#Eugenia watches Mr Robot

[stvlti]

S1E09

【warning brave traveller here be spoilers】

i know y’all be shipping Tyrelliot and also there’s been lots of people comparing this series to Fight Club so can I raise y’all this:

Back in s1e09, when Elliot brings Tyrell to the Fun Society arcade space, as he reveals everything to Tyrell, a piano cover of Where Is My Mind? by The Pixies begins playing. And as Elliot says “I wanted to save the world”, the popcorn machine starts to pop, a visual stand-in signifying that the explosions (i.e. thermostat meltdown at Evil Corp’s multiple Steel Mountains) have begun. Now i’m sure the Fight Club parallel here was intended. But if we remember what the Fight Club ending looked like - not only did the Narrator and Marla stand there watching explosions happen over the non-diegetic track Where Is My Mind - they held hands. Now i’m not saying that cinematic parallel was homoerotic subtext intended by Sam Esmail, but i’m saying there is metacinematic homoerotic subtext *winkwonk*

[stvlti]

S2E12

【season finale liveblogging ; spoilers below】

Nice, we finally get to revisit a scene but from Mr. Robot's POV. I believe this is the first instance this show has done this.

Aww cute they had Elliot start off repeating the same lines. Not sure what Sam told Rami, like how they wanted him to portray this side of Elliot, but it's still not as outwardly cavalier and cheeky as Christian's take on Mr. Robot... This is more like manipulative!Elliot at Steel Mountain. It's just interesting to note the difference between the 2 actors' body language while they're taking on the same persona more or less. I'm sure that difference is intentional tho, because no doubt Christian and Rami could bag that role (if it was required of their roles that they needed to adopt the same body language).

Ahh, fate. The heavy f word. [side eyes Lex's meta about fate and Lawlight in Death Note **Lawlight-Tyrelliot comparison intensifies**]

Hey! William Carlos Williams is not silly! Watch it, Tyrell

Hey this ain't the first time a brownout moment occurs at a moment when something suspicious is happening / about to happen. I like that visual motif.

Hhhh Elliot looking confused in the elevator and Tyrell's just slightly smiling indulgently next to him

Ooh that dusty wide shot of Elliot's silhouette approaching the desk at the warehouse. Nice shot!!

"You are not on some TV show ... characters like you are not welcome here" oh, meta. Sam you sly dog you

Lmaooo Joanna drag him

Self-awareness - Joanna: 1 | Scott: 0 

(fr tho really happy to see Joanna's growth this season beyond power through money)

Honestly tho... The actor for Scott... He's got range. His posture, how much more frail he looks too (did he lose weight for this scene??)

Methinks Joanna was gunning for Scott to attack her so she could have some dirt on him

Did Darlene just... admit to loving Cisco all this time after all?? Omg poor dude. Too little said, too late. 

(The Redditors were right about episode 9 - when she let Cisco steal her food and she smiled at Cisco that was as close to normal and her admitting her love for him as she could get - while he was still alive anyway ;__; Cisco you poor dude)

If Darlene isn't the ringleader and neither is Elliot (the one that's fronting rn) THEN WHO WAS PHONE 

(ok fr I really liked that they echoed that word back-to-back in these 2 scenes. Smooth transition.)

Oh Tyrell and his dramatic metaphors. Boy should've gone into theatre and poetry instead of tech tufjejfjdjkdk (honestly tho who does that? Speak like he's gonna start a dramatic monologue and then stalk away...?)

"the paper records ... titles and deeds, the bloodline of all real property in this country" I really like that line. 'bloodline', huh. Peculiar choice of words, seems like it could be something significant hmm

Omg that dream sequence in S2E04 fucking foreshadowed this!! And there I thought it was just a symbolic callback to Fight Club. And how ironic is it, that Elliot tried to stop an explosion in S1, yet here we are. When Mr. Robot wants to blow things up there's nothing that can stop him djfjjcdjc

They’re finishing each other’s sentences asdkfjalskfja

Oh so that's her play... And with those bruises around her neck it's gonna be an easy manoeuvre

(sometimes I wonder how on earth someone as stone cold and transparently snake-like as Joanna, who clearly says things and does things with an agenda all the time, could get men to fall in love with her and do her bidding. First Tyrell, now Derek. But then I remembered that majority of the time when we see her in a scene the scene occupies her POV - like the case with Light in DN, the audience knows everything he knows. We know all the ways Joanna is deceptive and always manipulative, but the other characters she interacts with do not know the whole story. Terrifying to think if I run into her on a street I'd probably be completely fooled by her too.)

