that Angela is betraying Elliot by working directly for Whiterose, and she is willing to lie to him and deceive him to accomplish her goals. Her scenes with Mr. Robot are terrific. Vulnerable and emotional Angela is gone, and the hardened businesswoman Angela emerges when she deals with Mr. Robot. I love this added depth to Angela, and it makes good use of the different aspects of her personality that were developed, albeit messily, throughout season 2. More than the plot reveals and the set-up, I loved Angela's conversation with Mr. Robot on the way back home. I'm sure I'm sounding like a broken record by now, but it feels so good that this episode didn't leave us with mystery as to why Angela is working with Whiterose and why she is willing to turn on Elliot. We get a lengthy bit of conversation as Angela reveals what she is fighting for, why she is fighting for it, and why she is willing to work with Mr. Robot and betray Elliot. It's a bit expository, but it just feels so good to know for certain what is going on inside of Angela's head for once. Furthermore, I thought that this scene did a terrific job of explaining why Angela was hesitant to get together with Elliot. Elliot's explanation of Angela not wanting to be with people who love her reeked of typical poor writing of female characters at first. But that's not the case, and I was pleased to realize that this was just Elliot's incorrect interpretation, which makes sense considering his poor social skills. Instead we are shown that Angela is likely hesitant and crying because she would feel awful getting emotionally involved in a relationship with someone who she is openly stabbing in the back. I feel for her conflict here, and I found this to be very compelling. Some small things were also great. I enjoyed the idea that the entire episode took place in New York with power out. That gave the whole episode a darkly effective tone. Elliot's mute button on life was a clever bit of filmmaking stemming from a relatable desire for quiet. I was captivated by Darlene's panic attack upon seeing the Dark Army. It's great to see the detail that Darlene has lost her ability to keep cool as a result of PTSD after watching Cisco's death. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. This was very consistent. The Unknown: Ir Irving just a fixer for the Dark Army or is there more to his role in the show? How does he already know Elliot and Tyrell? Why did they interact with him before? Could he have been the one that organized Tyrell's hiding? Is this location the place where Tyrell has been staying this whole time? Whiterose apparently had Elliot's father working for her. Why? For what? Does this have something to do with the secret project at the Washington Township Plant? Whiterose was observing a strange scientific structure at the plant. Is this her project? Is this a particle collider? That's my immediate thought upon seeing it. What is Whiterose doing with it? Does this have something to do with undoing everything, like Angela suggested later in the episode? Is Whiterose trying to manipulate time? Also, I noticed a lengthy bit of dialogue on parallel universes while we were at the Washington Township Plant with this mysterious structure. This hearkens back to Whiterose's discussion with Dom where she ponders on what a world without 5/9 would look like. That seems to be a clear indicator that Whiterose is actively looking to possibly create a parallel universe where 5/9 never happened. Is this the case here? Is Darlene an FBI informant? We never saw what became of her after Dom showed her everything. I suspect that this is because she caved in. Her behaviour in this episode matches an informant. She continually asks Elliot for further details, suggesting that she might have a wire. Elliot claiming that stage 2 wasn't his idea could very well have saved him since we know that the FBI is waiting like a python to get the ringleader. Who did Darlene call on the phone? I suspect that she may have called in the FBI agents that Irving had to shake in the ensuing scene. Elliot says that Angela is the only one he can trust right now. Does this mean that he doesn't trust Darlene? Is he suspecting that she has been compromised? How are the Dark Army still going to pull off stage 2 with the backdoor closed? Will Elliot find out that Angela is deceiving him? What does Angela have to do to help accomplish Whiterose's plan? Why is it so important to Whiterose that stage 2 happens? Best Moment: While this was consistent, not much stood out about this episode. I'll go with Darlene's panic attack at the hacker tournament. Character of the Episode: Angela. Conclusion: This was a great season premier. There is a marked change from season 2 in the pacing and structure of the show, and I hope that means that we are moving past the mistakes of last season to tell a worthwhile story. While there is nothing Earth-shattering about this episode, I'm feeling excited, and I hope that season 3 continues this momentum and grabs a hold of the opportunity to tell a worthwhile story. Score: 68
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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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