Mind Awake. Body Asleep.

A whole lot went down during this week’s episode of Mr. Robot. ‘Python Part 1’ took us on a wild ride down the rabbit hole with its role reversal’s and surprising encounters.

First things, first. China agreed to bail out E-corp. They lend them 2 trillion dollars. E-corp sees that Bitcoin is spreading and wants to invent E-coin (their own currency). Price wants to throw it back at the Chinese government who just lent them money. He wants to undermine them.

Dom learns about all of this from her boss while she is in the hospital. For once her boss agrees that they should get the military and homeland security involved but his hands are tied. The U.S. won’t mess with the Chinese government because of the bail out they just handed to them. Interest free might I add. Foreign relations. Go figure.

Angela takes a wild ride in a white cargo van and repeatedly keeps asking for her phone. Girl do you not know how much danger you are in right now? Who are you going to call? She is then brought to a home, guided to a room with a fish tank and locked inside. The room has one of the first computers, a rotary phone [similar to the one Elliot had at his mom’s home aka prison. Is this a clue? Is Angela in prison?] and an old school tape recorder. She is then greeted by a small child in business attire and given a series of psychological and riddle-like questions.

After waiting for her results for what seems like forever, Angela is greeted by White Rose. White Rose proceeds to tell her that she should have been dead 90 days ago but she somehow keeps popping up. Angela then discovers that Elliot and White Rose know one another. White Rose also mentions that Elliot’s dad and Angela’s mom’s deaths were a sacrifice for the greater good. Was this the plan from the beginning? Was 5/9 cooked up by Mr. Robot and then left for Elliot to complete with the help of The Dark Army? White Rose then asks Angela for her belief. In what, I’m still not 100% sure. Does it have something to do with her mother? Is she actually dead? I’m not sure what’s real anymore! What is the definition of real in Mr. Robot? What is the definition of real to White Rose?

White Rose also tells Angela to drop the township investigation. It will get her killed. To which Angela agrees and tells her lawyer to back off and no longer contact her.

Elliot’s world also got topsy-turvy. Elliot practices mind awake, body asleep and switches roles with Mr. Robot. He becomes the silent observer. Mr. Robot is digging through Elliot’s mail and finally finds what he was looking for; a menu with a Rot 13 algorithm. Someone is trying to contact him, but who? Mr. Robot eventually decodes the algorithm to reveal a phone number. He calls it and is given an address. 25^th and 8^th. There will be a cab waiting.

Elliot continues to follow Mr. Robot and gets in the cab. Moments later TYRELL gets in the cab! HE’S ALIVE!!!! Or is he? Still not sure if we are still in the rabbit hole. Gah, this show keeps our brains spinning.

via GIPHY

Tyrell realizes that Elliot has forgotten everything and explains that Stage 2 is ready to go. It is up to him and Elliot to finish what they started.

Next Week:

WE LEARN EVERYTHING! Stage 2, what happened to Tyrell, what has been accomplished this far, those 3 missing days… everything!

All encryptions are decoded!

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The post ‘Mr. Robot’ Recap: “Python Part 1” *SPOILERS AHEAD* appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Wednesday night’s [September 7^th] episode of Mr. Robot backed all of our characters into a tight corner. “Hidden Process” started off slow but quickly escalated minutes into the episode.

Price and Terry have a meeting to discuss the need of President Obama and his administration to allow China to take control of the Congo. This is the only way E-Corp will get bailed out from China. Terry agrees to bring the issue to the attention of the President’s administration but before leaving asks Price why he wants to see this through. We already know that Price is power hungry but his reasoning behind it makes sense. He, like every other human on the planet, wants to leave a legacy; he wants to be immortal. Becoming the most powerful man in the world, with the exception of one or two people is his way of doing that.

Speaking of power hungry individuals, Joanna reaches out to Elliot for help in locating her husband, Tyrell. Elliot declines multiple times, heeding the advice of Mr. Robot but Joanna will not rest that easily. Ultimately Elliot helps Joanna out and is able to locate the phone Tyrell is allegedly calling her off of. While the phone is in Elliot’s possession it rings and he picks it up. All we hear is heavy breathing. Mr. Robot then disappears and does not return for the remainder of the episode. He was extremely adamant about returning to Elliot’s apartment for something, yet when Elliot and Joanna’s henchmen return to his place, Mr. Robot is nowhere to be found. Once Elliot locates the phone he shows the address to Joanna’s henchmen. He seems to know the house where the phone is located and claims Tyrell wouldn’t be calling from that home. The henchmen then proceeds to exit Elliot’s pad and presumably go to the house where the phone is pinging.

