Elliot tries to live a bug-free life, but is quickly drawn back in. Tyrell takes matters into his own hands when the CTO position becomes available; Ollie gets blackmailed. Gideon starts get... Read allElliot tries to live a bug-free life, but is quickly drawn back in. Tyrell takes matters into his own hands when the CTO position becomes available; Ollie gets blackmailed. Gideon starts getting suspicious of the infected server.Elliot tries to live a bug-free life, but is quickly drawn back in. Tyrell takes matters into his own hands when the CTO position becomes available; Ollie gets blackmailed. Gideon starts getting suspicious of the infected server.
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Now don't get me wrong; this episode was still good in many ways. Rami Malek and Christian Slater are still very strong performance-wise; as are basically every other actor except maybe Portia Doubleday as Angela. I got no emotion from her in a scene where there should have been quite a lot. The direction was also just as, if not stronger, than the last two episodes.
However, the thing that really made this episode not work for me was the focus on other characters besides Elliot. The previous episodes really thrived on you seeing the world through Elliot's eyes, but this one decided to have entire story lines that had absolutely nothing to do with that narrative. If you're reading this review you are probably arguing that this was just character development. I'm fine with there being character development, but the way they did this, with Tyrell especially, just bored me. I feel like there are other ways to show you what's going on behind the scenes. I'm not specifically suggesting anything, I'm just saying that they could have done it better.
You had a connection to Elliot as a viewer in the first two episodes, but that connection was lost in this one. However that does not mean that this still isn't very good television and that I won't continue watching the rest of this series.
I give Season One, Episode Three of Mr Robot a six out of ten.
Rami Malek continues to kill it as Elliot. In this episode, he tries to lead a normal life. This led to some of the series' funniest moments so far. The soundtrack when he lists the things that make a normal life was absolutely brilliant, and really added to the hilarity. It was also a really clever moment when Sheila interrupted his inner monologue. Up until now, she has been a nothing character, not particularly deep or developed. In this one, we see a bit of who she is, and why she's perfect for Elliot.
But the highlight of this episode is Christian Slater as Mr. Robot. He steals every scene he's in. He really feels like he could end up being the hero or the villain. Only time will tell. His actions lead to a shocking reveal late in the episode.
Also, we got to see more about Elliot and Angela's past, how they met and their father and mother's history.
I really liked the debug and bug analogy about life. Comparing the hard work of managing a bug, with having a "bug free" life. Moreover, this lifestyle didn't last long for Elliot.
I felt happy for Elliot asking Shayla to be his girlfriend, leaving her past job behind and starting a new beginning. It was very cute how she opened to Elliot about her hobby.
I hope things go well for Angela, after Ollie's mistake.
Martin Wallstrom is a different kind of villain, for a protagonist as peculiar as Elliot, it's fitting to have equally, or more bizarre adversary. There's a vivid conviction in his actions while Elliot himself currently weighs on his life decisions. Rami Malek delivers the consistent performance of slightly antisocial genius, but he's now trying to fit into social norm.
It's strangely playful, a tad liberating in the contradicting fallacy to see Elliot mingles with his peers and boss. The episode also brings more depth to side characters as it delves further into personal territory. Christian Slater as Mr. Robot, despite being titular character is playing a magnetic side character.
That doesn't mean he's any less than the leads. On contrary, being in just enough portion of scenes makes his persona more intriguing while keeping the mysterious vibe intact. For most part, the show has given contrasting light for its visual. I enjoy the subtle change tone according to the mood playing at the moment, Elliot is given more lighter tone in his scenes while Tyrell is mostly covered in darkness this time around.
There's a balanced pace at work here, it divvies the spotlight just in healthy dose between characters as it keeps the main plot operating smoothly.
Did you know
- TriviaDuring their conversation, Joanna (Stephanie Corneliussen) and Tyrell (Martin Wallström) speak Danish and Swedish, respectively. The closed captions for the episode incorrectly identify both languages as Swedish.
- GoofsElliot's drug screen misspells marijuana as "marrijuana."
- Quotes
Gideon Goddard: We might get lucky, they might get sloppy, make a mistake, you know, catch some...
Elliot Alderson: This is the world we live in. People relying on each other's mistakes to manipulate one another, use one another, even relate to one another. A warm, messy circle of humanity.
- ConnectionsFeatures Tron (1982)
Details
- Runtime
- 46m
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
- 16:9 HD