It's crazy how good TV has been these past few years, and particularly in 2015 in terms of new shows. Discussion threads are coming to be fun come this December/early 2016.
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Mr. Robot |OT| Byte Club - a new hacker thriller - Wednesdays on USA
- Thread starter brian577
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It's crazy how good TV has been these past few years, and particularly in 2015 in terms of new shows. Discussion threads are coming to be fun come this December/early 2016.
It's an alias yo. And Mr. Robot is cooler than Acid Burn or Zero Cool
Anyhow, my alias from the mid-90s was Dr.Acula, so whatevs.
And Christian Slater's gravestone would make his character his own age -45.
I don't think anyone else on the show called anyone Mr. Robot, that was just how Elliot regarded (did he, or was it like The Narrator in Fight Club, but in reverse, where the character is never given a name?) Christian Slater because he blocked out the store they had.
Damn the ending to the last episode was great, I'm now going to continuously listen to Where is My Mind? now.
This is great television. I love the
aspect of this show.
So many nods to movies/tv I like: Pulp Fiction, The Matrix, American Psycho, Breaking Bad, Fight Club, etc.
The characters keep developing and Darlene is <3
Plus the music.
I want seasons of this!
unreliable narrator
So many nods to movies/tv I like: Pulp Fiction, The Matrix, American Psycho, Breaking Bad, Fight Club, etc.
The characters keep developing and Darlene is <3
Plus the music.
I want seasons of this!
Prototype Viktor
Member
Screw the
trope use and storytelling cheating
unreliable narrator
Maninthemirror
Banned
Best show on tv in years.
captjohnboyd
Member
I may be wrong but I think he meant for that to come out like he, the poster, was an unreliable narrator. AKA screw the cheating (but not really cause I can't be believed to tell the truth)
Great show but I'm a bit concerned where they'd go in a second season - seems to have a good basic "idea" that can only really last one season (mainly the
). They'll probably make it work for season two, but still
unreliable narrator aspect surprising the audience with twists, could get frustrating
liliththepale
Banned
I enjoy the show a lot, so I'll forgive it, but I do think it's trying to have its cake and eat it too.
On the one hand we have a plot that's clearly shown through Elliot's warped perception. Names are changed, people are invented whole cloth, and we have Elliot's monologue throughout.
On the other hand, we're constantly seeing scenes that Elliot would have no idea about, like most of Tyrell's story. It's not consistent. When Tyrell and Elliot are together, whose perspective are we supposed to be seeing it from?
But, again, I think the unorthodox approach can be forgiven because I like that the audience isn't being patronized, and I enjoy the superb writing and acting. This show is incredible.
On the one hand we have a plot that's clearly shown through Elliot's warped perception. Names are changed, people are invented whole cloth, and we have Elliot's monologue throughout.
On the other hand, we're constantly seeing scenes that Elliot would have no idea about, like most of Tyrell's story. It's not consistent. When Tyrell and Elliot are together, whose perspective are we supposed to be seeing it from?
But, again, I think the unorthodox approach can be forgiven because I like that the audience isn't being patronized, and I enjoy the superb writing and acting. This show is incredible.
Doesn't Elliot say at one point
"Do you know more than me? I created you, that isn't fair."
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
It's kind of par for the course with mentally ill protagonists
Prototype Viktor
Member
The scene with him in the car with the guy trying to be CTO was cheating. Because of how the CTO-less guy acted later in the same ep telling Elliott he knew he was behind it all. So Mr Robot isn't always Elliott from what they show us.
The unreliable narrator is just annoying by default.
Yea it's sorta nice that his imaginary friend is the audience but I dunno. I still only liked 3 characters the entire time. Shayla, Trenton and Vera
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Honestly, this is the most intriguing mystery. It seems like the show is pretty intricate with what they're trying to do. There must be a reason that scene is there. I really wanna know.
Prototype Viktor
Member
The only reason I can think of is to cheat the reveal later by making you question the speculation all along that he was Mr Robot. Also I just remembered the popcorn gun scene as well doesn't fit. Things not narratored by Elliott has to be assumed as reliable as he's the only one unstable mentally and remembering. Everyone else is just "boring" unstable
I guess to each their own then.
