‘Mr. Robot’ Answers Little in Fascinating Penultimate Episode (TV REVIEW)

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This week’s Mr. Robot gave us no answers, but instead set us up for immense failure as we move forward into the season finale. Failure of course in the sense that we’re essentially going in blind. What do we know so far? Dom is all fucked up after the shooting and more intent than ever to destroy fsociety. Darlene may or may not be dead. Elliot has finally figured out how to exist in the back of Robot’s mind while he’s in control, and Angela has finally flown too close to the sun. Wellick is alive? And of course, Evil Corp has finally taken the next step in their apparent need to take over the world. Whew.

So where do we go from here? Unlike last season’s “big reveal” that we all saw coming, there’s been twists and turns at every level in season two. No longer are we waiting for that mic drop moment to prove what we’ve been screaming at the television from day one, but instead we are now searching for a deeper connection to what’s actually happening. The problem we face is as the “quiet bystanders” in Elliot’s world we are only privy to so much. Yes, we get the subplots and character building coming from Elliot’s cohorts, but it’s only when he doesn’t need us. If it weren’t for the fact that Robot has literally encrypted information into Elliot’s brain that he can’t hack into, we would have been subject to a different kind of series. One that makes a lot more sense, but perhaps would have been missing the magic that wraps us into this world.

By now we know not to trust the Wellick reveal. While he’s been hinted at being alive since day one, Robot confidently broke the news to Elliot about his demise weeks ago. So what now? Elliot can’t trust himself, or what he’s seeing. He’s learned that lesson in tenfold. Unfortunately, this means every decision and unforeseen circumstance will come with a caveat; where does reality begin? It seems too easy for Wellick to have been working with the Dark Army this whole time. For one why should they trust him? If Robot had wanted to assign someone to work closely with the D.A. wouldn’t he have gone with someone more trustworthy? Or was it his intention to send in a snake from the start? It would make sense considering this and next week’s finale title. Again, we’re left with more questions than answers, and to be perfectly honest it’s not a bad thing. This show has never been one to tie up the loose ends, in fact they rather seem to like unraveling things at both ends and hoping for the best by the time we reach the middle.

Angela’s proclivity to being utterly dull reached uncharted territory this week with her first encounter with White Rose. After being casually abducted from the train, Angela was confronted with her worst fears; on the whole, she doesn’t want to die. White Rose points out that she should have been taken care of months ago, and yet she thrives. As much as I hate Angela, one does admire her tenacity or at the least her leach like ability to live through a host as long as they’ll have her. It seems this will prove helpful to White Rose and her mission. In this dreamy, 70’s-esque waiting room we find that Angela has no useful skills. Even her compassion for the young child is a failure in her overall test for competency, and yet she remains, as always. White Rose’s allotment of her time for Angela is unheard of, so it seems it’s Angela’s failings that will keep her in the game.

Dom is falling apart, and depending on how the finale pans out I can’t see her holding on during the run of the series much longer. While getting cleaned up and checked out at the hospital she asked to run “the interview” so one can assume Darlene is still alive. Because of Dom’s reticence to connect with another human being (probably for fear of losing them) her whole life boils down to her career, leaving only two plausible roads for her to go down. Either she will hold on by a thread and come out victorious, or she will die trying. That’s it. Dom can’t accept failure because the acceptance of one failure means the acceptance of all, including the lack of a life that she has cultivated for herself. Her character is intriguing, but ideally moving into the finale she’ll finally have that moment of greatness to define her character. Whether that means a glorious demise, or a simple breakthrough does not entirely matter.

We’re so close to something that it feels like nothing at all. “Wellick’s” (we’ll use the quotes until we know for sure it’s him) announcement of phase two being ready is exciting. Elliot’s slow awakening this season has led us astray, so to finally get to see what that phase entails should make for a riveting finale. Phase two is coming at the same time China has bailed out Evil Corp. Coincidence, right? The only problem I foresee is trying to fit too much into those last forty-five minutes in order to set us up for next season. Just as “Wellick” takes Elliot into his arm, quoting Casablanca as they walk towards the sunrise and into their future, so too does Mr. Robot walk us into the crack of light we so sorely yearn for.

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