Last episode, Cisco ran into some trouble at Susan’s home. Turns out the individual he ran into was one of the D.C. guys (F Society member) who happened to have been terribly beaten. Cisco brings him back to his apartment and shows Darlene. The duo proceed to bring this gentleman to the hospital and treat his wounds. However, Darlene did need some convincing. After Cisco goes ham on her, claiming she is not a leader and everything they have accomplished up until now has basically been luck and scrambling, Darlene comes to her senses and agrees to help her fellow F Society member out.

Dom is hot on Cisco’s trail. She arrives at Susan’s home and learns that Cisco had been there the night before. A neighbor had seen him hail a cab with the D.C. guy. Dom takes this information to her boss and asks to go after him without getting the media involved. As usual, they do not listen to her and Cisco’s picture goes on the news as they begin to track down the cab he took the night before. However, Dom still proceeds to ransack Cisco’s apartment (illegally?) and discovers his student I.D. She tracks Cisco back to the hospital and learns he is with a woman (Darlene). Lucky for Dom, the two did not see the news bit and have no idea she is coming. Dom tracks the two down at the diner that stopped to have dinner at, but once again The Dark Army comes to the rescue(?).

Two men in all black arrive at the diner and shoot up the place. Dom once again, miraculously makes it out unscathed. As for Darlene and Cisco…. we will have to wait until next week to learn their fate.

While this is going on, Angela sets up a meeting with Elliot and asks him about F Society. He lets her know he never wanted her involved. Angela tells Elliot that she is meeting with her lawyer and will take the fall for planting the CD but she will not bring up the others. The two then share a kiss; something that has been a long time coming. As Elliot exits the subway Angela is approached by two strangers, which as we all know can’t be good.

Next Week:

Mr. Robot returns — where did he go? What was he looking for?

Angela is put in the back of a van and taken to a remote location — who snagged her and where is she going?

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Previously on Mr. Robot….

F Society intercepts an FBI conference call and uncovers that they have been illegally tapping 3 million American’s cellphones without a warrant. Susan Jacobs aka Madame Executioner returns to her home unexpectedly and meets the gang face-to-face. We also learn that Sue was at the trial involving the Washington Township scandal. Darlene has Mobley, Cisco and Trenton dig for anything to blackmail Sue with to keep her quiet. Unfortunately for Sue the dirt wasn’t good enough. Darlene tasers her and watches her drown in her own pool. Soon after we learned she had a heart condition. Cisco and Darlene then cremate Sue to get rid of the evidence. After this incident Mobley is picked up by Dom but is released after being held for over 12 hours. Moments later Darlene discovers Cisco has betrayed her. He is still working with The Dark Army and has been sending them information on her. She then hits him in the head with a bat. The unraveling of information continued in “init_5.fve”.

Last night’s episode (Wednesday, August 31^st) started to slowly unravel the truth. We learn that Elliot was arrested for hacking Hansen’s email and stealing his dog. We also learn that Ray was the warden at the prison and Lone Star is a correctional officer. After we are filled in Elliot is released early from prison after serving an 86 day stint. He quickly drops by to visit his mother who is either in a psych ward or nursing home.

Angela continues to hack E-Corp from the inside. She gets unlocks Joseph Green’s account and gathers information from the Washington Township leak. She takes this evidence and turns it over but quickly realizes the people she gave it to are working for E-Corp. Angela quickly exits and returns home where she is greeted by Dom.

Minister Jung meets up with Price and we learn that Jung is the owner of the Washington Township plant. Price informs Jung that he could not secure a loan to keep the plant and the feds will be taking it over unless he can get the Chinese government to loan them the money, interest free of course. Jung does not take the threat too kindly and reminds Price what happened to the last guy that threatened him.

Speaking of The Dark Army, Elliot and Darlene hack White Rose’s right hand man Xun. Elliot has Cisco set up a meeting with Xun. Unfortunately Elliot is not in the best mind frame. He continues to have out of body experiences and Mr. Robot has to step in when Elliot goes into a thousand yard stare. At the meeting Elliot is able to keep it under control and demands Xun have White Rose tell him what Phase 2 is. Shortly after we learn Phase 2 is Elliot’s plan. How did he forget? Did he actually forget or is it all a part of his plan? What is Phase 2?

Darlene also realizes she left behind the VHS tape with her face on it at Sue’s place. Cisco heads back to grab it but encounters someone. Darlene is then greeted by someone, who clearly isn’t Cisco, at Cisco’s apartment. What trouble have these two gotten themselves into now?

Closing out the episode is Tyrell’s SUV pulling in front of Elliot’s apartment. However, Tyrell is not inside. Joanna is. What’s the deal with these two?

Next Week

We see what’s up with Joanna and Elliot

Dom moves in on someone (Elliot? Cisco?)

