Mr. Robot

[Jumbie]

I saw the start of this series when it was airing after Monday Night Raw for a while. They switched out to late nights on Wednesday so I lost track, but I plan to catch up.

 

The setup is a computer security expert who gets drawn into a conspiracy to 'take down' an evil corporation through manipulation of their computers.

 

They draw on a lot of the tropes of Anonymous/Occupy Wall Street to talk about the way power is truly distributed in the economics of today's society. But they also make a point that technology is arming the people with tools to fight back.

 

A lot of the vibe feels like Fight Club. There is some satire of corporate values and trappings. Plus, the main character, Elliot, has some kind of vaguely described emotional/psych problems that he takes medication for and also used street drugs. He doesn't like people touching him etc and is socially isolated.

 

We get the world through his perception so, for instance, the evil corporation is actually called 'Evil Corp' even on newscasts or the logo on the building because that's how he perceives them. Christian Slater shows up early very much like Tyler Durden where we can't even be sure he really exists. Just like we can't be sure the men in the black suits following Elliot around are actually real.

 

The best thing is that the suspense is sustained, because we get the sense that 'Mr. Robot', Christian Slater's character, is some kind of devil. He says righteous sounding things like he's fighting for wealth redistribution and the little guy, but his methods clash with Elliot's sense of right and wrong.

 

Personally, I get the feeling from the first few episodes that Mr. Robot might easily just be a con man looking to pull off a conventional robbery or maybe just an outright terrorist looking to bring it all down and he's using the buzzwords of the Occupy culture to simply get Elliot on board.

 

The standout element for the show is smart writing for the most part and good acting. Christian Slater overacts just enough to make himself feel like a believable larger than life cult leader type and the lead actor has a kind of bulge-eyed awkward manner that really sells you on the character's internal conflicts.

 

---

 

Bottom Line: Based on a few episodes, it looks good.

Edited August 28, 2015 by Jumbie

[Dag]

I just watched the first episode based on your recommendation. I liked it, but my wife wasn't into it. She didn't like the main character's narration. I was fine with it though.

[Da Cap'n 2099]

 

I know Jumbie mentioned it somewhere before, but I'm finally getting around to watching it and it's great. Six episodes into a ten episode first season and I'm hooked. Smart and slick, with some grit, Mr. Robot is a modern Hackers with a Christopher Nolan-ish realness to it. This kid, Rami Malek, feels like the next Oscar Isaac.

[Visitant]

I'll keep this as spoiler free as possible:

 

...I am really fucking tired of a certain song being used in shows.

 

This show is badass though. I wish I had gone to the SXSW booth.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Bindusara

[Mr. Hakujin]

Okay, I was resistant to this series at first because Christian Slater? meh. Hollywood hackers? meh. Millennials? double meh.

But all the critical hype around season two starting finally got me to give S1 a try yesterday. And now I'm about to finish the S1 finale and can say the hype is legit. Writing is top notch. Our protagonist has some great internal monologues. But the supporting cast is also rich and well developed. Performances are all on point, too.

 

What about that reveal in S1E8?

 

I am Jack's sister! Luke & Leia as millennial hackers? I should've seen that coming as E Corp is basically the Empire. I saw the Fight Club reveal coming after the first episode, and I guessed Slater/Mr. Robot was his dad after the Coney Island send off the pier. But the sister thing totally got me.

 

 

I'll come back in and post later my thoughts on the finale.

Edited July 22, 2016 by Mr. Hakujin

[Visitant]

Catch up guys. god. (it's so good)

[Da Cap'n 2099]

Yeah, last episode was insane.

[Mr. Hakujin]

S2E4

Daaaaaaaaamn! That opening scene. I also dug the whole chess match metaphor.

 

Ya girl Angela though...

 

Is she really attracted to this creepy old fuck that runs E corps? These self help tapes just make her seem so pathetic to me. For a second though I thought she was maybe doing this to psych herself for taking down E Corps after that talk with the lawyer, but I think she's really buying into this job she has there. It's giving her a sense of self worth, which it seems it what she craves most.

