Courtesy of USA Network
Warning: Spoiler Alert
Welcome back. Another mind bending season where we face that most bittersweet revelation. Tonight is the Mr. Robot season finale and that inherently means two things. They are going drop something huge and connect dots, and next week we will be without new Mr. Robot episodes.
The previous episode recap ends the same with this episode begins. Tyrell in a black Suburban saying that ‘they’ are supposed to be allies and Tyrell needs to be involved. In the episode recap, Tyrell is talking to Dad/Mr. Robot, in tonight’s episode, Tyrell is talking to Elliot. It should be noted that Rami Malek’s acting in that little scene is just brilliant. Its the first time we see Elliot as Mr. Robot and he channels his inner Slater to do so. The interesting detail with this is that this parallel is another in a long line of subtle hints that blur the line of where Mr. Robot ends and Elliot Alderson begins. Tyrell is confused and in so plays the “I know your dirty little secret” card. What follows is brilliant.
Tyrell: Aren’t you forgetting? I know your dirty little secret. There are people close to you who would not be happy if they knew what I know.
Elliot: We’re both too smart to let petty differences dictate our actions. Weigh the pros and cons. Do what you’ve gotta do. Soon as the tabulations are over with, you’ll know that telling anyone about this does neither one of us any good. In fact, you’ll realize, the only thing to do in your position, is nothing.
Tyrell Wellick is completely lost with Elliot’s responses. Tyrell recites a poem. A poem his father used to recite to him as a child. Tyrell keeps that as a reminder of what not to become.
Wellick escorts Elliot down into this building. The inside of this building is barren, gloomy and a waste of time. Tyrell keeps speaking to Elliot as if he should recall the details. While Inner Elliot maintains that he has no recollection of setting up any of this. There is a nice redirect though. Elliot brings up Joanna, she’s been looking for Tyrell. Tyrell’s reaction is to accept that we do what is required. Tyrell sits at a terminal as he confirms that their partners, The Dark Army, set all this up. Including but not limited to the collection of UPS’s (uninterrupted power supply). Tyrell enters a password and Elliot stares blankly at what exactly it is they created.
Inner Elliot: They’re planning something. Mr. Robot, Tyrell, Dark Army and White Rose are all in cahoots to plan something big. And the worst part? They all think it’s me. They all think I’m the ring leader. The one in charge. And I have no idea what it is.
Darlene sits in the corner of an interrogation room. Dom and her boss sit across from her. Dom’s boss goes bad cop on her citing the Patriot Act and equating Darlene to an ‘enemy combatant’. Dom asks for a moment alone.
Joanna visits Mr. Knowles after Elliot discovers the coordinates of ‘Tyrell’s’ phone. All the gifts, the subtle reminders and even the sonogram was intended to create the sense that Knowles had the night they celebrated his promotion. On a day when it should’ve had it all, all was taken from him. His wife was killed who just so happened to be carrying their unborn child. Knowles loses it and breaks down emotionally. Joanna approaches him softly. There is a moment it feels like forgiveness is around the corner. We just forgot that Joanna is still Joanna. Like a flipped light switch she turns on him. I will not repeat the dialogue but suffice it to say Joanna thinks Knowles is a coward. She eventually crossed a line. Describing the remains of his unborn child and Knowles goes off. Pummeling her face repeatedly. Now we know Joanna has a pension for taking pain she wants to take. But this feels like a bigger agenda.
Dom and Darlene go round and round. Dom is very convincing that she ultimately is on Darlene’s side. Darlene let’s her speak but with no real intention of revealing anything. Sadly, last week was the literal demise of Cisco. And whether that was her intention, Darlene uses that to her advantage. Eventually, Darlene in so many words tells Dom to shove it. Dom leaves the room only to return with the camcorder that recorded the FSociety videos, the FSociety mask, and the missing bullet casing.
The big thing Tyrell wanted to show was the schematics of a building. The Dark Army gave them access to a building that is literally within striking distance of the Evil Corp building that has all of the paper documents they plan to use to rebuild the financial database. Tyrell begins to explain the details, but when he says “when our Malware executes” that’s all Elliot needs. He connects the dots on his own. The malware was designed to corrupt the UPS devices. Done just right the UPS gives off carbon dioxide. Then the malicious firmware re-engages the UPS’ auto transformer to create a spark and ignite the now building filled with carbon dioxide gas. A building sized bomb. They will wait until all of the paper documents are delivered to this Evil Corp location, then they will blow up the block. Hopefully, taking all of the paper document down in quite literally a blaze of glory.
Meanwhile, Joanna returns to her boy toy freshly beaten and he decides to do the manly yet very immature thing of beating the guy up. Now Joanna wants Knowles punished, but the kid is thinking too small. I also love that in 2016 there is a grown man who still has a Tom Cruise Cocktail poster hanging up in his residence. His first mistake is agreeing that he indeed wants to hurt Knowles for this. That’s all Joanna needs to execute her amended plan. Originally it was assumed the bar tending boy toy was strung along to eventually hang Mrs. Knowles murder on and clear Tyrell’s name. Now it seems there is a detour in that plan that results in Knowles going down for the murder of his wife, thus also clearing Tyrell’s name. In theory.