I'm all in with the narrative being focused on a single person because it's something I haven't seen on TV and a perspective like that is fresh to my eyes.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
I like the show but some stuff just seems to not be addressed:
- Prisoners all escape, nothing on that
- Elliot would be suspect number one since Vera's brother is shot dead outside the prison so they'd look into who visited him
- Elliot seems OK with Shayla being dead for some reason like he has no desire to find Vera
Basically anything associated with Vera is not addressed. He's by far more interesting than the other antagonists as well.
- Prisoners all escape, nothing on that
- Elliot would be suspect number one since Vera's brother is shot dead outside the prison so they'd look into who visited him
- Elliot seems OK with Shayla being dead for some reason like he has no desire to find Vera
Basically anything associated with Vera is not addressed. He's by far more interesting than the other antagonists as well.
Yeah that's the one thing. Two prisoners escaped and it was a massive manhunt and in the news all the time IRL.
EVERYBODY gets out in Mr Robot's world and nothing happens. It's weird.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
Probably meant more threads to handle so they just ended it. It's as if those parts of the series don't exist anymore. Anything happening in current episodes isn't affected by those incidents.
Prototype Viktor
Member
but the show isn't about a single person. At worse it's 2 people with mental issues. Elliot and Tyrell. At best it's 5 people with issues.
You can't trust anything Elliott narrates which is ok. But then you can't really just have your season/world revolve around that then lie about certain things. You might as well as not bother building up these other characters outside of him if nothing can be trusted for what you see. At least Scream has a excuse for it as that's it's source material/genre tries to make you disbelieve everyone's motives
Zeus Molecules
illegal immigrants are stealing our air
There was a month long time jump. Which we the viewers have no idea what happened during. The police could of caught the majority of them and Eliot just didn't tell the audience. Add to the fact Mr Robot might of taken over as the dominant personality to cope with Elliots guilt and there is a decent chance Elliot doesn't really know what happened either.
On another note I am ok with Vera and the other prisoners escaping and it not being the main topic for the rest of the season. It gives the writers something to return to later since I doubt we'll never see the repercussion of a bunch of criminals escaping into the night due to Elliot's hack.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
Does Mr. Robot have the best written/performed voice over on TV?
I'm going with yes, even before the big twist(s)
I'm going with yes, even before the big twist(s)
sooperkool
Member
if you go back you can see the scarf and maybe tghe jacket on the hooks in Elliott's apartment.
That's the best trope there is.
Humans are inherently biased, they twist reality in their own heads all the time, so it's a very natural thing, which is why i like it so much.
Even when it's mixed in with mental illness, like in this case.
Gotta agree.
Movies/TV shows need more misdirection, lies, and unreliable story telling.
Yeah I think nowadays there's a certain type plot you can always tell on film/tv and with a show like mr robot, p misdirecting is in a way that's surprising but also not utilized in a way just for shock factor but for the sake of character development as well as plot is something so unique to see and have it unfold.
poppabk
Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
It shares that with a lot of good shows though. Breaking bad had a character that people in the show knew deliberately collide two planes and it was barely mentioned again. It would be world news for months.
It's going to depend on the execution really. Using it to gloss over a minor continuity error or two? No biggie, it's TV. But if they start doing it haphazardly, then I think it'll hurt the quality of the show. Let's hope it doesn't become an issue during later seasons.
That month long gap and something so impactful only being referred to in episodes post Shayla's death with some oblique references to Elliot 'having a shitty/rough month' seem too deliberate to not come back at some point. I'm willing to bet that something happened to him while processing that trauma.
On a slightly different note, one thing that has been going through my mind over these last two episodes is something from the first episode: Elliot reprogramming himself to see, hear and read 'Evil Corp' wherever 'E Corp' pops up in the world. Which at the time seemed like a cute gimmick, but thinking about it you realize what an insane, extreme thing that is to do to yourself. And to pull it off so completely. To quote Elliot (using transcripts from here):
Also, I think that the Evil Corp stuff pops up in scenes where Elliot isn't there, possibly hinting that the unreliable narrator stuff and his self deceptions reach further than just scenes he's in. And it might hook into the meta-narrative aspects of the show where the viewer/his imaginary friend are mentioned and are part of the narrative.
