Age of The Nerd
Well, f**k. If past episodes of this show have opened up cans of worms, then this episode opened up a can of interdimensional deadly cobras coked out of their little minds with nuclear bombs strapped to their heads. No, I’m not being even the slightest bit over-dramatic. Everything has been turned on its side, characters have been flipped upside-down, and my dreams of Ray vs. Tyrell are dead. It’s total mayhem, now let’s talk about it.
Fresh off the heels of last week’s episode, Angela stares Dom straight in the face and lies her way into owning the entire FBI. She puts Darlene on hold, dispatches of Dom and then completes arguably the second most important hack of the century… all before lunch. It’s no secret that I’ve been a hater of Angela since the beginning of the season, but she’s more than proved her worth since I started writing these reviews. After owning the FBI, Angela resolves a major lawsuit against E-Corp and gets the promotion she wants to actually change E-Corp from the inside and help those in need. Don’t ever quote me on this, but go Angela!
Now, for the main event, Elliot vs. the World! Still reeling from the ass-whooping of the century and finally making up with his dead father, Elliot actually takes down the man keeping him captive… but with an unlikely ally. Ray himself allows Elliot access to a computer again to fix his illegal internet business. The surprise twist comes when Ray admits to Elliot he knew what was going to happen if he let Elliot back on a computer – sure, Elliot fixed the business, but also blasted it across the internet and got Ray caught. Craig Robinson really shines during this scene, delving into a heartbreaking story about starting the business with his wife just for the money, but after losing his wife, and having to lay the smackdown on RT & Elliot, he’s having second thoughts. “How much time do I have?” Ray asks, letting Elliot leave while he waits for the police. I was really looking forward to Ray vs Tyrell. I’m heartbroken.
Speaking of Tyrell, Elliot’s new found friendship with Mr. Robot led to a pretty honest moment… or did it? Mr. Robot admits to Elliot that he used the gun in the popcorn to off Tyrell, but then who is sending Joanna all of these gifts and calling her like Ghostface in the middle of the night? Tyrell is definitely still out there and he’s not going to be so happy that Joanna is warming up to her new boyfriend! The key to this mystery is still the three days Elliot can’t remember after 5/9; it’s also the key to figuring out why the hell Elliot’s in jail.
Oops, let that one slip, didn’t I? We’ll get to that in a second though, because before that revelation came about, we watched Leon brutally murder a gang of skinheads trying to punish Elliot for losing their money in the raid of Ray’s site. One second, Elliot’s about to get raped by a huge nazi, and the next Leon’s absolutely covered in blood; he tells Elliot he’s getting a letter on Tuesday and he should do what it says. “When you see Whiterose, make sure you say I did you good… I’ll be rooting for you cuz, always.” LEON IS A DARK ARMY ASSASSIN. Mind. Blown. And he’s team Elliot, that’s got to be a huge plus.
Back to the biggest bomb this show has ever dropped – during a meeting with Krista, Elliot comes to the realization that he’s not at his mom’s house, but he’s been meeting with Krista in prison. Elliot apologizes to the viewer for lying to us this whole season, he promises, “That’ll be the last time I keep things from you.” It makes sense why we’ve basically only seen Elliot at the diner, at home, and on the basketball court. It also explains why the f society team isn’t together in full force.
We see that his small room is actually a prison cell; the neighborhood basketball court is actually the rec yard; Leon, the reason they share every meal together, is because they’re in prison together (honestly, probably a plant by the Dark Army specifically to protect Elliot); Ray is most likely a guard who was throwing Elliot into solitary confinement until he completed the job; and this is all revealed through the most gorgeous sequence to date. The cinematography and set design come together flawlessly as every “real life” location melts away into Elliot’s bleak prison life.
We’re led to believe that Elliot is getting out of prison very soon, and now he’s hell bent on finishing what 5/9 started – taking down Evil Corp. With the Dark Army looking out for him, and his beef with Mr. Robot squashed, I feel bad for E-Corp. What Darlene & Co. have been able to accomplish without Elliot will likely look like child’s play when they’re all back as a full team. But the question still lingers, why was Elliot in jail in the first place? It couldn’t be for the 5/9 hack, Dom is still trying to figure out who did that; it couldn’t be for murdering Tyrell otherwise Joanna would know. It’s all about those three days. Those. Three. Days.
Mr. Robot returns Wednesday night at 10PM/EST on USA.
