‘Mr. Robot’ Season 2 Premiere "eps2.0_unm4sk-pt2.tc"

Mr. Robot season 2 premiered last night on the USA network. “eps2.0_unm4sk-pt2.tc” showed us what our characters have been up to since the 5/9 hack. Last season left us with many questions like: What do these characters have left without F-Society? What do they do now that they have accomplished what they set out to do?

*IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE TURN BACK NOW. MAJOR SPOILERS LIE AHEAD!*

Elliot is living a more mundane life having moved back in with his strict mother in hopes of maintaining a regimen. He is also seeing Krista, his therapist, again. A life of no computers, no hacking and basically no technology seemed to be working well for Elliot. He has been able to make friends and keep Mr. Robot at bay. “I am in control. This is not an illusion.” That has become Elliot’s new mantra. Elliot’s solace does not last long. Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) quickly trickles back into Elliot’s life. The power play between these two selves has escalated tremendously. So much so that we see Elliot get shot point blank by Mr. Robot, whom we all know is Elliot’s subconscious. These characters continue to have a Mexican-standoff throughout the episode until Elliot comes out on top. However, this doesn’t happen without consequence; Elliot continues to fall deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole. We see him unable to remember things or account for periods of time in the day. He quickly realizes the façade he built with a regimen is failing.

Darlene is also struggling to adjust to life in the aftermath of 5/9. She is now alone as Elliot has gone off the grid. Trying to create some sort of family with the new members of F-Society, she has become their ring leader and hacks the smart house of E-Corps Susan Jacobs to use as their home base. She then orchestrates a hack at the E-Corp banks and demands ransom. The chief technology officer at E-Corp brings the ransom money to Battery Park thinking he is going to meet up with members of F-Society. To his displeasure he is asked to put on an F-Society mask and burn the 5.9 Million dollars he was asked to bring. Here we also learn that Mobley is the IT guy for E-bank.

Angela continues to sip the corporate cool-aid. She decides to stay at E-Corp and leave the law firm who was working on the law suit against E-Corp for the death of her mother. This character has had the biggest evolution in the series thus far. Having gone from the quiet, girl next door type to the strong, powerful and confident corporate leader, she is definitely one to watch this season.

Speaking of powerful women, Joanna seems to be doing well for herself despite the fact that her husband, Tyrell has gone missing. She has found a new play-thing and continues to go about her daily life like nothing has happened.

Where exactly is Tyrell? It looks like we will get a clue in next week’s episode. The end of this episode left off with Elliot on the phone Tyrell. Is this a figment of Elliot’s imagination or is it reality? We will just have to wait and see.

Another character caught in the crossfire is Gideon, who unfortunately met his end in last night’s episode. He was shot in the throat by a bar patron but not before he could meet with FBI agent Dom; a brand new character this season. From what we saw in this episode she will definitely be a big threat to Elliot and F-Society throughout the remainder of the season.

Watching the live after-show Hacking Robot, we gained some insight as to what’s to come this season. This will be a very dark season for Elliot. We see him taking drugs and getting kidnapped again, as well as losing his sanity. A lot of pressure will be placed on Elliot not only from Mr. Robot but from other characters in this world and the world around him. How long will Elliot be able to hold onto his sanity? Who will win the inner battle, Mr. Robot or Elliot? Hacking Robot also revealed an Easter egg in the premiere episode; Christian Slater appears in the party scene at the smart house in an F-Society mask. We also learn that the job is far from being done; the revolution has only just begun.