[rating=8.00] “eps2.5_h4ndshake.sme”
Just when it looked like Robot was hitting a joyless rut, the break out series managed to pull us back in with a ridiculous twist so obscene it made up for last season’s predictable mic drop. It’s important to note the resurgence of Mr. Robot as an ally as we navigate through Elliot’s murky subconscious, and let us never forget Joey Bada$$’ portrayal of the Seinfeld loving Leon moving forward with this newfound story plot.
So, Elliot has been in fucking jail the entire time. Everything we’ve seen him do with his regimen, staying with his mom, weirdly only meeting Darlene at the kitchen table, his daily double meal with Leon; all of it was sham because it was his way of dealing with his current situation. His admission is fantastic, because his avoidance of talking to us (the audience that observes his life as well as watches the show) about what’s going on in his head was debilitating to the storyline. Elliot’s stream of consciousness keeps things moving and interesting when they have no right to be. It’s part of the charm of the series. And yet, here we were, toiling away this season without the foggiest notion of how he really felt because Robot had taken the ropes.
In what could very well be an additional convoluted storyline, we learn that there’s a good chance Wellick is dead. Since there was no confirmation flashback scene, we can’t possibly know this for sure. Additionally, his vampire of a wife had that nice little moment with the cell phone that we quickly assume is something he sent after she was so stoked about it. However, we were also reminded during the “previously on” recap that after the baby was born she was done with him. So now we have to wonder- is there a new player in the game?
She’s been fucking this bartender, but he has nothing to offer her. He can’t even choke her to her satisfaction, how could he deal with her cutthroat actions? Her opening sequence was superb by the way, and with all that’s happening in the Robot world I’m sincerely satisfied with the white outfit being soaked in animal blood by a crazed protestor as she wanders around Manhattan with her perfect little baby in its perfect little vintage pram. Her silent screams acting as the background to the Robot opening sequence is just as (if not more so) satisfying as the well placed soundtrack they’ve been using previously. Teeth so white they outdo her outfit barred and dripping in blood. It’s filmed like a scene out of an indie horror movie.
So after Elliot’s late episode admission, we actually have no fucking clue what’s going on. Who was Ray? Is he a stand in for someone else? Is his website real, or just a bartering system in the jail? On that same token, what’s Elliot in jail for? Considering Krista’s happy reaction to the letter he receives, and her asking him to come see her when he’s out, we have to assume it was for something minor or something he’s been pardoned for. He promised us no more lies, so this next episode will more than likely be filling in the gaps. The way the pacing is going this season it feels like we’re going to reach some sort of resolution sooner rather than later, which could lead to an additional twist or plotline switch up. Since it’s unclear where they’re currently headed next, one can only speculate that they have something reserved deep in the canon for the occasional audience mind fuck.
Angela meeting Dom was a nice little moment. Angela is still completely incapable of lying, and Dom’s intelligence isn’t to be fucked with. One of these two is going down, and while ideally it’s Angela, one can still hold out hope for a character 180 with her. It’s like they don’t know what to do with her. The writers are sitting there pitching storylines and one little fucking intern stops them and goes “But what about Angela?” after boos, and hisses, the intern is sent for coffee while the writers shoehorn her in with vague and shallow subplots. “She’ll just like…ya know. Be here. And we’ll deal with it from there.” “She should be super fucked up.” “Yeah, yeah! Make her like, interesting but still suck.” Then they all high-five and the intern comes back and they pretend it never happened. That’s where Angela came from. That’s why we get nothing from her.
There’s real potential for something magical here. This season has been casually riding the coattails of the art that they put up last summer, and this has been the first time we’ve seen that again. With Elliot’s admission it’s like we get a do over. He’ll be released from prison soon, we probably won’t see Leon again (or for a while), and we’ll even get some new B.D. Wong moments because Leon was working for the Dark Army the whole time. Dang. Let us revel in this moment, because if it goes nowhere the unrest will be horrifying.
