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Mr. Robot |OT| Byte Club - a new hacker thriller - Wednesdays on USA

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S

Sane_Man

Member
Overall I'd say the show disappointed me. I loved the music and look of the show, and Rami Malek is hugely talented, but outside of Elliot, Tyrell and Joanna I didn't really find any of the other characters engaging. The whole hacker gang were particularly bad.

The best storylines involved the drug dealer and Elliot's grasp for the CTO position. The overarching plot to "free" society just irritated me. It felt juvenile. Inspiration is one thing, but the show felt like it was just lifting elements from other films/TV series (most of Fincher, The Matrix, Dexter, American Psycho, etc) without having a real voice of its own.

Since season 1 is considered a complete story arc I'm hoping season 2 reins it in a bit and focuses on what makes the show good. I'll still keep watching as it definitely interests me. I was just hoping for a lot more after the first few episodes.
 
G

Gaaraz

Member
Starting watching this on a plane, got around 30 minutes in before deciding I loved it far too much to watch on that tiny screen so signed up for Amazon Prime when we got home and was so excited to watch it.

4 or 5 episodes now, and I'm really beginning to dislike this show. The writing feels sloppy at times, and the show just keeps getting stranger and stranger - and not in a good way.

My biggest problem however is that I simply don't feel I have anyone to really root for now.
The nice blonde one has just made a terrible decision that will cost her (at the very least) her job, as well as that of her colleagues, her boss etc who actually seems really nice. From the opening scene I was really rooting for Elliot, but now he's still working to bring down this supposedly 'evil' company, okay great, but then they finally introduce you to the boss and he seems like a decent guy, who is getting screwed over both personally and professionally by the creepy/sleezy one).

Urgh. Going to try to avoid this thread because I don't want to be spoilered, but just thought I'd post this as I'm feeling so let down by this show, and hope by the end of episode 10 I can look back on this post and laugh as it all comes nicely together :)
 
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maxcriden

Member
Gaaraz said:
Starting watching this on a plane, got around 30 minutes in before deciding I loved it far too much to watch on that tiny screen so signed up for Amazon Prime when we got home and was so excited to watch it.

4 or 5 episodes now, and I'm really beginning to dislike this show. The writing feels sloppy at times, and the show just keeps getting stranger and stranger - and not in a good way.

My biggest problem however is that I simply don't feel I have anyone to really root for now.
The nice blonde one has just made a terrible decision that will cost her (at the very least) her job, as well as that of her colleagues, her boss etc who actually seems really nice. From the opening scene I was really rooting for Elliot, but now he's still working to bring down this supposedly 'evil' company, okay great, but then they finally introduce you to the boss and he seems like a decent guy, who is getting screwed over both personally and professionally by the creepy/sleezy one).

Urgh. Going to try to avoid this thread because I don't want to be spoilered, but just thought I'd post this as I'm feeling so let down by this show, and hope by the end of episode 10 I can look back on this post and laugh as it all comes nicely together :)
Click to expand...

I had some similar qualms to you. I think it mostly got better as it went on, though the finale was a partial misstep for me. To me it's not incredible but it's interestingly written and directed and mostly compelling. There are some pretty exhilarating moments in the show, for sure.
 
L

LiQuid!

I proudly and openly admit to wishing death upon the mothers of people I don't like
I don't understand the need to have "someone to root for." So much amazing television in the last decade+ has been predicated on straight up villainy from its protagonists.
 
M

Mike Works

Member
LiQuid! said:
I don't understand the need to have "someone to root for." So much amazing television in the last decade+ has been predicated on straight up villainy from its protagonists.
Click to expand...
In terms of screenwriting, you don't need to necessarily have someone to root for (though it helps and is often the case), but you do need to have rooting interest for your (main) characters.

That means that you're not necessarily rooting for them to succeed at their goals for whatever reason (ie maybe they're Tony Soprano and they're about to choke a prostitute to death), but you as a viewer should have interest in that character recognizing and attempting to succeed in their goals. People like characters like Tony Soprano because they're volatile, interesting, dynamic, they move the plot forward, they're active, and I've mentioned it before but I'll say it again: they're interesting. The Joker from The Dark Knight. He kills an innocent woman and burns a man's face half off. He makes men fight for their lives with a broken pool cue. He kills a man with his own dogs. This is a horrible person by and large, and yet he's a character we'd kill to see more of.

Rooting for a character and having rooting interest in a character is a fine line, but an important one to be aware of.
 
D

deleted

Member
Started the show yesterday - finished today :p
It's been some time since I binged a show this hard.

I loved how they pretty much made a new version of Fight Club down to the usage of 'Where is my mind' and how I recognized it way to late. I didn't see the twist coming until the start of the episode they revealed it. That doesn't happen too often anymore and I respect that they alluded to it often enough, but due to the overall weirdness of the characters and the circumstances I didn't think in that particular direction.

The show is more than the sum of its parts - when you'd told me that this show combines and leans heavily on the plots of:
Fight Club, American Psycho, Matrix, maybe parts of 12 Monkeys
and a couple of other 'inspirations' I would have never guessed this could be the sum of those parts and that I'd enjoy it that much.

