Summary: Scott burns $5.9 million at the request of fsociety. Price makes a deal with government officials to get another loan. Elliot meets Ray who wants to become friends with him but Elliot keeps his distance. The next day, Ray tells Elliot that they talked at night and Elliot realizes it was Mr. Robot. Mr. Robot makes another attempt to subdue Elliot but Elliot refuses to give in and demands that he learns where Tyrell is. Elliot has another blackout and reawakens on the phone with Tyrell. Angela settles into her new job at E Corp and wants to keep it. She informs her lawyer about this, who is disappointed in her. Joanna continues to live her life and finds another lover. She receives a package with a phone in it. Gideon is met by Brock in a bar who kills him "for the country".
The Good: The opening sequence was well done. I appreciate the immediate follow-up to part 1's cliffhanger as Scott immediately springs into action. Fittingly, E Corp have him watched and they are well prepared to capture anyone who shows up for their own game. Scott remains sensible however, and he understands that any wrong move can have drastic consequences and he simply obeys fsociety's commands. And the result is that he is publicly seen burning millions of dollars at the mercy of fsociety, a public display of weakness and indifferent disconnect to a whopping $5.9 million, an amount of money that everyone on the street around him likely would never see in their lifetime. Fsociety's plan becomes clear immediately without a word of dialogue in this moment, confirmed by Darlene's smile as she watches it all unfold. Similar to "Breaking Bad", "Mr. Robot" tells its story beautifully, going the extra mile to utilize the format of televised media to the fullest in order to artistically convey the story as opposed to simply telling us everything bluntly. On the topic of E Corp, Price's speech in DC is brilliant. This character is likely being set up as a major villain, but we hardly know anything about him yet. What makes this extended speech work so well is that it tells us everything about this character's motivations and ideals organically in a scene that advances the plot (it explains why E Corp isn't undergoing any changes after repeated failures), while also treating the audience to a tremendous performance from the talented Michael Cristofer. This scene accomplishes a lot in terms of building this character up, and it does so without a word of exposition. After this speech, we know everything that Phillip Price is about, and it is easy to dislike him considering his inhumane morality, yet understand him because his perspective is pragmatic and logical. I praised Michael Cristofer's performance, and I suppose I should take this time to praise everyone creating this show. The extra effort put into this show is obvious just from watching. The performances are excellent, the dialogue is eloquently written, and the directing is truly something else. This show has stylistically wowed me since the first episode, and I don't say that often enough. While I firmly believe that character writing, immersion and emotional engagement is far more important than these other little things, these little things are what take a good show and elevate it further into greatness. If "Mr. Robot" can correct its major flaws, then the show has all of the potential to be fantastic because Sam Esmail pays so much attention to these little details and he nails them every time. Additionally, the music is always terrific in this show. The original score is mesmerizing and the song choices are always memorable and fitting. Now is as good a time as ever to appreciate the detail-work in this show, especially since I often do not give myself the chance to praise these details. Elliot's story remains a fascinating mystery (see: The Unknown), but we get some very good storytelling as Elliot battles his inner self. I've ignored the elephant in the room for a while, but there are very clear "Fight Club" inspirations in this show, particularly with Elliot's relationship with Mr. Robot. I don't think that this weakens the show as there is enough unique ideas and storytelling to differentiate from "Fight Club", and I think that the many homages made to "Fight Club" actually add to the series. Elliot's conflict with Mr. Robot is brilliant here as he navigates interactions with Ray, an outgoing individual that seems to have an interest in Elliot's experience as a hacker. Elliot wants nothing to do with him, but Mr. Robot is more than willing to give in to Ray and connect with him. These scenes are done really well. Ray is endearing and likeable (helped by the fact that he is Craig Robinson), but we can understand Elliot's desire to stay alone. This eventually leads to a brilliant reveal when we learn that Elliot isn't in as much control as he thought and that Mr. Robot still managed to slip out while he wasn't paying attention. It's as jarring to him as it is to us, and Elliot's panic at this realization leads to a fantastic confrontation with Mr. Robot (see: Best Moment), connecting to the episode's theme of wearing masks and how Elliot's mask is one that takes over his entire character. This story doesn't advance the plot much, but it is compelling to watch. Poor Gideon is given death as the cherry on top of all that he has been through. I do think that this moment was somewhat lacking emotionally, but it is effective as a plot moment. Elliot identified Gideon as a genuine good guy, and now he has died as direct fallout from Elliot's revolution, helping to paint the idea that maybe revolution isn't as good as it initially seems. The Bad: Angela's story work because it is hard to buy this sudden change in her character. I felt like I was finally starting to understand her and connect with her in the late episodes of season 1, but suddenly the character has done a complete 180 out of nowhere. It's incredibly difficult to buy into her sudden morality change into a stonehearted leader who treats others poorly. The show is trying to prove a point that capitalism has turned a sweet person into a monster out of self-preservation but I just do not feel this story at all. Where is the drama? Where is Angela learning to stop being sweet and embrace her darker side? We don't get to see this transformation dramatized in any way, so instead of feeling tragic, it feels like the traits we learned about Angela last season have sloppily been stripped away. It's such a shame to see that happen after I had finally started to warm up to Angela last season. Now I feel like I'm back to square one with being indifferent to her storyline, which feels so disconnected from everything else. The show's production and directing is superb, but it doesn't make up for poor character writing. Joanna's BDSM scenes make me feel extremely uncomfortable. I suppose they are supposed to add more depth to her, but they are not interesting to watch and they do not add enough substance to justify how difficult these scenes are to watch. Perhaps they will illuminate Joanna further in future episodes, but for now they do not make for compelling television. I would rather explore literally any other aspect of her character. Again, the vague storytelling does hurt the show. It's always easier to become emotionally invested when you have a clear understanding of the motivations of the characters' and the stakes of the conflict that you are watching. So much is being kept from us while we watch this two-part premiere that we never get that clear understanding, and that detracts from the episode's quality. Like I said before, I'm sure that this will be more engaging on rewatch, but on first watch this is missing something. The Unknown: Who is the guy that is watching Joanna? Who is the man she is using for her BDSM stuff? Is he someone important or just a stand-in for Tyrell? Why doesn't she go with him in public? What was that phone for? Who sent it? Was it Tyrell? Why was it sent? What is the significance of Joanna missing the call? Why did Brock kill Gideon? Was it just because of the revolution or did he have ulterior motives? Who is DiPierro and why is she important? The show made a point of introducing her briefly. What did Ray want from Elliot? What did he talk to him about when he was Mr. Robot? What else did Mr. Robot do during Elliot's black-out at the end of the episode? How did he get in touch with Tyrell? Where is he? Is he even alive? Why has Angela had such a sudden change of heart? Why do so many people at her job hate her? Is she not bothered by this? She has changed so much from season 1. Why does Angela have Qwerty? Best Moment: Elliot's psychotic laughter in the face of Mr. Robot trying to demoralize him by saying that Elliot's social identity is Mr. Robot. A bone-chilling scene that perfectly encapsulates Elliot's fraying sanity as he tries to fend off his alter ego's manipulations. Character of the Episode: Elliot again. Conclusion: A solid second part to what was a consistently good season premier. This two-parter isn't mind-blowing by any means, but it sets the stage for season 2 in good fashion. Score: 63
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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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