Justin NemethDirector

This show from beginning to end, was not what it appeared. I continue to give Brit Marling mad props for the writing of this story, because while the episodes didn't follow an ordinary format, but a specific arc in the story, the eight episodes felt like long low budget independent film, that managed to beautifully mash several genres together.

Some of the critics have been unnecessarily harsh in its dismissal of many of it's themes as merely 'new-agish', but I found the storytelling to be consistent throughout the entire clutch (I really dislike calling it a 'season' when it streams on Netflix or is a whole season available for watching via another service) of episodes.

As I have previously noted, this is the kind of story that could only have been facilitated by a streaming service, because it mostly abandons traditional television storytelling, and it works.

As for the characters, I was proud like I did something in the last ten minutes of the episode, with a little eye water to boot. The disparate threads of this story came together beautifully, and the acting was consistent in the last few episodes.

It is well worth a binge watch, but I am glad I dragged it out a bit. Highly recommended.

Will there be a second season? It seems almost certain. God help us, we wait long periods between them on Netflix, which appears to have a much longer release cycle than regular network television. However, the quality of the recent productions proves they tend to be worth the wait. I only had an inkling about this one, but it turned out to be well worth the weirdness of the pre-release pump.

A smart show that requires your full attention.

A brilliant look at the schizophrenic nature of our society - how we've allowed the sociopaths and psychopaths to take control of our democracies, convince us that we're happy we're not, that everything is alright when they haven't solved any of the actual problems that plague us. We're given the illusion of choice every single day, whether it's between the products or services we buy, or the politicians we put into office every couple of years. The illusion is crumbling. Hackers, both the good and the bad, will tear off the blinders and social constructs that keep up the charade. The illusion of security that our governments and corporations sell us will be shattered. Mr. Robot is a TV show. It's fiction. But it reflects reality. Criminals stealing people's identity is a huge problem, and if you haven't been a victim, you eventually will be. When it happens - good fucking luck. Banks steal from people, and now hackers steal from banks - the recent heist of $1 billion that was only foiled due to a typo was in the news, but you can bet that there are better, smarter criminals out there, and they're pulling their heists off. The government, the banks, the corporations are doing a shit job of making sure people are getting their fair share, and only their fair share, mainly because these organizations have evolved so as to allow the thieves to be in charge. Our governments and corporations (and unions, and charities, and religious organizations) commit massive fraud against us - lying to us every step of the way so that they can take more than their fair share (of wealth, and of political power). How do you show this reality to people who have lived their entire lives within this illusion? Mr. Robot, that's how.