Mr. Robot

What have you been watching?

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby KleinerKiller » Sun Jun 05, 2016 9:03 am

It's happening it's happening it's happening it's happening it's happening it's happening



LO, I HATH WITNESSED SHIT TELEVISION, I HATH WALKED THROUGH THE FIERY DEPTHS OF GOTHAM, AND I MUST BE CLEANSED, O LORD SAM ESMAIL
  • 3

"Your mind is software. Program it. Your body is a shell. Change it. Death is a disease. Cure it." - Eclipse Phase

NEW REVIEW! Judgment / Judge Eyes (2019)
User avatar
KleinerKiller
Time Waster
Time Waster
 
Posts: 1883
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:34 pm
Location: Newfoungengzealaustrermany
Show rep
Title: Cute

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby KleinerKiller » Sat Jul 16, 2016 10:00 pm

I just watched the premiere and I am cleansed. Bring on the great television, baby. Let's do this shit again.

I was preparing to type up a long, reverse-Gotham-esque thing about all of the inspired scenes and terrific performances within this episode. I was. But that fucking ending just blew it all out of me.

Spoiler: show
Blew it out of me like it blew the arteries out of Gideon Goddard's neck.

Holy fucking shit, Gideon's dead. At least, almost certainly. That looked like a pretty fatal shot. I mean, this television year saw a scrawny woman survive a vicious gut-stabbing from her religious zombie brother with a blade covered in corpse bacteria plus an extended stay without help on the floor of a musty tomb, so anything's fair game, but I don't think Mr. Robot is the kind of show that would throw that big a punch only to pull it by the next episode. The game is changing, nobody's safe, and this world is falling to pieces -- major characters are going to die, and the first is the most honorable and pure-hearted person around. And as much as I loved Gideon, his development, and his actor's performance, it makes sense from a storytelling standpoint that after everything placed on Gideon's shoulders during the hack, someone would come up and shoot him.

And then, of course... "Bonsoir, Elliot." Welcome back, Tyrell. More or less. Unless you're another figment of Elliot's spiraling sanity. The fact that they open the episode with Elliot pulling the gun out of the popcorn machine while Tyrell sits transfixed at the computer makes me lean toward "figment".


Keep the good stuff comin', Mr. Esmail.

EDIT: Spent some time digging around the interwebs and found out that, of course, I missed some things that have to be important later. Those being:

Spoiler: show
1. That Elliot is either clearly in a mental institution now, or his newfound daily routine is purposefully set up to make us think he's in a mental institution. Everything from the sudden reintroduction of his mother (potentially a nurse) and regularly scheduled meals with his Seinfeld-obsessed friend Leon to the mysterious Ray's appearance and behavior point to something deeper going on. We're either not trusting him for a good reason, or we're not trusting him and we're the assholes he says we are.

2. There's a lot of red in the episode. I can't be bothered to list everything, because there's so much of it, but it culminates with the bright red phone Elliot hears Tyrell's voice out of. In this show, it's definitely intentional, but I can't imagine as to what.
  • 5

"Your mind is software. Program it. Your body is a shell. Change it. Death is a disease. Cure it." - Eclipse Phase

NEW REVIEW! Judgment / Judge Eyes (2019)
User avatar
KleinerKiller
Time Waster
Time Waster
 
Posts: 1883
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:34 pm
Location: Newfoungengzealaustrermany
Show rep
Title: Cute

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby Australia » Sun Jul 17, 2016 12:26 pm

KleinerKiller wrote:I mean, this television year saw a scrawny woman survive a vicious gut-stabbing from her religious zombie brother with a blade covered in corpse bacteria plus an extended stay without help on the floor of a musty tomb, so anything's fair game

Well, gee, thanks for spoiling Fuller House for me.

On the sane scale, I'd put Elliot at a solid 9.2 right now.

