A few weeks ago I wrote that Elliot had become the weakest part of his own show, and that that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The first eight episodes of this season have kept Elliot away from the main narrative to deal with his Mr Robot issues, and as a result the show’s supporting characters, most notably Angela, Darlene and newcomer Dom, flourished. These characters became the driving force of the show, while Elliot was dragging the show down a little.
In that piece, I noted that when Elliot eventually did re-enter the main narrative, it would all pay off because the characters around him would be far more interesting than they once were. And I said that this would be true whether or not a certain fan theory was proven true, which it was, and in the very next episode after I wrote it. After the “he was in prison the whole time” twist in “eps2.5h4ndshake.sme”, I didn’t write anything about it, because I didn’t have much to say. I thought it made sense for Elliot to lie to his “friend” as a coping mechanism, and my only concerns were that it took too long to be revealed and that the show would become overreliant on such twists, when it doesn’t need them.
The following episode, titled “eps2.6succ3ss0r.p12” then had the audacity to not include Elliot at all, and instead primarily focus on Darlene for the entire hour. Not only was that episode quite possibly the best episode the show has ever done, but it showed that Darlene (and by extension Carly Chaikin) is now capable of carrying the show, something that wouldn’t have been possible in season 1.
And so the show’s latest episode, “eps2.7init5.fve”, assimilated Elliot back into the main narrative, and it proved to be tremendously satisfying, interacting with someone other than Joey Bada$$ (who really has been incredible in the role) and Craig Robinson. Elliot and Darlene have been on very different journeys this season, and seeing them working together after all this time made for great television.
Outside of fsociety, the show continues to thrive, as Angela continues her attempts at revenge for her mother’s death while putting up a steely, ice-cold exterior. Grace Gummer’s Dom remains a fun presence, and I look forward to more scenes between her and Angela. And I still can’t get enough of BD Wong’s White Rose, who’s scene with Price was a highlight of the episode.
I still have my concerns about the remainder of the season, however. There’s only three episodes left (the penultimate and then a double-finale), and Elliot’s only now just re-entered the fold, and the Tyrell issue has yet to be adressed. As of now, it seems as if the show has left itself with too much to do in these next few episodes. Will we look back on this season and say that the twist should have come two or three episodes sooner?
But while this does concern me, this season’s extremely deliberate pacing leads me to trust in Sam Esmail’s vision. Mr Robot very clearly knows where it wants to go, but thus far it hasn’t gone exactly where viewers wanted or expected it to go. And you have to respect that, I think. Are people right to be frustrated with this season’s slow pace and the amount of time spent on Elliot’s psychological issues? Probably. But the last few episodes have given me hope that the next few will be satisfying enough to forgive some of the season’s earlier mistakes. I trust Esmail to pull this off.
discussing television 