‘Mr. Robot’ episode 3 review: The face of Evil Corp
The second episode of “Mr. Robot” season 1 felt to us like somewhat of a letdown from the premiere, and it is hard to put our finger on why. Maybe we had not figured out the show yet, or we were frustrated by what we did not understand.
After three episodes, meanwhile, we are now back to believing fairly strongly that this is the sort of show that could define USA as a network for years to come. In addition to getting more inside of Elliot’s head, we also learned tonight that TV at the moment really hates people named Ollie. He was not entirely sympathetic in the right way towards Angela after learning of a devastating hack, one that could lead to very intimate photos and information involving her getting out for all to see. This series perfectly illustrates the situation between the hackers and the police. These two recognized that while there were actions that could be taken, the consequences of them could be such that it was not worth it.
For a time, it appeared as though Angela and Ollie would be no more, but that did not happen as she turned things around at the end of the hour. We’re not sure why she would want to be with him, or why she hasn’t called Elliot given their shared experiences and his talent. That was perhaps the hour’s biggest flaw.
Elsewhere tonight, we learned more about Elliot’s choice in hospital and the face of Evil Corp in Tyrell, a man who has an awesome last name given our love of “Game of Thrones” but is seriously a bad dude. Through his actions, we see more of what he is capable of.
Our favorite moment tonight, though, had to be Elliot’s fantasy sequence dreaming of Shayla, mostly because it was this idealized version of him being this normal guy with lattes and Marvel movies. Yet, he probably knows deep down that he can never be that guy, and may not even want to be. Sometimes, we feel like he as narrator is speaking more of what he wants for himself, even if he knows that he is striving occasionally towards ideals that cannot happen. Episode Grade: B+.
What did you think about episode 3? Let us know.
Limbo
July 9, 2015 @ 3:53 am
All I can say is, I’ve watched it from the online release and I expected more out of the third episode. I know every show eventually turns into relationships overload but I didn’t expect almost the entire show tonight to be nothing but that. It felt like the only good part was the last 10mins.
Tyrell’s story is insane; that man has some wild going on. He’s definitely based on what some of those actual corporate puppets are like, I’ve known a few. The Shayla thing is cute but almost made stop watching; I like her character, it makes a cute story, but seriously…was it needed? The original doing too much drugs and banging was a good one but the relationship thing, I just hope that doesn’t become a big focus of the show unless it’s how his character messes it up, thanks to fsociety. I wasn’t surprised that Angela didn’t actually leave Ollie (It happens everyday in RL, right?) but I kept expecting her to get Elliot involved immediately. Maybe, the show didn’t want to fall into the expected with that.
Really glad to see it end on the high note of back to business, though. I look forward to that story taking back over and plans going haywire.