Kelso.png
Kelso.png (480.66 KiB) Viewed 9700 times
  • 6

YamI JamesT Eyebrows Edgar Logan Eric Michael Tess Sunny Notch Kate Jamish Lao Carp Moo FaceCitizen Aquila Nisi Qinglong Chaise Nullbert NotCIAagent JackRoad Delta MURDA Bert Czar Ambi JulyJack Adric Marcuse SilverMaple Nudge 52xMax Damiana Doma Pumpkin Toy Fry Andro Carrie Snarky Royal RLG Pikajew Windy skooma Kleiner Java Sellers Piter Gisarmbards Grimstone Recluse Esteban Syrup Krashlia Twistappel MacReady Funkotron mcfooty Pseudoman Creepy Kivutar nerd Ladki Jim Youghurt satan GL Angler
Scari
User avatar
Australia
Resident Dickhead
Resident Dickhead
 
Posts: 4227
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 6:15 pm
Location: Take a wild guess
Show rep
Title: Kentucky Fried Colonel

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby Tuli » Fri Jul 22, 2016 8:43 am

Oh Mr. Robot, how I have missed thee.

Spoiler: show
Poor Gideon, he was probably the best person on the show. And if first season is anything to go by, this show definitely ain't gonna be pulling the punches. *cough*Shayla*cough*
  • 3

User avatar
Tuli
TCS Camper
TCS Camper
 
Posts: 920
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2015 5:55 pm
Location: Estonia
Show rep
Title: Experimental Protrude

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby KleinerKiller » Thu Aug 04, 2016 10:19 pm

How does this show keep getting better by the day when it's already so goooooooooood.

Spoiler: show
It's been a bit since we got a "wham" moment like Gideon's death (Romero's didn't have much of an impact even though I liked his character last season). So now we have Ray turning out to be a SUPER BAD DUDE with ties to human trafficking, the FBI party in China getting shot up (presumably by the Dark Army) with Dom cornered, and Elliot getting the shit beat out of him by Ray's thugs. Ray seems to be taking up the position of the new "active" villain of this season, as Tyrell once was, with Price and Whiterose hanging over everything and Tyrell doing some shady shit in the background.

A lot of brilliant smaller moments too, like Whiterose tearing up as she explains the concept of parallel realities and alternate identities to Dom in front of her dress collection (oh, while also being revealed to be China's Minister of State Security), and Tyrell's call to Joanna picking up the ambulance sirens that pass her house shortly after. On the latter, the way the scene was set up, I was sure it was about to be revealed that the ambulance was tied to something huge and horrible Tyrell set up, but given Joanna's POV cuts off at that scene, maybe there's still a chance.


This was a fucking good episode. Probably the best the season has delivered so far. And one imagines it's only going to get better and twistier.
  • 4

"Your mind is software. Program it. Your body is a shell. Change it. Death is a disease. Cure it." - Eclipse Phase

NEW REVIEW! Judgment / Judge Eyes (2019)
User avatar
KleinerKiller
Time Waster
Time Waster
 
Posts: 1883
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:34 pm
Location: Newfoungengzealaustrermany
Show rep
Title: Cute

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby KleinerKiller » Sun Aug 14, 2016 12:20 am

It feels redundant restating the show's brilliance, but... this show is so goooooooooooood. In terms of story progression, this episode didn't do as much as the last, but it's just as inspired.

Spoiler: show
That whole first twenty minutes deserve all of the awards. What fucking ingenious storytelling. The 80s sitcom format fits Mr. Robot disturbingly well, and I couldn't help but cringe and giggle like a maniac at Elliot's bewildered WTF-itude. The catchy opening tune and Family Matters-style actor credits, the ALF cameo, Gideon returning as a cop just to get run over, Tyrell popping up from the trunk and running into the green screen... ugh, so good. The first commercial break keeping the resolution and classic USA logo, and switching to period-styled ads (mixed with stealthy ads for E Corp), is the icing on the meta cake. Sure, maybe it lasted a few minutes longer than it needed to, but I enjoyed it throughout. Brava, Sam Esmail.

And what a gut twister when Elliot wakes up and we see the extent of his injuries.

Angela's storyline has been rather dull and plodding this season, so her Mission Impossible-toned hack for Darlene was just what was needed. She finally gets to show off her guile and ingenuity, complemented by the extended shots and pounding soundtrack. Leaving her to confront Dom next episode will no doubt be a treat.

Elliot is officially Ray's prisoner / slave now. This gives Elliot enough of a shot to the psyche to embrace Mr. Robot as his father, and -- in a sequence that genuinely brought tears to my eyes -- flash back to when his real father told him he had cancer and distracted him from the news by letting him come up with the "Mr. Robot" store name. That sure got me.


