USA It turns out that most of Elliot's existence is an illusion.
Warning: This post contains spoilers for "Mr. Robot."
Always listen to Redditors.
Back in July, fans of "Mr. Robot" took to Reddit to propose a theory that this entire season of "Mr. Robot" takes place inside Elliot's head and, in fact, the hacker was actually in prison all along. Some pointed to a heavy presence of "bars and vertical lines" that didn't seem like a coincidence.
It was a lofty idea, and on Wednesday night's episode, it proved to be correct. While in therapy, a red siren goes off and you come to realize that Elliot is not in his therapist's office, but rather at visiting hours in prison:
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In the most recent episode, it was revealed that Elliot has been in prison all season.
After the revelation, Elliot goes into one of his signature lengthy monologues:
Control can sometimes be an illusion. But sometimes, you need a reason to gain control. Fantasy's an easy way to give meaning to the world...to cloak our harsh reality in escapist comfort. After all, isn't that why we surround ourselves with so many screens? So we can avoid seeing? So we can avoid each other? So we can avoid truth.
I'm sorry for not telling you everything. But I needed this in order to get better. Please don't be mad too long. This'll be the last time I keep things from you, I promise. I know what you're thinking. And no, I didn't lie to you. All of this really happened. This was just my way of coping with it. But now, I'd like it if we could trust each other again. Let's shake on it.
This monologue serves many purposes. In one way, it feels almost like a lengthy apology to the audience. There's no denying that the show's sophomore season has been rough. After an incredibly satisfying first season, season two decided to focus heavily on Elliot's relationship with his dead father, whose ghost still haunts him. The show chased its own tail around in circles for six episodes. This seemed like the show's way of saying that it was going to try and make it all better.
When the theory that Elliot was actually in prison first started to float around, I was skeptical. It sounded like nothing more than a way to pull the rug out from under the audience. Even worse, it would undo whatever progress the show made. I hoped it wouldn't come true.
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Elliot was likely put away for the major E Corp hack.
I am happy to say I was wrong. At this point, the thing this show could use the most is for the slate to be wiped clean, and also a way for Elliot to break away from his father. Plus, since the hack happened, we have barely seen anyone deal with the consequences of their actions, and we have barely gotten a glimpse of what a post-credit world looks like.
Welcome back to the real world, "Mr. Robot." We've been waiting for you.