 

 

Dat ending...

 

Oh snap, no keyboard for Craig Robinson in this series. I feel like there is something shadier than drugs going on with his "online bidness." And it's about time Mr. Robot hacked the FBI already. What took his ass so long. Ha! I love these extended episodes, too.

 

[The NZA]

3 eps in with donny, and can't help thinking

 

 

man there's early matrix & fight club here, and now we're both noticing how no one else is seeing/acknowledging christian slater at elliot's job/bar/etc. really, the only time that's not been the case so far (from what i recall) is the coney island hacker crew HQ...hoping he's not just in elliot's warped head

 

 

good so far!

[Mr. Hakujin]

^Go with your instincts.

 

S2E5

 

I'm pretty sure White Lotus only showed the FBI Agent his collection of dresses becaus ehe knew he was going to have her assassinated. I guess he didn't anticipate her survival instincts.

 

Too bad Elliot didn't share those and didn't get a deadbolt for his bedroom door. I knew That dude was into something larger than drugs. Basically running a literal online black market. I hope Mr. Robot has an idea of how to get outta this situation.

 

There's Where's Waldo routine with Tyrell is getting old for me. Give some answers and move on, Sam Esmail! ECorp and China/Dark Army is where the meat of this story is!

 

And not enough Darla! I wanna see more of her running these fsociety opps.

 

[Donatella]

So I think we're about 5 episodes in now. I fell asleep during the last few minutes of the last one, so I'm not sure where we left off! This show is bizarre for me. I can't decide whether I like it, am annoyed by it, or like that I'm annoyed by it. I find myself rolling my eyes a lot, but when an episode ends, I still want to watch another.

 

I was telling NZA that I appreciate the risks they take with cinematography and music but it's teetering on the line between artistic and pretentious. I haven't seen a show shot so creatively since Breaking Bad, but that one never seemed like it was trying too hard, and Robot kinda has that vibe sometimes. In film school we learned a lot about the Rule of Thirds and this show continually breaks that, filming people in dead center of the screen, with too much headroom, or all the way to one side with no lead room. They're clearly doing it to make you feel uneasy because Elliot feels uneasy, and it works very well, but sometimes I find myself irked by it regardless.

 

And then there's the Mr. Robot character.

 

 

I think NZA and I both said out loud at the same time that we didn't think he was real. From then on, we started noticing how people rarely acknowledge him directly. When they do speak to him, he seems to step directly in front of Elliot, as if taking his place. And the only time anyone referred to them as two different people was in a dream sequence. If this is the case, if he's really a delusion, I will be so disappointed and probably stop watching. That story line is SO TIRED and feels like lazy writing at this point. It's never going to be as shocking as it was in Sixth Sense or Fight Club. It just feels lame when people try now (Dexter, season 6, I'm lookin' at you).

 

 

So yeah...kinda on the fence with this one but I think I'll give it till the end of the first season...

[Da Cap'n 2099]

I LOVE Mr. Robot! I love that the show is all about technology, but every shot is art.

[Donatella]

DAMMIT MR. ROBOT!!!

 

Well..NZA and I watched s1ep8...

 

 

Uuuughghgh I had such high hopes for this show! ALL I wanted was for Christian Slater to be real and not a figment of Elliot's imagination or some kind of disassociation. And yet here we are. I'm so disappointed. I've grown so so SO tired of that story line and it's so damn easy to spot, we both called it in ep 2.

 

To the writers' credit, neither of us saw the Darlene/sister twist coming. But as SOON as she said that I thought "If Christian Slater is his dead dad, I'm done." Sure enough, seconds later... (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

 

I'm gonna finish out the season because this seemed like a season finale type of reveal and I'm curious as to where they'll go from here in the next couple episodes. The show has that long to win me back because right now I feel like I've just wasted 8 hours of my life.

 

[Mr. Hakujin]

S2E6

Um, maybe the best episode of the season. Controversial opening for some fans, but I really, really dug it. (Interview w/ Esmail on his decisions for that opening and guest star here.) And that gawdamn last scene. Feels city.