Oh wow turns out Dom has some bite in her! The way she lays out all the incriminating evidence pointing to Darlene in succession... This whole season I thought she was a bit vanilla and boring of a character as her arc so far has mostly been a procedural... But all that time spent following her around the breadcrumb trail? Indispensable. Without that buildup of information we wouldn't have this terrific scene now. And she truly is so capable and formidable of a detective.

(And the way she reads Darlene and gets inside her head. There's this interesting rivalry/connection between them almost parallels the Tyrelliot dynamic)

"The patient predator" -- while she stares at Darlene!! Bitch. That line has major Domlene vibes don't @ me

Dom's saying what we all thought happened to Romero (that is, being a victim of Dark Army's hit list) ajdjdjdjkf Sam being meta again and literally shouting out this subversion of expectations. Romero's death is a macguffin...

WHAT. SAM. HOW COULD YOU END A SEASON LIKE THIS.

that post-credit scene isn’t even satisfying... like, no intrigue unlike S3... i guess there was some closure knowing Mobley and Trenton are safe... and it’s interesting too i suppose since Leon is never supposed to cross paths with other (ex)fsociety members.... Can’t say I didn’t see that coming though because I knew he was gonna be in the post-credits scene (since his name came up during credits and he wasn’t in the whole episode)

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I also was wary tbh when the girls kissed because what if they pull a "it's a fling / only gay under the influence" nonsense - it’s got similar vibes to me as when Black Swan did that - give your main girl a manic pixie dream gay

And then I searched up the cast and realised Shayla is only there for s1

I have a feeling it's gonna be a Bury Your Gays ending and at this point I'm too afraid

[stvlti]

My family caught me watching Mr. Robot 2×11 and they made fun of Rami just looking confused the whole episode. Honestly bitch me too the fuck. It's like that Full House sitcom episode again. Just his wide-eyed confused expression, that's it that's his part for the episode.

[stvlti]

First the Vine mention in the season opener, now the Flint water crisis reference. Of course E-Corp's the one that caused the water contamination in this universe. Good one Sam.

And good to get a confirmation that we're still in 2015 (Q3) in the story this season.

[stvlti]

S2E06

【episode live blogging ; spoilers below】

That sitcom opening oh my god. And so fucking meta with it too. The USA Network title card. The lampshading of the laugh track; at one point I'm sure Elliot even breaks fourth wall to look at the camera (at us). The fact that it uses dark humour to reference things that have already happened or to hint at that which is not yet revealed to the audience. --- in fact that whole damn use of a different format to signal a dream sequence. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

It also brought us Elliot's confused face and Elliot in tube socks and Tyrell's quips fjdkjfkdkkd I adore

I can't be the only one seeing that Shayla plot point echo with the use of the boot of the car tho

And that structural bookending with a flashback car ride scene at the end!! And the fact that Papa Alderson says the exact same line - "keep your eyes on the road" ahead of you.