On a slightly different note, one thing that has been going through my mind over these last two episodes is something from the first episode: Elliot reprogramming himself to see, hear and read 'Evil Corp' wherever 'E Corp' pops up in the world. Which at the time seemed like a cute gimmick, but thinking about it you realize what an insane, extreme thing that is to do to yourself. And to pull it off so completely. To quote Elliot (using transcripts from here):
Him being able to change what his mind "hears, sees or reads" through "a thorough, intensive self-reprogramming" makes you wonder if some of the craziness he's experiencing (hallucinating his dad, forgetting large chunks of his childhood) is through deliberate action by his past self. Him finding that disc with personal info he had forgotten certainly fits with that.
Also, I think that the Evil Corp stuff pops up in scenes where Elliot isn't there, possibly hinting that the unreliable narrator stuff and his self deceptions reach further than just scenes he's in. And it might hook into the meta-narrative aspects of the show where the viewer/his imaginary friend are mentioned and are part of the narrative.
that's not how it worked though.
He didn't do it on purpose, it was an accident after his daughter's death
It was totally on the news
It was totally on the news
chalkitdown1
Member
I'm re-watching it right now with my wife (it's her first run through) and yeah, they're very careful about it. We're up to episode 5 and some scenes take on a completely different meaning upon seeing them a second time. The last scene of episode 2 where Mr. Robot "pushes" Elliot off the pier makes total sense knowing what we know now. Also, in the scene where all of Fsociety are together in the arcade and Elliot comes up with the plan to hack Steel Mountain, Mr. Robot interrupts a conversation and steps right in front of Elliot when doing it so everyone is still looking at Elliot as if he was still doing the talking. There's a lot of careful framing like that.
As for the other revelation, for example, when Darlene breaks into Elliot's apartment and he questions her about how she knew where he lived and she is almost baffled and says "why wouldn't I?" At the time we assume she hacked him but in hindsight it's obvious. I've noticed lots of scene like that with Elliot and Darlene.
My wife doesn't read forums or anything so she has no idea still that there's even a suspicion of something like this going on. Her mind is going to be so blown in a few episode's time. I can't wait to see her reaction.
sooperkool
Member
WTF, no he didn't. He was distraught over his daughters death and wasn't paying attention and thats what caused the plane crash.
chalkitdown1
Member
You didn't commit to the sacred pact you'd formed.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
She's not handing out freebies? It's like helping the cops out by being a witness and wanting to come on full time.
She wasn't trained for high level legal work. That's not something you can walk off the street and help with. Unless all she did was, like, copy papers they asked of her.
Angelus Errare
Banned
Because she didn't have a law degree for starters or experience in the field.
That scene annoyed me so fucking much, then Angela was actually shocked the woman said no, asking why. Ugh, if you ever wanted to see entitlement/privilege in action, that scene encapsulated it.
Angela did go to law school.
T
Transhuman
Unconfirmed Member
Prototype Viktor
Member
still a privilege move
and Angela is the worse character on the show. at least Vera had a code
am i getting that reference right? I never watched The Wire
I didn't get any sort of privilege or expectation from that, rather her just being closely working on this for many years and having a huge personal and emotional investment in the outcome.
She is the official counterpart to Elliot's conspiratorial, anarchist approach. And far from the worst character on the show. Her and Darlene both started out as underdeveloped and superficial and have both been narratively redeemed, imo.
RastaMentality
Banned
I loved Darlene from the beginning. Idk why but her idgaf attitude just fit into the show well.
EDIT: The first minute of this is soooooo good. Can't wait for the soundtrack to hear it in full.
http://youtu.be/Xq9iQlTbdio
EDIT: The first minute of this is soooooo good. Can't wait for the soundtrack to hear it in full.
http://youtu.be/Xq9iQlTbdio
I loved that Elliot pointed out that we knew all along. The writers knew that twist had already been used to full effect in Fight Club and just anticipated everyone figuring out but said fuck it, we've got more story to tell and that's a small part of what we're building. Enjoy the ride.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Oh God, keep watching
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