Phase 2 begins

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“Handshake” picked up on the much anticipated standoff between Angela and Dom. Angela plays it very cool with Dom but she isn’t buying her bull****. Luckily for Angela it is enough to get Dom off her back for now and complete the hack. However, this doesn’t get Angela off of Darlene’s back.

Speaking of Bull’s… Darlene has F-society make another move on E-Corp. The Bull testes sawed off the Bull statue on Wall Street in previous episodes were dropped through the skylight of the house. Adding more fuel to the fire.

Angela finally puts it all together and reveals that she knows Darlene and Elliot were behind the 5/9 hack. Angela also reveals another side of herself, an unsavory side to say the least. Angela pops into to her dad’s workplace and hopes to persuade him to settle with E-corp and drop the contingency that include individual inspections. We quickly see the mistrust in their relationship, which is just on her father’s part. It turns out Angela was only making a curtesy call as she had already received the 2/3rds vote to drop the lawsuit and take the payout, further damaging, possibly diminishing whatever relationship she has left with her father.

Angela then uses this leverage to get Price to move her to risk management. A huge mistake on her part, as her new manager in risk management puts her in her place after she speaks during a debriefing meeting she is sitting in on. Maybe she shouldn’t have turned down Price for a date.

In this episode Elliot finally learns the truth(?) or at least Mr. Robot’s version about what happened to Tyrell. According to Robot, Elliot killed Tyrell with the gun Darlene hid in the popcorn machine. Mr. Robot takes the blame for shooting Tyrell but Elliot accepts full responsibility.

Things get much more dangerous for Elliot in this episode. After making Ray’s site live again, he opens the site up to the FBI. Come to find out that Ray knew exactly what Elliot was going to do the minute he sat down in front of that computer again. Ray let it happen because of the guilt he had over what was being sold on the site his wife initially set up. The site is then quickly shutdown and that is when the real trouble starts.

Elliot is harassed and beaten by those who had bitcoin money on Ray’s site; they feel he owes them money. He is then cornered and about to be gang-raped when Leon, who’s a f****** ninja, comes to his aid, killing all 5 men by himself. We then learn Leon is a member of The Dark Army and requests that Elliot tells White Rose that he did him good. This is when s*** really starts to get weird.

The leader of the “church group” Elliot attends believes Elliot is talking to Jesus when in reality he is speaking to Mr. Robot. Although you could say Mr. Robot is Elliot’s God. Elliot turns to him for help and listens to what he has to say, especially when it comes to finishing what he started. Mr. Robot and Elliot now fully trust one another and help one another. Now that Elliot trusts him, he slowly begins to trust us, as an audience, again and drops the veil.

Elliot has been in prison this whole time! That’s right, it’s all been an encrypted mirage. Turns out there were clues to this in every episode of the season so far. We saw a lot of imagery of bars, confinement in a lot of shots, and lots of vertical lines. The fact that he is in jail means he hacked the FBI from prison, he hacked Ray’s site from prison and his “church group” is actually a prison group. Elliot has a routine because he is in jail. Ray is actually a person who works at the jail. Still can’t figure out whether or not his dog was real though.

Sidebar — the parallel shots of the prison and the places that represent freedom for Elliot (his mom’s house, NYC) are amazing in this episode; so artfully done. This is also why all the titles of every episode this season are encrypted. Although now that we have had a big reveal in the middle of the season, does this mean there is an even bigger reveal coming? Or do we just coast on the aftermath of this one?

The real question we want to know is why is Elliot in prison? Clearly it isn’t anything too serious or hacking related (he wouldn’t have been allowed access to a computer otherwise) as he is being released but we all still want to know why.

Next week:

The FBI moves in on Darlene, Mobley and Trenton

P.S. Looks like we will get to go on more adventures with Elliot and crew. Mr. Robot has been renewed for season 3!

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The post New Mixtape: Audio Push – “My Turn II” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

From riding cars backwards to cowboy hats and chewing straw, Audio Push’s “Normally” fits the duo’s aesthetic to a T. AP’s (Oktane and Price) “Normally,” from their latest (my opinion, best) project “The Good Vibe Tribe,” is another shining example of the group’s ability to creatively piece words together. The visual however, takes those same noteworthy lines and implements a sense of quirky, off-the-wall behavior that defines their good-vibe attitudes towards music and creativity altogether.

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Audio Push teams up with MMG‘s Wale for the release of a new single “Quick Fast” off of their upcoming debut album. Oktane and Price are known for their witty, versatile rhymes and this track is no different. With production from Hit-Boy and S Dot they deliver over the clapping, melodic beat. Wale was the perfect addition to the single and if this is the just the lead off single for the duo, then we can expect a lot of dope music to come. Listen to the track below.

The post New Music: Audio Push feat. Wale – “Quick Fast” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.