 

 

Well, I was wrong about White Lotus' Rose's motives about showing Agent D his dress collection in my last post. Turns out the second gunman could've killed her and instead committed suicide. WTF is the endgame for the Dark Army?

 

Speaking of which, Darlene's ex got fucked up! WTF was in that syringe, and am I wrong or did that asshole break the needle off in his finger!?!?! Fuuuuck! *edit* did some research online, and according to a show producer there was nothing in the syringe. It was just plain, good old fashioned torture.

 

Angela one major points with me this episode. I was worried about her, but she played it like a champ.

 

[The NZA]

 

season 1 thoughts

 

 

ehhhhhh

 

there's an interesting show here, but after the last few eps, Elliot's psychosis is among the least interesting thing for me, and it's clearly the focus.

 

i wasn't quite as thrown off (initially) as donny to the obvious split persona thing, but i was assuming they'd do something interesting with it, given how tired it is as a plot device...but the 2nd to last ep of the season has the reveal continue on to a piano rendition of the pixies "where is my mind", and in the very next one, there's a direct rip of the line "i know this, because he knows this", crossing over a bit from homage to...something else. as a huge Fight Club fan, i don't really know what to make of it, but it's not compelling. we double-down with Slater giving his Tyler Durden speech in Times Square about how nothing's really real, and all the while i'm infinitely more interested in the revolution & world around them then this. instead of reconciling the plot point, we now might have more personas from family members? i mean, a dark Herman's Head could be fun i guess, but i'm not really interested.

 

donny's cashed out, i'm gonna see a bit more of season 2 in hopes that this either goes somewhere or kinda falls back, but it's really slowed down my momentum here, personally.

 

[Mr. Hakujin]

^^Yeah, it's a good show but I feel like the hype around it dims it a bit. Especially for us non-millennial types...

S1 spoilers only:

 

I can see how the Fight Club aspect would really hit home for the millennial crowd as most of them likely have never heard of Fight Club let alone seen it. I was suspicious of it, but didn't know for 100% until that bar scene and he ordered the appletini.

 

The hype around this show also stems, likely, from the fact this plot really pays service to the Feel the Bern crowd. Also, the slow pace and long, precisely framed shots are probably something that's considered "innovative" to many millennials who're accustomed to gulping down their entertainment in 6 sec. Vine clips.

 

 

NZA & Donatella, the story telling is slower paced and it doesn't really pick up momentum in terms of plot in S2 until E4&5. I can see how the pacing and long waits between payoffs would put off some viewers (I think Preacher S1 suffered from the latter, too). However, two things are keeping me eagerly waiting each episode for S2:

 

1.) The characters

Elliot, Darlene, Angela, Whiterose, Price (E Corp. CEO), and the two new characters introduced (Craig Robinson and the redhead FBI agent) are all interesting and have layers, motives, and/or plans yet to be revealed. (The Tyrels are kinda meh for me.)

 

2.) Sam Esmail

It's a golden age of TV drama. Game of Thrones, my favorite TV show currently,has pretty much been the vision of two guys, but that's based on source material and they don't direct. This series is one man's vision. Period. He wrote all of S1 and directed three of the episodes. He's writing AND directing every.damn.episode of S2. Not even the Duffer Brothers managed to pull off that feat w/ their excellent 8 ep. run on S1 of Stranger Things. So, even though the pace isn't always where I want it, and a short scene from three episodes back is still in need of a payoff, I'm on board because I'm trusting Esmail has a final destination.

Edited August 13, 2016 by Mr. Hakujin

[Iambaytor]

I find it adorably hilarious that anyone would think this show is aimed at millennials.

[Da Cap'n 2099]

I really like this show less for the story and more for some of the messages it peppers in here-and-there and its look. The performances are pretty damn great too.

 

And of course: Darlene. *swoon*

[Mr. Hakujin]

I find it adorably hilarious that anyone would think this show is aimed at millennials.