I know critics by and large aren't receiving the show as well as they did the first season, but while it might not be as singularly focused, I unabashedly love the unpredictable meta whirlwind it's transformed into.
  • 2

"Your mind is software. Program it. Your body is a shell. Change it. Death is a disease. Cure it." - Eclipse Phase

NEW REVIEW! Judgment / Judge Eyes (2019)
User avatar
KleinerKiller
Time Waster
Time Waster
 
Posts: 1883
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:34 pm
Location: Newfoungengzealaustrermany
Show rep
Title: Cute

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby KleinerKiller » Tue Aug 16, 2016 6:45 pm

The third season has been greenlit! I'm not surprised, given the ratings and critical positivity, but still, yay!

Image
  • 3

"Your mind is software. Program it. Your body is a shell. Change it. Death is a disease. Cure it." - Eclipse Phase

NEW REVIEW! Judgment / Judge Eyes (2019)
User avatar
KleinerKiller
Time Waster
Time Waster
 
Posts: 1883
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:34 pm
Location: Newfoungengzealaustrermany
Show rep
Title: Cute

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby KleinerKiller » Thu Sep 22, 2016 10:40 am

Holy shit. That was some finale. I stopped giving my thoughts on the individual episodes because they were just me picking over the sequences I thought were brilliant ad nauseum, but I figure I ought to quickly write something up for the last time I get to see this show for a fucking year.

Spoiler: show
R.I.P. Cisco. You weren't a huge character, but I liked you.

So the "Phase 2" concocted up by Mr. Robot, Tyrell, and Whiterose is the destruction of a facility containing all of E Corp's paper records, via malware in the battery room allowing them to start up a sequence that should blow the whole place to pieces -- along with all of the workers inside. The killing blow to E Corp, logically. Another Fight Club inspiration, but like the rest, it fits. I must've missed how the rolling blackouts tie in, because I watched it at a few hours past midnight, but I know they mentioned something. A lot of it is evidently left up to some degree of interpretation, since this whole season's been styled like a puzzle box for viewers to think through.

The best part about the way they bring it the climax to a close is how it twists the expected yet again. A lot of people were theorizing that Tyrell has just been another layer of Elliot hallucinating -- turns out Elliot thought so too, and he's convicted enough in the belief that he can take back control that he ignores the threats of a tearful, gun-waving psychopath. He thinks the gun is in his hand, as it so famously was in Edward Norton's. And thus, finally gaining some confidence in his belief, he gets shot in the gut for his trouble. And the specter of Mr. Robot vanishes, in a way that makes me concerned for whether Christian Slater will get to reprise his role. That was fucking painful to watch, even though I saw it coming the moment Tyrell brought the gun out.

At least they immediately brush off the idea of Elliot possibly dying in the next scene, confirming that he'll wake up. The series has been accused of relying too heavily on soap opera cliffhangers, and in a year that dropped the travesty that was The Walking Dead's Negan kill into our laps, it was a breath of fresh air to have them not play coy. Instead, the big shocker is that... Angela is in cahoots with Tyrell, to some degree?! I GUESS?!?! I'm probably seriously misunderstanding that scene, again because I'm tired.

And then we get to a disguised Mobley and Trenton sucking down Jamba Juice at a portside restaurant, talking about an idea they have to undo all of the damage they caused. And theeeeeen motherfuckin' Leon walks up and asks if they have the time. Oh, Sam Esmail, you tease me. I already couldn't have been more excited.


Once again, I'm going to miss this show so bad. It feels like only yesterday that I was watching a shit-ton of money burning up to the tune of Phil Collins, but that was actually like twelve weeks ago. Critics haven't been as kind to it as they were the first season, and the hatedom has only increased with their cries of pretentious and empty ripoffs and overhyped annoying trash, but it's only gotten steadily more brilliant in my eyes.

