407 Proxy Authentication Required does its best to pack a punch and it's kind of vaguely hilarious to see Esmail give the subtle flex of not only using a five act structure, but straight up telling the audience. But the thing about this episode is, it takes a little bit to overcome the somewhat larger-than-life, comic book villain that Vera became this season. It was a bit of downfall. I mentioned it in my review of the last episode. There's the sense that this show has evolved and become larger than the antics Elliot dealt with as b-plots in season one. And it's very apparent in the first act. Hell, even Mr. Robot makes a snide remark lamenting the ridiculousness of the setup. But for me it felt more like something I'd seen before. We've seen Elliot kidnapped and forced to perform hacks. There's something self-referential about doing it again only to work as an expose on Elliot's own trauma. And the setup feels inauthentic to me. I think Esmail must realize this too, because the episode becomes a whole lot more once Krista is actually put onscreen again.
Bottle episodes are difficult but ultimately satisfying if done correctly. I think this episode fares on the better end of that scale, but it falls in line with a season that has already used bottle-esque conventions for a few other episodes (imo to better effects in other epsisodes) and therefore struggled to keep all of my attention, if only slightly. Esmail has a hell of a thesis statement to get across in this episode and I ultimately think he pulls it off. The reveal is a doozy. You can't just throw it out there, even if it becomes apparent far earlier in the episode than it's actually said.
I'll need to chew on this one a little longer. I am not altogether over the moon here but I do think this is a very strong episode particularly for the performances onscreen. The aspect ratio change pulled me out. The change in color grade and direction, although warranted, still took some time to readjust.
I'll be very interested to see where we go from here.
Review by filmboicoleBlockedParentSpoilers2019-11-22T14:21:47Z
407 Proxy Authentication Required does its best to pack a punch and it's kind of vaguely hilarious to see Esmail give the subtle flex of not only using a five act structure, but straight up telling the audience. But the thing about this episode is, it takes a little bit to overcome the somewhat larger-than-life, comic book villain that Vera became this season. It was a bit of downfall. I mentioned it in my review of the last episode. There's the sense that this show has evolved and become larger than the antics Elliot dealt with as b-plots in season one. And it's very apparent in the first act. Hell, even Mr. Robot makes a snide remark lamenting the ridiculousness of the setup. But for me it felt more like something I'd seen before. We've seen Elliot kidnapped and forced to perform hacks. There's something self-referential about doing it again only to work as an expose on Elliot's own trauma. And the setup feels inauthentic to me. I think Esmail must realize this too, because the episode becomes a whole lot more once Krista is actually put onscreen again.
Bottle episodes are difficult but ultimately satisfying if done correctly. I think this episode fares on the better end of that scale, but it falls in line with a season that has already used bottle-esque conventions for a few other episodes (imo to better effects in other epsisodes) and therefore struggled to keep all of my attention, if only slightly. Esmail has a hell of a thesis statement to get across in this episode and I ultimately think he pulls it off. The reveal is a doozy. You can't just throw it out there, even if it becomes apparent far earlier in the episode than it's actually said.
I'll need to chew on this one a little longer. I am not altogether over the moon here but I do think this is a very strong episode particularly for the performances onscreen. The aspect ratio change pulled me out. The change in color grade and direction, although warranted, still took some time to readjust.
I'll be very interested to see where we go from here.