Summary: Dom is not allowed to see her family since she has not been cleared. Terrified of the Dark Army, Dom forcefully checks out of the hospital and returns to her apartment. Darlene finds her and convinces her to go with her on a road trip. Darlene meets with Elliot who says he isn't going and will instead head to the Washington Township Plant. Darlene leaves with Dom, and Leon drives them. Along the way, Darlene releases the money from the Deus Group to everyone else in the world and convinces Dom to celebrate it. Dom reluctantly does. Dom agrees to go to Budapest with Darlene to escape the Dark army, but at the airport she runs into Irving who reveals that the Dark Army are not after them. Dom tells Darlene to believe in herself and go anyways, and heads back to see her family. Dom has a change of heart and runs back to the flight, but Darlene has a panic attack and goes to the bathroom. Darlene chooses not to get on the flight and Dom leaves for Budapest in a peaceful sleep.
The Good: Poor Dom has still found herself in a nightmare of a situation after all she's been through. The episode opens in a brutal scenario as Dom is isolated from her family, not trusted by the FBI, and still hunted by the Darm Army. It's a horrible nightmare for her, and the episode is smart to open on such a downer note to remind us that despite getting away safely, Dom still has to navigate the fallout of being a Dark Army mole. Starting on such a negative note allows the episode to stand out when it transforms into something much more uplifting. Darlene arrives to meet Dom, and with her she completely changes the tone of the episode. Darlene's appearance is a reminder that despite all of Dom's problems, they did win and that means that there is something to be happy about. Sure, Dom is on the run, but she gets to enjoy a roadtrip with Darlene and Leon after Darlene convinces her to join her and overcome her personal problems with commitment and loneliness. Darlene gets her to open up again in a good way, and it feels like Darlene is trying to atone for what she caused in Dom's life. Seeing them bond again over the course of this episode is lovely and heart-warming, and I was grinning ear to ear in the great scene where Darlene redistributes the Deus Group's money to the entire world. Sure, it's illegal and it definitely won't solve every problem in the world, but it's a moment of triumph where the top 1% of the top 1% were finally taken down a peg. Darlene realizes this and celebrates, and eventually Dom comes around to it too. These two characters also have their own personal journeys in this episode which are mirrored beautifully in an ending that parodies typical romcoms with the use of a Carly Rae Jepson song as Dom and Darlene both nearly have a cliche reunion at the airport. Having them barely miss each other and swap roles was a funny twist on the idea, but it also fit their own personal journeys. Darlene's journey was about learning to be happy with herself. She's always been one to be concerned about other people as we learned back in "404 Not Found", and that has had a great detriment on her mental health. But Darlene doesn't know what it's like to live for herself and she breaks down in the bathroom when dealing with the idea. But ultimately, she gets in control and makes a decision for her future, maintaining her own agency. On the other side we have Dom who has always been too afraid of making life-changing decisions and she always keeps a tight hold on what little she has in life without ever reaching for more. This has left her feeling lonely and unfulfilled, and she opens up in this episode about the insomnia she has as a result. This is why it's so beautiful to see Dom finally take a risk and go to Budapest. Even if Darlene is not going to come, Dom commits to forging a new life, and in doing this she finally reaches inner peace and she has what we can only assume is a deep and restful sleep during her flight. The tragic element of this ending is that both Darlene and Dom do not have each other in the end. But it is bittersweet because without each other they never would have been able to reach the level of self-actualization that they have at the end of the episode. They may not have each other in the end, but they still managed to forge a healthy future for themselves. I enjoyed the cameos of Leon and Irving greatly and how their interactions with Dom contrasted. Leon has totally forgotten about the barn and shrugs it off entirely. Meanwhile Irving immediately recognizes Dom and reflects on the incident with Santiago as "fun". These two are amusing to watch once more, and I thoroughly enjoyed what I can only assume will be their farewells. Leon's random insights are as enjoyable as ever, and Irving's quirkiness is a lot of fun. I'm glad that Irving finally finished his book, even though it's likely terrible. Who the hell names a book "Beach Towel"? The Bad: This episode feels too cheesy to an extent. While I get that parodying a romcom road trip was very much an intentional choice, it is too much of a departure from the norm for "Mr. Robot". The style, lighting, tone, and emotions are all starkly different in this episode. I usually like it when shows do this, but it felt like a step too far in this case because of how jarring it was. Following the biggest episode of the show that resolved most of the main plot, it was strange to halt the plot for a romcom story, especially when so close to the end of the show. I enjoyed the story that was told, but the eccentric choice did not entirely work for me. Furthermore, this episode felt like a come-down episode after 4 sublime intense episodes in a row. It told a nice story, but it felt like a rest-stop on the way to the real conclusion of the show. Irving's appearance at the airport was a bit too convenient for my liking. I'm surprised that he still knows so much about the Dark Army and that they aren't after Dom or Darlene. Furthermore, I'm confused that Dom would simply take his word for it. She should have no reason to trust Irving. Irving is here as a contrived way to get Dom to want to go back to her life at the airport, and it's such an unbelievable coincidence that I find it nearly impossible to buy. The Unknown: Is the Dark Army really not after Dom or Darlene? What are they doing then? Are they all protecting Whiterose? What is Elliot going to do at the Washington Township Plant? Is that it for Dom? Will she come back or is she going to start a new life? What is Darlene's next move? Will she reconnect with Elliot or go her own way? Best Moment: The ending sequence was beautifully done. It's such a cliché that Dom would run back and likely encounter Darlene, but I was really pleased with the twist that they missed each other and still ended up tragically alone in opposite positions of what they wanted. And despite being tragic, it's hopeful because in doing this both characters found their peace. I appreciate the subtlety in conveying Darlene and Dom's peace of mind through them both overcoming the personal problems they discussed (panic attacks and insomnia respectively). This ending was a wash of emotions that went through me, and it was a gorgeous experience. Character of the Episode: Darlene. Conclusion: This was an interesting episode. It's a great self-contained story that resolves the Dom/Darlene story perfectly, yet it feels so different and out-of-place compared to the rest of the show, so I have my reservations about it. All in all, it's a pretty good experience, but not quite the masterful standalone episode that it was trying to be. 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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