Peace out, Elliot. 'Till next time.
  • 1

"Your mind is software. Program it. Your body is a shell. Change it. Death is a disease. Cure it." - Eclipse Phase

NEW REVIEW! Judgment / Judge Eyes (2019)
User avatar
KleinerKiller
Time Waster
Time Waster
 
Posts: 1883
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:34 pm
Location: Newfoungengzealaustrermany
Show rep
Title: Cute

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby KleinerKiller » Fri Sep 30, 2016 6:25 am

To memorialize the season:

  • 0

"Your mind is software. Program it. Your body is a shell. Change it. Death is a disease. Cure it." - Eclipse Phase

NEW REVIEW! Judgment / Judge Eyes (2019)
User avatar
KleinerKiller
Time Waster
Time Waster
 
Posts: 1883
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:34 pm
Location: Newfoungengzealaustrermany
Show rep
Title: Cute

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby SandTea » Thu Oct 19, 2017 11:49 pm

I thought hard about waiting until the whole thing come out but I just couldn't resist watching at least the first episode.

The tag is technically spoilers. It is a remembered account of some lines from three different scenes that I'll use to throw my hat into the guessing game. I only hope it's not correct.

eps3.0_power-saver-mode.h
Spoiler: show
The three things that caught my senses (paraphrased)

-The opening has a scientist talking about parallel universes and how many copies of himself there could be. Then we get boss man going on about something. The camera then reveals he is in a facility housing a particle accelerator.

-Eliot has a strange monologue on the streets that switches from his internal to external voices. One of those has a Slater like cadence. We know they occupy the same space but until now I never thought they were gonna many worlds me.

-Angela has a little speech where she asks Eliot what he would do if it was possible to undo everything. To start over. Skip worlds perhaps?

(OH also that boss guy talking about how uh, serendipitous it was (?) that slater and his son both worked for him

So my brain picked those lines out and now I cant get it outta my head that there is some parallel universe thing going on. I doubt it but for whatever reason that is what popped into my head. SciFi intake might be outta whack


I can be obtuse sometimes and if that was a bug duh or dumb to everyone. Have a laugh on me :)
  • 0

"Draw me not without reason; sheath me not without honor."
User avatar
SandTea
Time Waster
Time Waster
 
Posts: 1257
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 5:01 pm
Show rep
Title: 3rdAeolus

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby KleinerKiller » Sat Nov 25, 2017 2:00 am

Okay I know we stopped discussing shows that aren't comic-based or on HBO for some reason, but I can't let this topic stay silent anymore.

The third season has quickly gone from another Season 2-style slow burn to the sum of everything I've ever wanted from the show, and yet half hoped the show would never do. The last three episodes -- "Runtime Error", "Kill Process", and "Frederick & Tanya" -- have respectively been two of the most riveting episodes of TV I've ever seen and one of the bleakest, most depressing things I've seen... anywhere, really.

Spoiler: show
An uninterrupted hour shot to carefully simulate a single long take moving in and out of a collapsing location from different POVs?

A complete explosive breakdown of everything to do with the series' status quo so far, from setting details to the statuses and relationships of 95% of the supposedly protected core cast?

A cold, hopeless showcase of how the apparent central point of the show has been wrong all along and everyone we care about is ultimately powerless?

What other series is doing this?


I get why the ratings dropped this season -- it's simultaneously too generally slow to keep the mass popularity going (even though this doesn't seem to be a problem for the much worse-paced TWD and GOT), too complex for water cooler talk, too pessimistic for people who want catharsis from the shitty world -- but if it gets cancelled or otherwise cut short because of it, that'll be the cherry on top of a year that's been mostly awful.
  • 2

"Your mind is software. Program it. Your body is a shell. Change it. Death is a disease. Cure it." - Eclipse Phase

NEW REVIEW! Judgment / Judge Eyes (2019)
User avatar
KleinerKiller
Time Waster
Time Waster
 
Posts: 1883
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:34 pm
Location: Newfoungengzealaustrermany
Show rep
Title: Cute

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby Australia » Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:44 pm

I'm still really enjoying the show. I don't think it's one of the greatest of all time but it's absolutely better than The Walking Dead, a title which has gone from describing the zombies to describing the survivors to describing the writers to describing the viewers.

Last year, they more or less dropped the plot to focus on Elliot trying to outsmart his own psyche, whereas I think this season has a better balance (favourite episode is still probably the sitcom episode from season 2 though, so I don't think the pacing bothered me quite as much as everyone else. Not particularly shocking given my affinity for tangents).

