Have You Accepted Mr. Robot as Your New Lord and Savior?

[adrenochrome dome]

Did anyone watch Mr. Robot on USA? Contrary to the network's usual roster of shows, it's amazing. I would list it as a "favorite" in my F List matrix.

I'm not sure where to begin with my love for the series. I remember thinking this looks kind of lousy but I'll watch the pilot, but I was on board by the time opening credits appeared. I'm aware how hyperbolic this sounds, but... it's great. From what I know of Android and what my friends know of other tech domains, the hacking is actually accurate most of the time. The acting, specifically by lead Rami Malek, is great, the soundtrack is great, the shot composition is great, and the writing is great. (Maybe I should actually add it to my fetish matrix.)

[Fatty Bo Batty]

I couldn't even bring myself to watch it because it seemed exactly like Watch_Dogs.

[Lemon]

Well, remove that association in your mind. Mr Robot is an excellent, complex story about a drug addict and his psychoses. It's engaging and interesting except for the parts where it's American Psycho. And the Kubrick influence is soft enough to be a benefit.

Also, for what it's worth, the writers did extensive research on the tech. The tools in the show exist in the real world.

[Tiny Prancer]

I've been meaning to get into it, after my ex talked glowingly about it (I am still good friends with my ex for the record), but the fact that Rami Malek's character reminds me a LOT of the super autistic dude I went to college with that I've mentioned elsewhere on the forum, both in looks and behavior, is definitely making it a bit hard to start watching. He's definitely not the same dude, but the atmosphere of intense uncomfortable unease that surrounds him is exactly the same.

[adrenochrome dome]

The unease and awkwardness of Elliott is a highlight for me, but I could see how that would be hard to watch if you have had bad experiences with someone of similar demeanor.

[Jack Burden]

Yo, who's watching this season? I find it doesn't have quite the momentum that season 1 had, but it's still compelling af.

[adrenochrome dome]

I'm really enjoying it. I agree that this season is slower, but I disagree with people who insist it's bad because of that. I have enough faith in Esmail that I expect things to reach a critical point by the end.

That being said, I've held out hope for other series/franchises in the past and been let down when none of the pieces meticulously set up come together. Even with my enthusiasm, I don't know if Esmail can keep up with the level of quality, considering that he directed the entire season.

I'm impressed by the ending of the latest episode. The theory that Elliot was in some sort of institution was common, but I did not expect prison. This is a show that specializes in playing on expectations.

[Jack Burden]

I'm optimistic because I remember reading when the show first came out that it was originally conceived as a movie that just got too long to be anything but a series, and season 1 was basically just the first act. So we know this is all going somewhere definite, as opposed to a Lost-type situation where the writers are just throwing a bunch of stuff out there and hoping they can resolve it all in a satisfying way.

I wish the whole Elliot's been in prison this whole time thing hadn't happened because I don't want this to turn into the Big Twist^TM Show, but at least it happened in the best way it could have...Elliot being an intentionally unreliable narrator is more interesting than if this had all been some delusion even he didn't know wasn't real.

But otherwise I've been digging it. Everything Darlene, Angela, and Dom have been up to is interesting, and the Elliot/Mr. Robot dynamic is something I don't think I've ever seen explored on a TV show. The idea of someone having an uneasy and sometimes outright hostile relationship with a part of their personality they developed to cope with trauma is a real thing.

[adrenochrome dome]

I agree that the show is better without Big Twists™, but they usually subvert the obvious in some way. For example, season one's big twist was telegraphed clearly enough that a lot of people picked up on it, but it was still good. It's also treated differently than in most stories since it was at the end of the first act (as in the screenplay) instead at the end.

[Lemon]

I fucking loved the first season, but I'm not really paying attention to what's happening this time around, and keep hoping it'll improve. The driving force of The Hack was really interesting to me, especially when unreliable narrator was hinted at around the periphery, rather than the explicit crazytown this season has been mired in.

Portia Doubleday has a good storyline, but you have to set aside the cartoonish villiany of her CEO, which is difficult because you could replace all his dialogue with "I AM THE ALPHA". BD Wong's character is really interesting. It's the only time I've ever seen a menacing transvestite in a movie where it's a menacing person who is a transvestite, instead of the transvestitism being the menace itself.

But the person doing the biggest disservice to the show right now is the music director. Remember that scene in Mr. Robot where it was a scene from Fight Club? You could have let that stand without putting Where Is My Mind in the background. Also, I cannot hear any dialogue whatsoever if you're going to play a music box version of Green Day's "Basket Case" underneath. And yes, I understand that the scenes between Elliot and Mr. Robot are the product of a diseased mind, I really don't need all the stuff that didn't make it into a Young Gods record to drive the point home.

Anyway, there's still fun to be had and I think I'm like two behind and I know it's picked up a bit with the Craig Robinson plot so hopefully I can jump back into it.

[adrenochrome dome]

I've only noticed the instrumental/electronic score because I listened to nothing but soundtracks for a long time, but it's interesting to know that the music choices have been a bit ham-fisted in a show that's so visually slick.

Edit:

BD Wong's character is really interesting. It's the only time I've ever seen a menacing transvestite in a movie where it's a menacing person who is a transvestite, instead of the transvestitism being the menace itself.

Definitely a good achievement here. When asked if the cross dressing in season one was a disguise, the creator said that Whiterose most identifies as a woman, but presents as a biological male when incognito (such as using a masculine voice on the phone with the CEO). I find this really interesting, especially given the additional details of her more "official" life. (1 or 2 episodes ago, I think.)

[Lemon]

I take back a lot of that previous post. That Full House  episode was wonderful, beginning to end.

[chai tea latte]

I'm caught up. Episode seven was very, very good. The episode Lemon mentions above was also very, very good.

the music over the end sequence is from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, because the music direction is alternatingly trite and wonderful.

Hands up - who actually believes that Eliott's done lying to us? I've said and heard that stuff enough times not to be convinced

[chai tea latte]

Should I watch S4? S3 was anemic but I was still mostly interested.