Mr. Robot Season 1 Review

Mr. Robot (2015-)
Season 1 (2015)

Created by:  Sam Esmail
Starring:  Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin
Rating: TV-14

MR. ROBOT - Season 1

Plot: 
A cyber security engineer and part time hacker is recruited to "save the world" by sabotaging a multi-million dollar company.

Verdict
I was hooked from the first scene and devoured each episode. The vibe is great and Elliot (Rami Malek) is an intriguing, yet unstable character. I prefer the more grounded episodes, but even then this is a wild narrative. The pilot is one of the best I've seen. Episode six is another good episode that is a welcome step down from the craziness in episodes four and five. It's a well crafted show from the music to the title card.
Watch it.

Review
A show that makes me excited to see the title card every episode. speaks to the art and attention to detail. Each episode title is imagined as a file name and extension
It's full of conspiracy theories and outrage. Elliot doesn't trust anyone, finding their true secrets by backing them. He then joins f*society, taking that rage and manifesting it in an endeavor to save the world. You're never quite sure what's real because he admits he's an unreliable narrator. This takes more than a few queues from Fight Club (1999), but I don't mind. You may guess one of the twists, but Mr. Robot has more than just that in store. This is my new favorite show. I can't wait to see more episodes.

Episode 1, eps1.0_hellofriend.mov, is electric. It opens with Elliot confronting a coffee store owner. We assume it's blackmail, but Elliot has already alerted the cops. The voice over that continues throughout the season helps you get in Elliot's head. He finds what people are unwilling to share, finding their truer saves.

He's part delusional, and while he's trying to help his therapist, it's more about controlling the situation and knowing more than anyone else.
It's difficult to make typing exciting, but this episode does just that. It also raises the question as to whether Elliot is delusional.
He's recruited into a hacker group, f*society, and decides to join, though he was reluctant at first. The leader of the group is Mr. Robot (Christian Slater).

E-Corp is the giant business that f*society wants to topple. Elliot is programmed his brain to see and hear the name as evil corp. We see through Elliot's eyes and hear everyone pronouncing it that way. If he's changing that, what else can he change?

Each episode twists and turns. Episode two has Mr. Robot attack Elliot. I wasn't sure if it was real or imagined. The way Mr. Robot shows up to meet Elliot seems off. There has to be more to that, and there is. In episode three, Elliot decides to fit into society. He manages that... for a while. He returns and episode four and five chronicle more setup for the big hack. Elliots is experiencing withdrawals so both episodes are big drug trips.

Tyrell Willick is a c-suite executive that becomes crazier the more we learn about him. He's power hungry, willing to do anything to succeed. He pays homeless people cash to beat them up as a stress reliever.

f*society will free you!

Episode 6, eps1.5_br4ve-trave1er.asf, might be the best episode since the first. It's more grounded than the previous two, instead more tense. Elliot is negotiating the release of his friend. Multiple times he's facing the business end of a hand gun but manages to double deal and succeed.

You know there is something to Mr. Robot, but episode seven blinds us with a completely different, though related reveal. Episode eight answers the questions one of the questions about Mr. Robot. While it's easy to figure out the answer, it's still a well done episode. Episode nine reveals all.

Most of the season has been building up to the big hack where f*society frees society. Episode ten opens with Elliot in a stupor, unaware of the past few days. I can't believe the show skipped the big hack. I don't know if it didn't know how capture it properly or make it believable but it makes for an underwhelming episode. Mr. Robot returns and the season ends on a small cliff hanger. Elliot opens the door to his apartment as the show cuts to black.

Elliot and Willick have teamed up, but we don't get to see Willick's involvement in the hack.