Congrats to Rami Malek for his Emmy Award.
4
Its actually BTTF Soundtrack not PT 2.
In the cab scence its also 'Time Bomb Town' by Lindsey Buckingham. Also from the soundtrack.
In the cab scence its also 'Time Bomb Town' by Lindsey Buckingham. Also from the soundtrack.
I also think that as the show goes forward, its will be less about Elliott and Angela and more about the global struggle about who controls the international currency and how much some nations can hack and brutalize their way to controlling others. Will China wind up secretly controlling the U.S. economy, business community and government? Stay tuned.
I could never have foreseen this while watching Season 1. But Season 2 is also incredible. Kudos to Sam Esmail for the most innovative and interesting show on tv!
I could never have foreseen this while watching Season 1. But Season 2 is also incredible. Kudos to Sam Esmail for the most innovative and interesting show on tv!
2
The most creative show on TV! I remember going to see Blue Velvet when it first came out and I agree with the Lynch comparisons with the same kind of boldness in every area---looks, sounds (music), direction, and acted that was so mind blowing at the time. Now we have a modern day genius with more relative ideas, so bravo to Sam the man for his vision!
3
This is an excellent recap that serves to elevate the episode more than I would have after watching it. Whiterose "decrypting" Angela like the algorithm Mr. Robot decrypts in the last sequence was not an exciting part of the episode. I have a feeling that Whiterose has found a way to use Angela against Price by taking advantage of her insecurities and her need for justice.
Yes, as someone pointed out, it's interesting that Elliot responded to seeing Tyrell much in the same way he responded to learning that Mr. Robot was he dead father. Total freakout, then acquiescence. Both Mr. Robot and Elliot left for this meeting, but it's Elliot that got in the cab.
We all wanted to know about Darlene and Cisco and were deliberately deprived of the information. Yes, it is implausible that Dom would not refer to them in her conversation about the shootout.
As nicely as this recap is, I still find myself incredibly irked over the episode. On the whole, it just did not satisfy my desire for forward-moving action.
Yes, as someone pointed out, it's interesting that Elliot responded to seeing Tyrell much in the same way he responded to learning that Mr. Robot was he dead father. Total freakout, then acquiescence. Both Mr. Robot and Elliot left for this meeting, but it's Elliot that got in the cab.
We all wanted to know about Darlene and Cisco and were deliberately deprived of the information. Yes, it is implausible that Dom would not refer to them in her conversation about the shootout.
As nicely as this recap is, I still find myself incredibly irked over the episode. On the whole, it just did not satisfy my desire for forward-moving action.
To be honest, I've been somewhat lost since the beginning of S2, but what a great world to be lost in. Roll on!
4
This was a very good commentary. I'd like to add that the episode explores the difference between what we believe is true and the possibility that there is another reality beneath the surface of our perceptions. Moreover, what difference does it make if there's another reality beneath our perceptions, especially if we believe that you can will something into reality by believing it?
So you have Angela confronted by Whiterose, a cipher who has changed gender by willing it. But can Angela tell, as we can, that she's transgender? And Whiterose's mission is to recruit Angela to believe in Whiterose's reality, which might mean in her affected gender as much as in her geopolitical schema. And that is juxtaposed with Elliot's confrontation of his own reality troubles, including Mr. Robot, who is real for Elliot even if Elliot admits he isn't real for anyone else. In fact, he's real enough for Elliot to follow him through a carnival and down a darkened street to a cab where he is confronted with another person who Elliot believes is not real.
DiPierro has her own problems of this sort. She knows the government doesn't know what is going on. And there's also E Coins, which, like all currency, only has value if you believe it.
So you have Angela confronted by Whiterose, a cipher who has changed gender by willing it. But can Angela tell, as we can, that she's transgender? And Whiterose's mission is to recruit Angela to believe in Whiterose's reality, which might mean in her affected gender as much as in her geopolitical schema. And that is juxtaposed with Elliot's confrontation of his own reality troubles, including Mr. Robot, who is real for Elliot even if Elliot admits he isn't real for anyone else. In fact, he's real enough for Elliot to follow him through a carnival and down a darkened street to a cab where he is confronted with another person who Elliot believes is not real.
DiPierro has her own problems of this sort. She knows the government doesn't know what is going on. And there's also E Coins, which, like all currency, only has value if you believe it.
1
Sean, great recap as usual.
I think you touched upon one of the unique characteristics of the show: that there's not much interpersonal drama between the characters, and that the most intimate, important/defining relationship in each of their lives are with technology.
For a drama, none of the conflicts between the characters are personal (Phillip Price: "Now Jack [Lew], I don't give a #$% about you. I won, you lost. But losing can still be profitable."). It's populated by dreamers and idealists, those larger ideas/purposes in turn have huge impact on rest of characters.