He echoes other lines Mr. Robot has said earlier too. "I'm never gonna leave you" etc etc. It was kinda missing context and a little creepy when that line came up in S1 but here it recontextualises it entirely and...... I cried

The fact that they immediately sequenced that flashback after Elliot hugs Mr. Robot and basically makes up and accepts his presence too. My heart, you're breaking it Mr. Esmail

Kudos tho on writing it so that Mr. Robot fronted during the beating because I've been saying he's the protector alter (even if sometimes that requires him to be cavalier about life and apathetic to other's suffering in a way that paints him a villain in Elliot's eyes); that's only accurate to the portrayal, so thank you Sam thank you

[stvlti]

Drake Hotline Bling meme where he dislikes fucked up biological father/son relationship trauma and likes healthy surrogate father/son figure relationships between biologically unrelated mentor and mentee characters

[stvlti]

S1E04

Ngl I got big Sapphic Energy from Shayla the moment she started hanging with Angela

I was right

[stvlti]

S2E11

【Episode liveblogging ; spoilers below】

There are 3 perspectives steering or riding along with Elliot's journey right now: Elliot, Mr. Robot, and us, the viewers. What Elliot says about Mr. Robot always watching, silently, even when he doesn't take over to front. Doesn't that place us at a similar spot, just adjacent to Mr. Robot when it's Elliot in full control? And then, Elliot saying he'd like to try just being an observing passenger in his vessel for once... It's basically swapping musical chairs between the 3 perspectives. Maybe the Redditors are onto something here with the theory that the imaginary Friend belongs to an actual alter and not just the viewer.

He also calls Mr. Robot the key to everything. The key... I need to rewatch that dream sequence from 1×04 at some point... Sam said it was important as well

"you're in this with me so you have to say it with me" - I see you with that sly attempt at prompting audience participation Esmail 👀

Producer: Christian Slater ??????? How did I not notice this before

Damn why does Dom keep getting the short end of the stick that is medical sexism

I love the set design for that room, with the fishtank and all. Probably my favourite since the dream sequence in 1×04 and the melding of prison elements into Magda (Mama Alderson)'s house at the reveal in 2×09 "Init_5.fve".

I wonder if the copy of Lolita means anything.

"this was always the future... [The 5/9 hack] just accelerated it" - ahh, a good old dose of accelerationism. (Ironically enough coming from a capitalist opportunist.) Is that what Sam believes in? Accelerationism?

"We've known each other for years... You know full well I don't give a shit about you" - ooof, and that complete 180° in tone. Amazing.

"Is the key in the room?" We boutta get some answers on that motif now boys

And is the red phone supposed to be a visual callback to Elliot's prison phone?

Okay... So Angela gets her clue from the girl on the front cover of the copy of Lolita...... But if she's the Lolita in this equation then what does that make Darlene? Or is Lolita the common link - representative of a wider theme of the young girls abandoned in the wake of the Washington Township toxic waste scandal?

Interesting... Until now I hadn't noticed how Dom's life (or at least, on-screen)* is basically work and then insomnia with a huge side helping of talking to Alexa. She has an Alexa to fill the silence and pretend she's not subtly depressed. Dom and her lesbian loneliness fjsjfhsjjdjsj me too

((*) a character is all they are shown on screen. Action reveals character and etc. No wonder I thought her character was so boring and vanilla before. It's because she's missing an entire chunk - no personal sphere, only professional and private dimensions of action... And she doesn't exactly interact with people at work on friendly enough terms for us to see her having any real relationships)

Waaaaaait a second. Is the fish supposed to represent Angela?

Ayyyy I see White Rose being cheeky with the key and locked door metaphor. But wait. There's 2 divergent meanings to the key motif now then. Angela and her key, which she wasn't even aware of holding all alone. Elliot and his key, which just so happens to come in the form of a dead dad.

"Actually I did believe that" -- "did". Wow. We're coming to an end with this corporate ladder climbing arc boys

"depends on what your definition of real is" No. NO. You do not get to throw that curve ball at us right now Sam !!!!! Fjdkjfkdkkd

Aww nice. Sweet fourth wall breaking. Elliot looking at the camera, because he's the silent observer now, just like us. If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Oh I like that closeup shot of Elliot tugging on the door knob before it closes behind Mr. Robot, and heading out and closing the door behind him. I like that shot a lot. It's a bit of a mindfuck because it cements the idea that he's... Literally following himself a few steps delayed. Depersonalisation visualised. Nice.

