With season 2 very much underway and all of its twists and turns yet to be unravelled, a recap of the now hugely popular "Mr. Robot" or an introduction to those who haven't started the phenomenon would perhaps be appreciated. No need to worry as this is certainly spoiler-free! Just a plain and simple look at "Mr. Robot": what it is, its unique quirks and ultimately what has boosted it into success.
Welcome to New York City, the home of one Elliot Alderson and you, the viewer, are his new friend. That's not in a figurative sense either, you serve as a passive force in the story as it unfolds with Elliot giving a nod to your viewership every once in a while. The fourth wall isn't just broken; it was never there. A simple yet contradictory immersion into the story. As simply put, this direct point usually serves as a form of parody or a form of comedic effect and to take you out of the experience, but this does the opposite. It breaks the fourth wall but in a sense that makes sense within the character's frame of mind, and as you can imagine, a person with an imaginary friend is in this case not exactly the most stable as you will come to find.
It starts straightforward enough, but as the season takes its toll, you're gonna have to learn that at some points, what is on screen and what is actually happening with the characters are two different things. In a manner quite akin to "The X-Files": trust no one. As the subversion kicks in, good luck putting it down. If you're anything like me and this hooks you, this season will be done within a matter of a week or less depending on how avid you are in terms of binge watching. It culminates into a wonderfully self-aware commentary on society and how the team behind fSociety decide to try and take it on head first with their attempts to end one of the world's largest conglomerates, E Corp. (Or Evil Corp as Elliot loves to put it from his perspective, another slight detail that is only perceived in scenes with his presence.)
When you hear the title and the premise of hackers attempting to break down society, it does sound awfully cliche. You see, that's where I and presumably you are wrong. It's not that, in fact its far from that. There are some issues present, albeit those are predominantly in regards to spoiler territory, but overall with its premise and most importantly execution there is very little to go wrong with "Mr. Robot". Perfectly cast and acted, most notably by the lead Rami Malek with his dry humour and incredibly expressive eyes, which in some scenarios, do all talking that needs to be done. Christian Slater also as the titular character is also to be commended, with his first notable role in years, proving he's still got some oomph left in him. The style involved is peerless for a TV show, with exceptional presentation, cinematography and use of licensed tracks to set the scene, my favourite track used being "Sound & Color" by the Alabama Shakes. Sam Esmail should be proud.
There's just so many areas that this show can be praised for and whilst certainly it is understandable for some to dislike it, there is at least some aspects on offer for anyone to enjoy or appreciate. While the show doesn't revolve around it so much as the character of Elliot, the hacking process involved in the show is unlike any other fictional programme or film I've seen with one exception. Instead of dumbed down processes seen in shows like "CSI", (you know exactly what I mean) it is as close to the real thing as you can get whilst still remaining accessible to viewers who are unwitting to such uses of technology. It isn't treated with utmost importance either and being toted as a major selling point in the exception of Michael Mann's "Blackhat" in which it decides to juggle realistic elements with almost ludicrous plot points and action sequences. It is just there and present as a tool for the characters to utilise. The show can come across as indulgent or potentially pretentious as some points, with itself being aware of that, but the use of hacking and technology certainly isn't.
And with that, what are you waiting for? There's plenty to catch up on and plenty more in store for "Mr. Robot", and if you don't at least give it a try, you're missing out on what could be your next favourite TV show.
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