REVIEW: 'Mr. Robot' is still one of the smartest and most addictive shows on TV in season 2
The first hour is primarily dedicated to Elliot's (Rami Malek) frame of mind. The realization that he is indeed Mr. Robot - and that the Mr. Robot mask, Christian Slater's character, is a vision of his dead father - is too overwhelming to deal with. After setting off the biggest financial crisis the world has ever seen by erasing billions of dollars in debt, Elliot strives for normalcy. But the power of his mental illness is continually haunting him. At the same time, how long can he resist his desire to make the world a better place?
Malek continues to deliver in this role. His wide, dark-rimmed eyes say more than any lines of dialogue could. Plus, we can't really place any trust in his words, can we?
Meanwhile, his sister Darlene has taken the reins of F Society. Carly Chaikin's stoic style of acting is so effective in this role, especially when she breaks from it in fits of anger. She isn't happy that the hack didn't destroy E Corp and hopes to finish the job.
This season, show creator Sam Esmail decided to direct every episode. For the two that make up Wednesday's two-hour premiere, that makes for a pretty solid vision. The first hour is packed with a beautiful array of shots and scenes that place us inside of Elliot's head, while the second hour gives us a more global view of the havoc caused by last season's hack. There's a similar hue to both hours visually that keeps us from forgetting that at any point in time, things can become unhinged, or they may not be exactly as we see them.
In the second hour, we get a brief introduction to new series regular Grace Gummer. Meryl Streep's daughter plays an FBI agent, Dominique DiPierro, but it's unclear yet how she fits into the bigger picture. But in a brief matter of minutes, we learn all we need to know about the agent's personality. She's a slight mess, a free spirit in her personal life, but tough when it comes to work. She makes sense. No one on "Mr. Robot" is just one thing. And it will be interesting to see how those two sides of her personality seep into each other as the season progresses and she gets deeper into the F Society world.
The fact that this show adds an extra layer of interest in its mimicking of real-world events is a testament to Esmail's vision. The Sony hack, the shooting that delayed last year's season finale, and now the financial panic of Brexit - they all feed into the dense fiction of "Mr. Robot."
What I appreciate about "Mr. Robot" is that watching it is a challenge. Viewers will have to be comfortable with being confused for much of the time. It is what it is until it isn't, and it'll take patience on our part before things make sense. Figuratively, "Mr. Robot" doesn't speak down to its audience. Unlike a lot of TV shows currently, it wants us to feel uncomfortable, in the dark, just like the characters.