TYRELL!!!!!! OUR BOI IS BACK!!!! (I legit screamed on the couch ngl)

Poor taxi driver omg

ETA: I find it interesting that Tyrell is not at all surprised to know Elliot has "forgotten everything". There's more to this story still. Tyrell knows Elliot has memory issues... Which is looking more and more apparent to be something the Elliot-Robot system weaponises. Hmm, tactical amnesia...... *thinks about the Mr. Robot/Death Note comparisons again*

Ugh Tyrell's fake accent in his Casablanca reference is... Off. What a big nerd tho.

[stvlti]

Cisco... Boy... He's the biggest dumbass softie in this show. Pray for him

[stvlti]

S2E09

【Episode liveblogging ; Spoilers below】

86 days? You can get out of prison in little under 3 months on an early release discharge??

And this still doesn't explain how Leon got ahold of some Adderall. How can he get that in the prison?? Porn and books that I can understand...

And also what actually happened with Ray?? Or is the whole point that prison is basically a microcosm that reflects the same rules as the real world and it doesn't matter whether the whole darkweb fiasco with Ray is real or not

"Init5 is supposed to bring colour and sound" - am I the only one thinking about that song they used in the soundtrack for season 1 finale's closing sequence?

The irony in Angela using a weapon of fsociety's design for her own gains snooping around the company's archives, sigh

"This may be my first real moment of normalcy" - and then the sound of Darlene and Cisco arguing about the assault djfkjrjkckdkxkld

Plus turned out it wasn't even real he was dissociating I'M

Wait oh... He probably dissociated because Darlene and Cisco arguing reminded him of his parents arguing...... Okay, not so funny now...

Phenomenal acting... You can see even tho Philip Price is throwing out these threats he's shaking a lot and nervous. Who really has the upper hand here? it's Minister Zhang/Whiterose

Oh great there's more shit he doesn't remember. Not the Elliot is also an alter theory again (newly splintered off, "born just a month ago"....)

[stvlti]

S2E08

【episode liveblogging ; spoilers below】

Why did I know once she started reading Elliot's monologue from S1E1 the camera was gonna zoom in onto the E-Corp logo on the front of her laptop? 😎

Jesus Darlene. Now are we supposed to start seeing her as an unreliable narrator too? We know she's got panic attack issues but... Wow. That's a whole 'nother level of mental health issues, the no hesitation thing. Her and the Mr. Robot side of Elliot are just two peas in a pod huh

Oh shit Mobley's dead isn't he. They're both dead.

Oh thank God

"I just think she's into old dudes" OMG

(who'd've known that guy was actually an FBI plant... Wow... The only confirmed instance of espionage by dating / relationship and it's to keep tabs on Angela hmm)

Wait omg she graduated from what could possibly be an accident to premeditated assault in the same episode !!! ??????? Darlene gonna be the wild card from now on?

[stvlti]

S2E07

【notes from my streaming session; spoilers below】

The religious imagery is unreal in this episode. First, what Ray says cryptically to Elliot; then, Mr. Robot standing beneath the cross right after the church group leader says to open his heart to Jesus (and Elliot calls for him to help).

Hmm, why does Elliot have that leader effect on people? Is this show ever gonna explain this part? Jesus knew what he was doing but Elliot is pretty damn lost so not sure if that allegory checks out (assuming he’s still the god in this equation and Mr. Robot is only the prophet)...

Hey is Hot Carla supposed to be trans (but not yet transitioned on her legal documents) or a crossdresser?? Because if the prison theory is correct then there should only be other male characters in this neighbourhood right - since prisons aren't co-ed

Why does he always get jumped omg poor dude

Yo those jumpcuts flickering between Elliot and Mr. Robot that's getting pummelled on the fence in a cool callback to what happened with Ray. Smooooth.

Someone could've at least put in a content warning for rape, jesus

Whoa Leon went full anime fighter mode!! You could even say he's... Badass *badum-tss*

(Low-key wanna know Leon's real role in all of this now tho. How much does he know??)