Alone with Darlene, Dom tries to level with her. And not in that good cop/bad cop way. After revealing to Darlene on some level that Dom is not as put together as it seems and is actually quite a train wreck away from work, she offers to show Darlene something. No cuffs, no extra security, just Dom and Darlene walking through a sea of Feds all of which know exactly who Darlene is. They walk in to a large room alone. 95% of this part of the scene has us looking at Dom and Darlene but not what they are looking at. Presumptively its a large board with suspects and drawing lines connecting them. Dom explains how getting the person in the middle was key and they would not be able to do that if they came out ‘guns blazing’. Instead they adopted the ‘python approach’. Essentially, let the suspects think they are safer than they are. Darlene starts following this relative flow chart. Cisco. Ollie Parker. Gideon. Angela. Susan Jacobs-The Evil Corp Lawyer. Romero. Mobley. Darlene. Do the remaining math. Who’s left? What should the order of power be? Elliot or Tyrell? Tyrell or Elliot? According to the FBI, the man in the middle is Tyrell Wellick.
Elliot: Why is it so important for you to torment me?
In the strategically located building, Inner Elliot tries to put this all together. Then there is an explosion from actual Elliot. Elliot sees Mr. Robot and Tyrell Wellick in the same place at the same time. Something that should not be physically possible. Then there is the connection that someone had to make a deal with the Dark Army and since Elliot can’t remember any such deal, it must have been Mr. Robot. Mr. Robot tries to bring it back around with the, “You’re me and I’m you” thing but Elliot doesn’t slow for a second. The wheels begin to turn down a direction that will prove to be reckless. Yet without the foresight to see it, Mr. Robot tries to deflect that he has only been doing what Elliot wanted in the first place. Mr. Robot also reveals the thing we’ve all be operating under. And that is that Elliot is only supposed to know as much as he can handle. Remember the “I just wanted to take the punches for you”?
The conversation is far more relaxed than it should be considering the context. Elliot’s paranoia is beginning to grow. He believes Mr. Robot is distracting him from Tyrell’s efforts. Its true but still, the wrong wheels are turning in Elliot’s head. Elliot jumps into Tyrell’s chair once he leaves it. Elliot plans to not only delete the malware, but close the back door. Something that would absolutely derail everything they’ve done to this point. Tyrell reaches back for a gun. The same gun that Elliot pulled out of the popcorn machine that Darlene gave him earlier. Elliot, presumably when he was Mr. Robot explained that if anyone tries to impede their plan, to kill them. Well Elliot is impeding their plan.
Elliot stands to face Tyrell gun drawn. There is a standoff as Tyrell justifiably has no earthly idea why Elliot has made the proverbial u-turn. While given many opportunities to see just how quickly this could turn volatile, Elliot stands firm. Remember those wrong wheels turning, here is your “there is no spoon” moment.
Elliot: You’re the same.
Tyrell (yelling): WHAT THE _____ ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!
Mr. Robot: We are definitely not the same.
Tyrell: Back away from the computer.
Inner Elliot: This is just another of Mr. Robot’s mind tricks.
Elliot: No.
Tyrell: Elliot, I don’t want to shoot you but I will.
Mr. Robot: Elliot, listen to him.
Elliot: He’s not holding a gun. He’s not even there.
Mr. Robot: Elliot! Step away from the computer.
Tyrell: You touch that keyboard and I will shoot you.
Elliot: No. (Steps forward) He won’t. He can’t. He doesn’t exist. I’m the only one that exists. It’s finally time to take back control. Real control.
Elliot starts retreating slowly towards the computer. He doesn’t get halfway there before discovering there very much is a spoon. As promised, Tyrell shoots Elliot. His delusions seem to melt away. Also perhaps a foreshadowing note visually. One of the overall themes of this show is how does Elliot rid himself of Mr. Robot? Elliot suffering from a gun shot wound allowed the show to go all Back to the Future II. We see Mr. Robot flickering in and out. It’s not how I would want it to end, but if Elliot’s light goes out, so does Mr. Robot’s.
(Angela’s LAN Line Phone rings)
Angela: Tyrell are you there? It’s okay, they told me you’d be calling, this is a secure line. Are you with Elliot right now?
Tyrell: Yes.
Angela: Okay, don’t let anyone near him. I should be the first person he sees when he wakes up.
Tyrell: Okay.
Angela: Tyrell, you did what needed to be done.
Tyrell: I love him.
Angela: I do too.
Courtesy of the Markiplier Youtube Channel
::Credits::
A car drives through a Fry’s parking lot that appears to be Arizona, New Mexico or a less populated portion of California. Outside are two Fry’s employees on a break. Those employees are Mobley and Trenton. Trenton wants Mobley to consider her idea. We never hear the idea, but understand that Trenton believes it can undo the Five/Nine hack. With impeccable timing, a familiar face emerges just before Mobley gives any real consideration for Trenton’s plan. That face belongs to none other than Leon. Now my colleague and partner here at NJATVS, Jeff Sack, offers up the perfect analogy to who Leon really is. Leon is “The Wolf” (Harvey Keitel) but in reverse. Instead of The Wolf coming in promptly to clean up the mess, Leon arrives timely to prevent the mess in the first place.
Trenton: Please, just look at what I found.
Leon: Excuse me…?
Mobley: Sorry, we’re on a break.
Leon: Yeah, I just had a quick question. Do you have the time?
Courtesy of USA Network
