‘Mr. Robot’ season 2 finale review: Glitch in the system
Throughout “Mr. Robot” season 2, perception has remained key to the story. In the closing minutes of Wednesday’s season finale, what we saw can be best described as proof that the perception of one Elliot Alderson was not always there. Hie viewpoint that Tyrell was a part of his imagination was proved false, and he felt a trail of blood in the process.
The good news for him is that he was alive. The bad news? He realized how much bigger this was than how, how Angela may have been involved in the stage 2 plan far longer than he realized, and how he and Tyrell may have been responsible for planning much of it. Tyrell wants to dispose of the paper trial, and it’s a plan Elliot fears over the danger of it all.
All of the Elliot reveals were for the most part fantastic, largely because you get the sense that Tyrell is this rogue-undercover mastermind who is going to have a heck of a lot more to do in season 3. The thought of this alone makes up for those few weeks we thought Tyrell was dead — even though it’s been glorious seeing Joanna step more into her own spotlight. It still does feel as though there is something more to be done here, and we wish there was more connectivity between her stories and others throughout season 2.
In speaking of connectivity, the joy of Angela right now is that she is connected everywhere. As we learned about her larger role in the plan, it makes you wonder how long she has been involved, and maybe these positive affirmations and insecurities this season were for a larger purpose from the beginning. Her character remains arguably the series’ greatest joy and largest enigma.
As a whole, almost every moment of the finale worked, even if it was terrible witnessing what happened to Cisco and the pained discomfort of the showdown between Dom and Darlene. We certainly give the latter credit for showing her strength the best of her abilities, but perhaps she underestimated Dom and bureau’s intelligence in piecing so much together.
“Mr. Robot” season 2 started the season with questions, and it only seems appropriate we end with that, as well. The coda gave us a small sense of what’s ahead, and that is the scale and the power of the operation on all sides. While creator Sam Esmail may have dabbled too much in excess during the first half of the season, the final episodes tightened the screws and reminded us of what this series is really all about. Grade: A-.