Weird to call this week's episode a breather, considering the heavy theme, but it's nice to get a few smiles that weren't from dark or depressing humour from this show. I don't know whether or not I have lingering 80s nostalgia from Stranger Things, but I got a kick out of them playing the song from Bill and Ted at the end of an episode featuring Back To The Future. It's not really anachronistic but I'd say it's on the verge of trolling. Also is it really still 2015 in this universe? I could have sworn it was March-ish 2016 by now. But again, pacing doesn't really get on my nerves unless the overall quality is that of the last season of HIMYM and I'm yelling get on with it because the ride is not exciting, interesting or amusing, so I may have over-calculated the length of arcs or recent Trump reference. Elliot must have been locked up shorter than I remember.
  • 1

YamI JamesT Eyebrows Edgar Logan Eric Michael Tess Sunny Notch Kate Jamish Lao Carp Moo FaceCitizen Aquila Nisi Qinglong Chaise Nullbert NotCIAagent JackRoad Delta MURDA Bert Czar Ambi JulyJack Adric Marcuse SilverMaple Nudge 52xMax Damiana Doma Pumpkin Toy Fry Andro Carrie Snarky Royal RLG Pikajew Windy skooma Kleiner Java Sellers Piter Gisarmbards Grimstone Recluse Esteban Syrup Krashlia Twistappel MacReady Funkotron mcfooty Pseudoman Creepy Kivutar nerd Ladki Jim Youghurt satan GL Angler
Scari
User avatar
Australia
Resident Dickhead
Resident Dickhead
 
Posts: 4227
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 6:15 pm
Location: Take a wild guess
Show rep
Title: Kentucky Fried Colonel

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby SandTea » Mon Dec 23, 2019 9:42 pm

Well it's over now and to my surprise I was sorta right. Thoroughly enjoyable show. Here's a little joke observation spoilered because this is clearly the dark and gritty live action reboot to...

Spoiler: show
Image
lol


But yeah, catch up on the show if ya haven't. They did some really cool things with this season. There's one episode that is done like a play and one with almost no words that both stuck out as especially cool episodes.
  • 2

"Draw me not without reason; sheath me not without honor."
User avatar
SandTea
Time Waster
Time Waster
 
Posts: 1257
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 5:01 pm
Show rep
Title: 3rdAeolus

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby KleinerKiller » Mon Dec 23, 2019 10:12 pm

The one bad thing about cutting live TV in favor of streaming services is that I haven't been able to watch this season, but now that it's over, I'll be able to buy it on Amazon and binge the whole thing. It's so surreal to think that it's over now, after being one of my favorite series for the past five years. I'm glad I've been hearing that it didn't botch the ending, though (*glances at Game of Thrones*).
  • 1

"Your mind is software. Program it. Your body is a shell. Change it. Death is a disease. Cure it." - Eclipse Phase

NEW REVIEW! Judgment / Judge Eyes (2019)
User avatar
KleinerKiller
Time Waster
Time Waster
 
Posts: 1883
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2015 6:34 pm
Location: Newfoungengzealaustrermany
Show rep
Title: Cute

Re: Mr. Robot

Postby Australia » Fri Dec 27, 2019 7:06 am

I dunno, the reason I liked both the last season of Game of Thrones and Mr Robot is that they both went full bonkers at the end so I would imagine the opposite would also be true. Might be down to execution for some people though so don't let that sour your expectations.

I would be shocked if the silent episode isn't the one they submit for an Emmy. Much like last season's 'trapped in eCorp with no way out' episode, that was the clear season highlight for me as far as tension goes and of course it's buttoned with a solid meta-punchline.
  • 0

YamI JamesT Eyebrows Edgar Logan Eric Michael Tess Sunny Notch Kate Jamish Lao Carp Moo FaceCitizen Aquila Nisi Qinglong Chaise Nullbert NotCIAagent JackRoad Delta MURDA Bert Czar Ambi JulyJack Adric Marcuse SilverMaple Nudge 52xMax Damiana Doma Pumpkin Toy Fry Andro Carrie Snarky Royal RLG Pikajew Windy skooma Kleiner Java Sellers Piter Gisarmbards Grimstone Recluse Esteban Syrup Krashlia Twistappel MacReady Funkotron mcfooty Pseudoman Creepy Kivutar nerd Ladki Jim Youghurt satan GL Angler
Scari
User avatar
Australia
Resident Dickhead
Resident Dickhead
 
Posts: 4227
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 6:15 pm
Location: Take a wild guess
Show rep
Title: Kentucky Fried Colonel

Previous

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests