Summary: Flashbacks show when Shayla first met Elliot. Elliot goes back to work and hides from grieving over Shayla. He finishes his therapy, but ends up returning and opens up to Krista about his hacking and even tells her that he hacks her regularly. Angela arranges a meeting with Colby and proposes that he testify for her case against E Corp and in return she will make a testimony that helps him out. Colby agrees to the deal, but when Angela returns to Allsafe she realizes that her testimony would likely kill the company. Mr. Robot works on getting fsociety back together for the rest of his plan. Darlene is able to arrange a meeting with Whiterose, who leads the Dark Army. Tyrell continues to scheme against Scott and Sharon, and after inviting Sharon to the roof in secret, they start making out and Tyrell ultimately ends up strangling her to death.
The Good: Elliot has a good story here as his life transitions following Shayla's death. The opening flashback is quite sad and it emphasizes Shayla' importance to Elliot; they clearly had a connection from the moment they met. Elliot spends the rest of the episode failing to process his grief or even accept it. He's back to work and he refuses to take time off. For times like these, Elliot's inner monologue works really well because it allows us a glimpse into his inner psyche when he has emotionally shut himself off from the world. The "view source" theme in the episode is relevant to Elliot's story, exploring how Elliot has to understand his true self and reveal it to those around him. And by episode's end he finally does that when he opens up to Krista. What he says to her is quite horrifying, but it is honest. It will be interesting to see how Krista responds to him and if she is willing to open up to him too (see: The Unknown). The other storylines in the episode also adhere to the "view source" theme as literally every character has to accept truths about themselves. This works really well because it gives all of these side characters more depth than what they had going into the episode. I've been critical of how this show has handled its side plots because these side characters aren't anywhere near as interesting to follow as Elliot. But after this episode, I am much more invested in the side stories that are happening. Romero and Trenton were flat characters who we knew nothing about, so they were never characters that I wanted to explore. But now I know more about what makes them tick and I can start to sympathize with them. I'm sure that I will grow to care about them soon if this keeps up. We learn that Romero is a smart and gifted guy, but that he is hesitant to support fsociety. But Mr. Robot essentially threatens him into coming back, which could be an important point of conflict for the future. We also get more insight on Trenton and I found it to be really interesting. Her motives for making a revolution are sensible, and I appreciate that she does secretly look down on everyone else for having "lesser" motives. It's a nice human detail that makes her easier to understand and empathize with. Angela gets the most screentime in this episode and her story is pretty strong. It's engaging to watch her negotiate with Colby and we get to see the character's strengths emerge with how she handles herself. She is never afraid of backing down and says and does what she needs to without ever being deceitful or manipulative. It's a good story to follow and Angela's actions make it very easy to root for her. Her deconstruction to Colby of how painful it is to be in the lower class is a great moment that lines up nicely with the themes of the show. Tyrell's story is very interesting. I do not like Tyrell at all, but I find him so fascinating to follow. He is not a character that we are supposed to like. He's a true villain, manipulative, deceitful, egotistical, and an outright sadist. His scenes in this episode were filled with intrigue. Unlike Elliot and Angela who don't back down from the truths about themselves, Tyrell fires his employees out of rage when the subject of their discussion unintentionally forces Tyrell to face the reality of his own patheticness. It's a brilliant scene with rich thematic value. Then of course we get to the episode's huge moment as Tyrell murders Sharon in cold blood. I'm uncertain if this was planned or not (see: The Unknown), but the horror of the moment is conveyed superbly through the directing, and Martin Wallstrom is superb as he breaks down in the aftermath of what he's done. The Bad: Angela's story has some flaws within it. There was a month-long timeskip in this episode, and in all that time Angela was planning her deal with Colby. Did she really never think about the consequences of Allsafe being shut down by her testimony in this time? She shouldn't have needed Gideon to tell her that. I'm not a huge fan of Colby's characterization. I was hoping that he would be a somewhat decent guy outside of business as it would give him some depth and make him feel like a more unique character. Instead he tells Angela to suck his balls and beg to him, and admits to making his fateful decision in 1993 while drunk and not taking things seriously at all. The actor plays the role well and the scene of his reveal is good, but the "smug, creepy asshole in power" character offers very little originality and it doesn't explore any ideas that I haven't already seen from other TV shows. The Unknown: What's wrong with Flipper? What did he eat? What was the point of showing that scene with the vet? Will Angela be able to go through with her testimony? If not, what will be the consequences of her choice? Now that she has a deal with Colby, I imagine that it won't be good for her if she backs out. The meeting with Whiterose has been arranged. Who is Whiterose? Where are they meeting? What will happen at this meeting? Why did Tyrell murder Sharon? Was it just purely out of rage? If it was planned, then why? Will Tyrell really be able to get away with this? How is Krista going to respond to Elliot? Will she condemn his actions or accept them? Likewise, will she attempt to strengthen their relationship by relating to his struggles with loneliness? Best Moment: Elliot's final scene with Krista. His revelation is a big moment that is suitably terrifying, and I'm genuinely excited to see how Krista responds to it. Character of the Episode: Angela. Conclusion: This is a transition episode, but it is packed with a lot of rich character work and plot development. I am finally starting to get invested in every aspect of the show, and though it has taken a while to get there, I am glad that I reached this point before the season reached its big climax. I'm excited to see what's in store for the final three episodes, so this episode certainly did its job as a transition episode. Score: 67
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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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