Can't wait to see where they go with Season 2. They finish some major plot points for one season too, this could stand for itself with just a couple of scenes more.
 
E

Eidan

Member
Faith said:
Damn it, she is so hot.

joanna-wellick-mr-robot.jpg
Click to expand...
She was creepy as hell in that scene. She felt like evil personified.
 
C

Cornballer

Member
Variety video interview with Malek:

- Rami Malek Says ‘Mr. Robot’ Season 2 is Only Going to Get Harder for Him
Despite a brutal first season, season two of “Mr. Robot” is “only going to get harder” for its star, Rami Malek, or so Sam Esmail tells him. In the latest installment of Variety‘s Contenders Conversations, Malek talks the impact of the Golden Globe-nominated role, teases the coming episodes and looks back on when he met Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
Click to expand...
 
B

brianjones

Member
probably not the best place to ask this but does this show get better?

i thought the pilot was pretty great.. kinda like dexter but with hacking.. but the next 2 episodes had some really dumb shit.. like the fifty shades of grey character and the side characters being generally irritating

does it redeem by the end or should i stop now
 
T

Tamanon

Banned
brianjones said:
probably not the best place to ask this but does this show get better?

i thought the pilot was pretty great.. kinda like dexter but with hacking.. but the next 2 episodes had some really dumb shit.. like the fifty shades of grey character and the side characters being generally irritating

does it redeem by the end or should i stop now
Click to expand...

The show goes pretty great as the season goes on, as the characters build up, and the relationships build. I'd push on, as there's some huge emotional payoff.
 
C

CRS

Member
Re watching the season marathon on USA has been interesting after reading the BttF 2 article.

Ep.9 spoilers:

It felt like the conversation that happened when Tyrell got fired is pretty important to the timeline.
 
chris121580

chris121580

Member
I just dvrd and binge watched the entire season. Absolutely phenomenal show and I can't wait for season 2. The music was so fucking good too. Any show that uses Love on a Real Train and Where is my Mind appropriately is damn good in my book! I can't remember the last time I've had such a "what the fuck just happened?!" reaction than I did at the end of episode 7
 
E

Extra Sauce

Member
chris121580 said:
I just dvrd and binge watched the entire season. Absolutely phenomenal show and I can't wait for season 2. The music was so fucking good too. Any show that uses Love on a Real Train and Where is my Mind appropriately is damn good in my book! I can't remember the last time I've had such a "what the fuck just happened?!" reaction than I did at the end of episode 7
Click to expand...

Not to mention Kool Thing and Two Weeks.
 
A

Admiral Woofington

Member
watched the show from start to finish in my plane trip. Absolutely fantastic but two comments:

- The blonde girl was horrible. I don't know if it's her acting or her voice, but every scene fo hers made me want to fast forward.

- Why did the show have to fuck over
the boss
. He was such a great fucking top notch guy and it made me so sad :''''(
 
T

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
So, they're doing a panel at CES tomorrow about Cyber Security.

Facebook said:
Are you ready to change the world, friend?
Go to the "Mr. Robot: Is Truth Stranger Than Fiction?" panel at CES 2016 to explore modern cybersecurity with Mr. Robot show writers and industry experts.
Click to expand...

1PM Vegas Time. I think.
 
M

maxcriden

Member
cwmartin said:
Good call - season one on google play is only $25. I was hoping to finagle a work with usa.com and my chromecast but that seems like a lost cause.
Click to expand...

Dang, that seems like a lot of money. Maybe you can get some discounted GP credit in the BST thread or on gameTZ at least?
 
P

PHOENIXZERO

Member
Pretty happy about Mr. Robot winning best drama and Slater winning supporting actor, a little disappointed by Rami not winning but they weren't going to deny Mad Men's last season.
 
N

nortonff

Hi, I'm nortonff. I spend my life going into threads to say that I don't care about the topic of the thread. It's a really good use of my time.
Real happy for the awards, but Malik got robbed. Hope he gets one for the next season.
 
C

Chris R

Member
Watched all of the first season these past few days after recording it during the year end marathon.

Really really good, glad to see it winning some awards. Dislike some of the cliffhangers, but whatever, stuff needs to be there for season 2 I guess. Saw the "twist" coming really early but whatever, it was still really well done.

Now to turn others onto watching it.
 
P

PHOENIXZERO

Member
Chris R said:
Watched all of the first season these past few days after recording it during the year end marathon.

Really really good, glad to see it winning some awards. Dislike some of the cliffhangers, but whatever, stuff needs to be there for season 2 I guess. Saw the "twist" coming really early but whatever, it was still really well done.

Now to turn others onto watching it.
Click to expand...

Which "twist" would that be?
 
C

chefbags

Member
Yo critics choice awards bringing in the right choices with awards for Christian Slater for Best Supporting and Rami Malek for Best actor. And last was the Best Drama for Mr.Robot. Rightly deserved.
 
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