I think it's something we've all been feeling: rate of technological change is ever accelerating, powered by/enabling big ideas that would change the world. We are on one hand empowered by (but utterly dependent on) the technologies, at the same time we're all racing as fast we can to figure out where it's all headed, how we're going to adapt. These ideas/changes are so big, so powerful, so impersonal, and so utterly pitiless, they're like nature - individually none of us can beat it, we can only try to fit into the environment they create ...
As the posters in previous episode suggested, we should also listen carefully. Is it me or does Tyrell sound like Christian Slater/Mr. Robot?
I think you touched upon one of the unique characteristics of the show: that there's not much interpersonal drama between the characters, and that the most intimate, important/defining relationship in each of their lives are with technology.
For a drama, none of the conflicts between the characters are personal (Phillip Price: "Now Jack [Lew], I don't give a #$% about you. I won, you lost. But losing can still be profitable."). It's populated by dreamers and idealists, those larger ideas/purposes in turn have huge impact on rest of characters.
I think it's something we've all been feeling: rate of technological change is ever accelerating, powered by/enabling big ideas that would change the world. We are on one hand empowered by (but utterly dependent on) the technologies, at the same time we're all racing as fast we can to figure out where it's all headed, how we're going to adapt. These ideas/changes are so big, so powerful, so impersonal, and so utterly pitiless, they're like nature - individually none of us can beat it, we can only try to fit into the environment they create ...
As the posters in previous episode suggested, we should also listen carefully. Is it me or does Tyrell sound like Christian Slater/Mr. Robot?
8
Yes, David, in the cab Tyrell does sound like Mr. Robot! I hadn't thought of that, but I was bothered throughout the cab ride by something I couldn't identify. It was the voice! In earlier episodes, Tyrell had a high-pitched, whiny tone; here, he is earnest. He was never earnest. Interesting that Elliot is fighting to discern whether the person beside him is real or a figment of his imagination, like Mr. R. To your point about the acceleration of technology: during the interrogation, the little girl used a Commodore 64 and an old rotary phone, the very emblems of the old school, low-tech past.
4
I don't know if this is still realistic in terms of what dissociative identity disorder is like: it's almost as if the Mr. Robot personality is aware of Elliot, and disguised himself as Tyrell to lure him into doing something he wouldn't otherwise do.
I mean, everyone is still looking for him. So why is Tyrell still dressed in expensive suit, tie, and watch like he's going to work at E-Corp? That's the only way Elliot has seen him right?
I mean, everyone is still looking for him. So why is Tyrell still dressed in expensive suit, tie, and watch like he's going to work at E-Corp? That's the only way Elliot has seen him right?
1
Actually, the entire soundtrack is from BTTF II. It is first noticeable playing from the radio of the van in which Angela is taken hostage. BTTF II has also been mentioned a couple of times as Elliot's favorite movie, which he has planned to watch at some point with Angela.
So, the question becomes why BTTF II rather than BTTF. And how does this all connect to Steins; Gate. Somebody is dropping some interesting hints. The mystery deepens!
So, the question becomes why BTTF II rather than BTTF. And how does this all connect to Steins; Gate. Somebody is dropping some interesting hints. The mystery deepens!
Not the entire soundtrack… not to be argumentative, but Mac Quayle deserves credit for his tense, atmospheric drones and other contributions during Angela’s confrontation with Whiterose, and elsewhere.
I wouldn't blame you if you were so caught up in the atmosphere of this amazing episode that you didn’t notice.
I wouldn't blame you if you were so caught up in the atmosphere of this amazing episode that you didn’t notice.
3
In fact, in my glee at the episode, and excitement of noticing so much music from the BTTF franchise (not to mention the Easter egg of the round volume knob being gradually turned up) I sadly overlooked the occasional notes of original scoring. My bad.
I also falsely jumped to the conclusion that the songs were familiar from BTTF II rather than the original.
I guess I was primed to make this error because of earlier references in the series to the second movie, and my assumption that the key scene to from the BTTF trilogy so far as the Mr. Robot series is concerned, is the scene in BTTF II where Doc Brown explains about creating alternate timelines by changing key events.
Perhaps Angela herself is such an "event." WhiteRose seems to think so. Perhaps in every version of reality Angela is key.
Why did Angela change her tune at the end? What did WhitRose show her? An alternate reality? Maybe one where Angela's mother is still alive?
I also falsely jumped to the conclusion that the songs were familiar from BTTF II rather than the original.
I guess I was primed to make this error because of earlier references in the series to the second movie, and my assumption that the key scene to from the BTTF trilogy so far as the Mr. Robot series is concerned, is the scene in BTTF II where Doc Brown explains about creating alternate timelines by changing key events.
Perhaps Angela herself is such an "event." WhiteRose seems to think so. Perhaps in every version of reality Angela is key.
