I’ve always felt that the rise of internet culture has led the majority of us to have some warped sense that we, individually, are always right, and everyone else is wrong. That our opinions and beliefs are the one true way, and everyone else is misguided. Personally, I know I have many flaws, am severely damaged by things, and most importantly do not forgive myself for past mistakes that even now I still feel guilt over. I too have gone from idealistic, to still sharing the hope of betterment for all, but deep down feeling like those trying to enact change are on a fool’s mission. I’m not the same person I was even three years ago, and I like the idea that people can change themselves over time, and focus more on that, then trying to change others. The way that Mr Robot explores those things is unlike most shows, and that is one of the best aspects of it in my opinion.
Mr Robot begins its fourth and final season tonight (October 6th on USA)
Season one was both the best takedown and best apologia of Occupy Wall Street I’ve ever seen. A lot of people have compared this show’s plot to Fight Club, but I think it’s proved itself to be much more ballsy than that – it’s the sequel to Fight Club (Yes, I know there IS a sequel already). IMO, it is very interesting to see how a revolution struggles with its identity and priorities in the wake of victory.
I never hated Season 2, on the contrary I loved a lot of it – the direction/cinematography is outstanding, the Phil Collins money-burning scene is one of my favorites in existence, and the last half was appropriately ominous and brooding.
Season 3 was the Empire Strikes Back season of the show and I feel like the finale delivered on that, the bad guys won, the heroes resolved to fight another day, and a villain for the first part of the next chapter came into play. Hell, there was even an “I am your father” reveal. I loved the moment where Elliott told Robot that now that he knew about the “top one percent of the top one percent” (nice callback to the first episode of the series.) Something else that they did this season was peel back the layers of grandiose mind-trickery to reveal a very honest, human solution to a big problem. While I feel like most of us knew that time travel was never truly on the table, I love that it turns out that the “resetting of the clock” that he’d been referring to this entire time was emotional closure. While there is no real way to bring back what’s permanently lost, closure is one of the truest and least destructive ways to “make it as if nothing ever happened”. Ever since the beginning Mr. Robot and Elliot were acting like two separate entities that weren’t confined to the same body because of Mr. Robot’s ego and Elliot’s fear. Their tit for tat might’ve been tedious (to some) at times but everything was in service of them coming to this impasse in a way that truly made sense and had sufficient emotional heft. Season 3 began with Elliot alone, wounded and unable to trust anyone. As we left Season 3 Elliot had a legitimate support system in Mr. Robot & Darlene, a focused point of attack and finally unburdened himself of his guilt. And for the first time…well…ever on this show, I actually feel like Elliot is gonna be okay. Self help is important y’all. Now. let’s take down that Dark Army.
There are 13 episodes in this final season and since it premiered back in 2015, I have been in love with Sam Esmail’s vision and big ideas. Still, it’s very clearly the end of Mr Robot that will matter.
-Dagobot
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