We're always interested in what can make that belly of yours jiggle with mirth. Please, do elaborate.

[Iambaytor]

Well let's see:

Everybody uses CD-Rs.

Doucheboyfriend is established to be uncool because he likes the Spin Doctors.

The show lampshades the ridiculousness of Hollywood hacking by showing Hackers.

The spoilered thing we're all talking about and what it reminds us all of.

All the cool characters dress like extras from The Crow.

Christian Slater is in this.

And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head.

 

This show is for Gen-Xers (most specifically those who were teenagers in the 90s), it could not be more obviously for Gen-Xers if the entire soundtrack was composed of Nirvana songs and it piped the scent of clove cigarettes and Mad-Dogg 20/20 into your living room.

[Mr. Hakujin]

I find it adorably hilarious that anyone would think this show is aimed at millennials.

Well let's see:

Everybody uses CD-Rs.

Doucheboyfriend is established to be uncool because he likes the Spin Doctors.

The show lampshades the ridiculousness of Hollywood hacking by showing Hackers.

The spoilered thing we're all talking about and what it reminds us all of.

All the cool characters dress like extras from The Crow.

Christian Slater is in this.

And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head.

 

This show is for Gen-Xers (most specifically those who were teenagers in the 90s), it could not be more obviously for Gen-Xers if the entire soundtrack was composed of Nirvana songs and it piped the scent of clove cigarettes and Mad-Dogg 20/20 into your living room.

 

Eh, a lot of that could be classified more under "Easter eggs" and some of it doesn't make sense at all--like establishing someone as douchey because they appreciate the alt-rock musical pioneering of the Spin Doctors. Ludicrousness! And all that stuff is in the series because it's the brainchild of a Gen-X writer/director who likes and was influenced by the pop-culture of the 90s, not because the series is "aimed at" the Gen-X audience. It's not such a popular show because of Christian Slater nostalgia, a Spin Doctor reference, and CD-Rs. Those are things in the series, sure, but to say they outweigh the fact you've got a show about a group of early 20-something New Yorkers centered solely around technology and their daily use and manipulation of technology, a desire for social change conflicting with societal norms and expectations, and being literally trapped inside their own heads is just silly.

 

The point I was making in my previous spoiler post to NZA and Donatella is the hype around this show is so great because two of the major components of the show I mentioned are extremely Millennial friendly. And if you want to get really technical, almost any show is aimed at Millennials now in some capacity as Millennials are currently that sweet spot of consumerism advertisers get hot and bothered for, namely 18-34 yr-olds. If you want to get into what denotes a Millennial vs a Gen-Xer, that'd be a good topic since I think a lot of Hondonians fall on the cusp of that divide. (We may even have that topic somewhere here already.) I'd say there's only two regulars I know of here that fall squarely in the Millennial category--Axels & Baytor. But I digress. Back to the point of "aiming" a series at a specific demo--I think if you wanted to make a point of pigeonholing a major part of show's success due squarely at it's targeting Gen-Xers then you'd do better to look at Stranger Things. That's a show made by two 32 yr-old guys--Millennials. But Mr. Robot, a very solid, very good show in this Gen-Xer's opinion, really owes it's success to Millennials and their passion behind the series. And that's not a bad thing, but it is a factual thing.

Edited August 14, 2016 by Mr. Hakujin
meh

[Donatella]

According to that article, having been born in 1982, I'm both a Gen X-er and a Millennial? Weird!

[Mr. Hakujin]

Here's an article that's less condescending toward millennials that offers slightly different results. Imma go ahead and start a thread on this generation thang...

Edited August 14, 2016 by Mr. Hakujin
It's own topic now...

[Iambaytor]

The show is couched in 90s sensibilities, couched in 90s nostalgia, and has a very 90s feel about it. Computers and activism are indeed popular maxims of this new era but you could attribute any of Elliott's rants to a disgruntled 30-40 year old's Facebook page and nobody would know any different.

[Keth]

Maaaaaaaaan fuck that first article.

 

 

I'm going back to my art filter app so i don't have to strain my wrist