It's interesting because I've been thinking Elliot basically made more progress away from Krista (while he was getting pummelled and shit *snort*) and realised the need to reconcile with his alter because he realised Mr. Robot was his protector. Sure something Krista said a few episodes prior - about needing to acknowledge that part of his system - might've steered him in the right direction, but ultimately the real revelation came when he got beat up. How ironic...

"You know you haven't been staying with your mother right?" / "I know." Oh that little shit... just keep pulling the carpet beneath our feet. But hey... That means he's more stable than we think he is. He wasn't totally confused, he just chose to hide the truth from the viewer... Like how sometimes the mind forgets things to protect the person... But he's in touch with his subconscious here and knew full well what's truly going on, he just didn't say so, interesting

The thing he says about illusion / control : (also a callback - to something he said at the start of the season when he was fighting Mr. Robot, I think, and here it’s recontextualised.) that's a nice parallel between Elliot and Philip Price right there. How they both see the illusion and/or use it to survive or gain control over the world. One as a symbol of capitalist monopoly; the other as a symbol of revolution and anarchy...

Yo are you fuckin kidding me?? Okay firstly that ending is actually kinda cute - not just because of the music, but Elliot making up with the viewer again, I didn't realise it was gone and I'd missed it, the fourth wall breaking when he'd confide in us 💕

Second - that monologue about a handshake being the start of a connection, of a partnership, except now instead of talking about his agreement with Mr. Robot he’s talking about his agreement with the other imaginary person, us. a perfect in-episode bookend again - wait oh. that’s why this episode is called “h4ndshake” asadlkfajsd

[stvlti]

S2E01+02

This whole episode feels like an extremely well-shot hour-long trailer wtf

ETA: just realised the two parts combined together make 2 episodes lmao. No idea how this aired on television but I'm almost certain it was designed for streaming

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“How do we know if we're in control? That we're not just making the best of what comes at us, and that's it? Trying to constantly pick between two shitty options? Like your two paintings in the waiting room. Or... Coke and Pepsi? McDonald's or Burger King? Hyundai or Honda? Hmm. It's all part of the same blur, right? Just out of focus enough. It's the illusion of choice. Half of us can't even pick our own... our cable, gas, electric. The water we drink, our health insurance. Even if we did, would it matter? You know, if our only option is Blue Cross or Blue Shield, what the fuck is the difference? In fact, aren't they... aren't they the same? No, man... our choices are prepaid for us, long time ago.”

Mr. Robot: Season 01 (2015) dir. Sam Esmail — EP 02 | 04

i can’t be the only one that spotted that visual callback right? he comes to from that withdrawal hallucination/dream sequence and he has to make a choice and the paintings are there. and i just realised in the dream the recurring visual representation of the key is a reference to what Mr. Robot keeps saying to Elliot - “you are the key to this whole operation” and all that shite... so he wakes up and he has to make this choice between continuing with his plan or just quitting to wallow in his withdrawal symptoms / fall into junkie habits. save the world or don’t. ones and zeroes, indeed......

[stvlti]

On cyclicality and the futility in resisting fate

Early on in Bandersnatch they make a show of lampshading the fact that you can repeat certain plot points of the story to choose a different path from there. They also lampshade the fact that there's a force outside of the characters in the story that's tampering with the outcomes of the events. A "spirit", if you will, shaping this fictional universe any way they want, leaving Stefan at their mercy and every whim. This higher being supposedly refers to us, the viewers / players.

But like other choose-your-own-adventure video games that operate on timed choices, the game (or in this case, the narrative) makes that choice for you if you refuse to choose. Except with Bandersnatch, you know the choice the narrative makes isn't really randomised. For example, the default choice computer chooses for you in the first run is to [accept] Thakur’s offer to work at the office, but on the second run it defaults to [refuse] - the narrative is guiding you to go down certain paths even if you don’t intend to. So who really has the final say here? Not even you get to dictate the way the story flows - the script does. When you and Stefan both are backed into a corner and given 2 equally shitty choices that you didn't anticipate, you also do not have control over the situation. You also do not have free will.

And that's meta af.