Why did Angela change her tune at the end? What did WhitRose show her? An alternate reality? Maybe one where Angela's mother is still alive?
1
Another great episode. The best-looking show on tv.
The interrogation of Angela also reminded me of Big Brother's interrogation of Winston Smith in "1984," also full of weirdness, nonsense and trick questions Winston can't fathom. For totalitarianism to succeed, it must control the mind as well as the body. People must be mentally indoctrinated/imprisoned as much as physically oppressed and restrained. That this is being examined in the story of Elliot, whose own thoughts and actions are often sabotaged by his psychological disorder is interesting. What constitutes freedom of thought and action?
Also a nice turn by B.D. Wong as weird oppressor & sassy home girl Whiterose, sarcastically belittling Angela calling her 'honey' and seeking not secrets but simply to suss out Angela's place in the center of all this craziness. Angela's not crazy herself but may be before this is over. The people around her - Elliot, Darlene, Whiterose, Phillip Price, Terry Colby - are out of their minds. Only Angela and Angent DiPeirro seem sane.
The interrogation of Angela also reminded me of Big Brother's interrogation of Winston Smith in "1984," also full of weirdness, nonsense and trick questions Winston can't fathom. For totalitarianism to succeed, it must control the mind as well as the body. People must be mentally indoctrinated/imprisoned as much as physically oppressed and restrained. That this is being examined in the story of Elliot, whose own thoughts and actions are often sabotaged by his psychological disorder is interesting. What constitutes freedom of thought and action?
Also a nice turn by B.D. Wong as weird oppressor & sassy home girl Whiterose, sarcastically belittling Angela calling her 'honey' and seeking not secrets but simply to suss out Angela's place in the center of all this craziness. Angela's not crazy herself but may be before this is over. The people around her - Elliot, Darlene, Whiterose, Phillip Price, Terry Colby - are out of their minds. Only Angela and Angent DiPeirro seem sane.
5
With that blank, wide-eyed expression of hers throughout this whole episode, Angela looks like she's in a lucid dream of her own ("depending on your definition of real", "if you just simply imagine it, it will become true").
1
While a lot of season 2 has me confused,I am enjoying the confusion. And for me B.D. Wong performance last night was brilliant.
4
All I can say is that I have never been so entranced within a show that it seems that I blink and the episode has ended leaving me dazed, confused and already hungering for the next 167 hours to go by.
I also am not sure if I am awake or dreaming ...
I also am not sure if I am awake or dreaming ...
11
Hi, Sean. I think it's all over for us, the merry band of Mr. Robot riders; like you, I am so caught up in the show, so breathless from its tightrope walk through mind space that I think I may need 10 months to recover. What struck me about this episode was the way conversation was used as action. In many shows, talk between characters is often a wasted opportunity, a cheap form of storytelling. Here, the talk is revelatory. Conversation heightens the various power plays going on: the FBI, we learn, can't beat the dark army, and Philip Price has defeated the Treasury secretary. Again, Angela emerges as an enigma to the powerful people who can't bring themselves to destroy her. Price and Whiterose can't figure her out; the key is Whiterose's question about the power of one's will. Angela's answer separates the two dimensions of this show; Whiterose understands that power stems from the will, and not from the outer world. If Angela could suspend her disbelief and embrace her will, she'd be one of them. Why she doesn't is the question. What an exchange! That we are witnessing this conversation is testament to the ambition and skill of the show's creators. Kudos, Mr. E.
8
"the key is Whiterose's question about the power of one's will"
This and Whiterose's discussion about locks could be a reference to John Locke's thought experiment of a man awaken in locked room and decides (he thinks he's acting on his free will) to stay in. The key being our freedom is limited by ignorance and power.
People like Eliot and Whiterose are truly awaken in that sense: aware of larger forces, especially those of modern technology and commerce, how they affect/limit our lives, how they made us less human (turning us all to profit-maximizing, short-term pleasure seeking mr/mr. robots). They also possess the power to change it, and the will to do so.
This and Whiterose's discussion about locks could be a reference to John Locke's thought experiment of a man awaken in locked room and decides (he thinks he's acting on his free will) to stay in. The key being our freedom is limited by ignorance and power.
People like Eliot and Whiterose are truly awaken in that sense: aware of larger forces, especially those of modern technology and commerce, how they affect/limit our lives, how they made us less human (turning us all to profit-maximizing, short-term pleasure seeking mr/mr. robots). They also possess the power to change it, and the will to do so.
1
Sorry, but I don't think the dialogue was all that revelatory and entrancing to substitute for action. Perhaps what kills this effect on TV is the annoying 5-minute string of commercials at every turn. Perhaps watching this without commercials might change my opinion. There were two decryption sequences in this episode--Whiterose's decryption of Angela and Mr. Robot's decryption of a restaurant menu. Of the two, I found the menu sequence more exciting.
1