Summary: Elliott is an introverted hacker and he skips his friend Angela's party to turn in a child pornography supplier, Ron. Elliott works at Allsafe as a cybersecurity engineer but during his therapy sessions it is revealed that he is disillusioned with society, specifically E Corp (dubbed Evil Corp by him), the main company that Allsafe protects. Elliott spends his time doing morphine and ends up having sex with his drug dealer. He also spends time hacking accounts and follows his psychiatrist Krista's current boyfriend who he doesn't trust. He's suddenly called in to work at 3AM to resolve an intense DDoS attack which he barely manages, but finds that some of the code left by the hackers was addressed to him. The next day, Elliott is picked up to join a secret hacker group called fsociety, who give him the data to frame one of the higher-up of Evil Corp, Terry Colby, for the hack. Elliott is skeptical, but when Colby mistreats Angela, he goes through with it, and Tyrell, another man at Evil Corp, takes notice. Elliott discovers that Krista's boyfriend is no good and gets him to break up with Krista. A few weeks later, Colby is arrested and Elliott is happy but he is suddenly picked up and taken to meet Tyrell.
The Good: This episode did a superb job introducing us to Elliott and we learn everything about him through a deeply personalized experience. Having narration is a cliche, but this show does really well to immediately establish that this narration is a stylistic choice unique to this show, one of the things that makes it stand out. We quickly learn that Elliott is mentally unstable, and with him being so introverted, it becomes a necessity to have this narration or we would always be disconnected with Elliott's thoughts and emotions. Rather than having this narration be a plot convenience, it's a compelling method of exploring this character, which is what is done for the rest of the episode. Through Elliott's inner monologue and Rami Malek's wonderful performance, we learn more and more about him as the episode goes on. We can't condone everything that he does, yet he is human enough that we still connect with him in spite of all of the creepy, morally questionable actions he takes throughout this first episode. I really appreciate the way that this character is presented. The show understands that we need to like Elliott, and so our first scene with him shows his more noble side as he is responsible for the arrest of a man deeply involved in child pornography, something that everyone can condemn. With this, we are already sympathizing with Elliott whether we like it or not, and the so the episode has free reign to take more risks with the character, showing us his flaws. I loved the accurate portrayal of the mind of an introvert, highlighting the awkwardness of social situations while making it clear that while Elliott is a highly intelligent man, he is woefully behind everyone around him in terms of social cues and gestures, being unable to present himself properly in social settings. This is very accurate to how I've experienced introverts (like myself) interacting in unfamiliar situations, and I appreciate the attention to detail. Furthermore, I found the editing of the show to be terrific, portraying Elliott's internal thoughts, lies, and paranoia in a way that really grabbed me and made me feel it alongside him. This episode was wildly successful at being the highly personalized experience that it wanted to be. I am immediately interested in the concept of hacking being central to this story. I am not particularly experienced with this stuff so I likely won't be able to critique it as well as other aspects of the show, but I'm excited to see how "Mr. Robot" is able to communicate this complex world to its audience. So far, it has done a very good job. The big DDoS sequence in the middle of the episode was executed very well, utilizing metaphors and problem-solving to neatly communicate these advanced concepts to the audience in layman's terms without it feeling forced. Additionally, I find hacking on a smaller scale to be a very interesting way to explore Elliott. We see him go through the process of hacking Michael's information in this episode, and I appreciate how detail-oriented this was. Elliott didn't just magically get access to his information - he had to earn it every step of the way, and it was really gripping to watch (with the exception of one moment, see: The Bad). This show does a nice job of presenting Elliott with dilemmas and exploring why he makes the choices that he does. We have several terrific moments throughout this episode that center around Elliott making a key choice. Does he delete the code he found after the DDoS? Does he follow the mysterious homeless man who has been following him? Does he go through with fsociety's plan and frame Colby? Does he turn them in? We get to see Elliott grapple with these questions, leading up to him making satisfying choices that feel both earned and in-line with what we have learned about the character so far. These moments are great, feeling so human, and so nail-bitingly intense. The episode had me at the edge of my seat several times. I liked a lot of smaller things here, which is a sign that this show will be right up my alley. I appreciated that Elliott sleeping with Shayla came back to bite him when Angela found her sprawled on his bed. There's nothing I like more than seeing a character's actions have consequences. I had a few laughs at Elliott's awkward behaviour and one-word replies in awkward situations (Gideon tells him he's gay and Elliot's response? "Thanks."). The presentation of this episode was really impressive. This was not done on a massive budget like so many TV shows in modern times. Instead, it used the best of its limited budget to create a stylistic atmosphere that suggested mastery of the art of film. Great shows like "Breaking Bad" even took several seasons to fully find their stylistic flair, but "Mr. Robot" has it figured out in just one episode. The cold colour scheme, creative editing, and fantastic score all add to the experience of this episode. The Bad: While I praised the writing of this show a lot, there was one small oversight that I was disappointed by. We saw Elliott discover that Michael's name was likely an alias, yet we never got to see how he managed to find Michael's real identity. It's a real shame because every other step of this process was so thoroughly explored, and I would have loved to see how Elliott executed this final step. Unfortunately, it was glossed over. One small concern I have is that we don't get many scenes in this hour+ experience that emotionally connect us with the characters. The plot and story is interesting and engaging, but not quite emotionally impactful. It's a minor quibble though, and I'm sure that if the story continues to be this compelling, the emotional investment will come. The Unknown: Who are all of these men that Elliott is seeing from his schizophrenia? How does this tie into his past? What's the story of his father and mother? Evidently, he has some trauma there. Who is Tyrell? Why did he talk with Elliott immediately? What does he know about Elliott's role in bringing down Colby? What will he do about it? Who is Mr. Robot? Why did he recruit Elliott? Who are the members of fsociety? What is their goal? What is the project they work on? Where did they go after Elliott gave the forged data of Colby's IP address? What are Elliott's feelings for Angela? The show has suggested that he loves her, but I wonder if that is really the case. Elliott is such a blank slate at times that it is hard to get a read on who he is and what his desires are. Best Moment: Elliott's brief inner breakdown after his meeting with Mr. Robot. It was compelling and fascinating to see him contend with the reality of his situation, wondering if his experiences were all delusions or if they were actually genuine. Character of the Episode: Elliott. Conclusion: I really enjoyed this. A highly personalized pilot episode with tons of style, uniqueness, creativity, and unpredictability. What else can you ask for from a first episode? I'm really excited to watch this show as it promises to be unlike anything else I've ever seen. I'm all in after just this episode, so it is clear to me that this pilot episode has done its job. Score: 74
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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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