Written by: Kevin Berge
So this time does Elliot get his second imaginary friend? (Image Courtesy of: mrrobot.wikia.com)
Quick Take: Mr. Robot Season 3 is the best season of the series yet because it is driven less by its twists and turns and more by the emotional effects of events on the characters who are put through a roller coaster. With Rami Malek and Christian Slater dominating the screen, the series has never been better.
Mr. Robot Reviews: Season 1 | Season 2
***This is a spoiler-heavy review of the third season of Mr. Robot including discussion of the previous season and the recently aired finale. Do not read ahead if you plan to see the series and have not yet.***
Welcome to the revolution. Season 3 of Mr. Robot is a revealing third installment, beginning with the simple promise of revealing the full scope of Mr. Robot and White Rose's Stage 2. It is an intense season driven by a surprising amount of direct and implied violence.
I had never been too invested in Mr. Robot as a series, enjoying the ride more than engaging with the characters. This season though dives inward, focusing on how the build-up and execution of the wide-ranging plots affect the characters, particularly Elliot Alderson.
Once more, Rami Malek is the star of the show here and is brilliant. His reactions from finding out Angela Moss betrayed him to watching Stage 2 unveiled with so many dead because of his actions sell the whole season. His stoic introverted personality shows cracks that give Malek more room to make Elliot fascinating.
This is the best this series has ever been simply because it does not rely anymore on its twists. Season 2 had some struggles simply because it felt too tied to adding more surprises. While the third has many moments that are hard to predict, it does not rely upon them. For once, it is clear what is going on and where everyone stands.
This is particularly important for Angela who has the most complex story to tell with her role in the tale expanding. Whiterose's hold on her leads to a plethora of decisions opposed to Elliot, but we slowly get a clear view into her motivation. When she sees all the people who died to Stage 2, she finally breaks, and it feels earned.
What is perhaps even more interesting is that Angela's connection to Phillip Price, E-Corp's CEO, ends up being the catalyst for Whiterose's betrayal of Price and ultimately seems to be a driving force behind everything. She indirectly brought down E-Corp as much as Elliot as she drove a divide between Price and Whiterose in their game of power before we find out she is his daughter, adding more layers to the conflict.
Every story has its drama. In particular, the relationship between Elliot and Mr. Robot is at its most interesting. "eps3.5_kill-process.inc" captures its best with a mix of drama and humor as Elliot fights for every second of control against Mr. Robot, losing minutes then just mere seconds as the two communicate indirectly in a fascinating battle.
***This is a spoiler-heavy review of the third season of Mr. Robot including discussion of the previous season and the recently aired finale. Do not read ahead if you plan to see the series and have not yet.***
Welcome to the revolution. Season 3 of Mr. Robot is a revealing third installment, beginning with the simple promise of revealing the full scope of Mr. Robot and White Rose's Stage 2. It is an intense season driven by a surprising amount of direct and implied violence.
I had never been too invested in Mr. Robot as a series, enjoying the ride more than engaging with the characters. This season though dives inward, focusing on how the build-up and execution of the wide-ranging plots affect the characters, particularly Elliot Alderson.
Once more, Rami Malek is the star of the show here and is brilliant. His reactions from finding out Angela Moss betrayed him to watching Stage 2 unveiled with so many dead because of his actions sell the whole season. His stoic introverted personality shows cracks that give Malek more room to make Elliot fascinating.
This is the best this series has ever been simply because it does not rely anymore on its twists. Season 2 had some struggles simply because it felt too tied to adding more surprises. While the third has many moments that are hard to predict, it does not rely upon them. For once, it is clear what is going on and where everyone stands.
This is particularly important for Angela who has the most complex story to tell with her role in the tale expanding. Whiterose's hold on her leads to a plethora of decisions opposed to Elliot, but we slowly get a clear view into her motivation. When she sees all the people who died to Stage 2, she finally breaks, and it feels earned.
What is perhaps even more interesting is that Angela's connection to Phillip Price, E-Corp's CEO, ends up being the catalyst for Whiterose's betrayal of Price and ultimately seems to be a driving force behind everything. She indirectly brought down E-Corp as much as Elliot as she drove a divide between Price and Whiterose in their game of power before we find out she is his daughter, adding more layers to the conflict.
Every story has its drama. In particular, the relationship between Elliot and Mr. Robot is at its most interesting. "eps3.5_kill-process.inc" captures its best with a mix of drama and humor as Elliot fights for every second of control against Mr. Robot, losing minutes then just mere seconds as the two communicate indirectly in a fascinating battle.
Angela got real hardcore real quick. (Image Courtesy of: hypebeast.com)
Perhaps due to the holes in the series showcased by the imperfect second season, the third season is a surprising evolution. It proves that the series is driven by a fascinating web of stories that have more weight than a few twists and turns. Its flashbacks especially are welcome as they open up the character dynamics that seemed underdeveloped before.
From looks back at Angela's upbringing to Tyrell Welick's early resentment at his poor treatment at E-Corp, the human elements are strengthened. This leads to a more relatable performance from Portia Doubleday and more opportunities to see Christian Slater play Edward Alderson, making it harder to watch him play the incisive Mr. Robot.
I do wish more time was spent on Whiterose with B.D. Wong again a universal standout. That time could have been taken away from Martin Wallström and Stephanie Corneliussen with both Tyrell and Joanna Wellick feeling less than useful to the overall plot.
Where this season shines is its unique pacing and thematic choices that surprisingly never take away from the driving story. Sam Esmail (who directs every episode) again takes some interesting risks with none more clear and effective than the series' best episode to date, "eps3.4_runtime-error.r00", which is shot as if it is a one-shot.
As a whole, the season is tied so much to its characters that the political commentary can feel a bit underrepresented after such dynamic use of it in the first two seasons, but this is for the best. Sometimes the writing in this series can get a bit too on the nose while this season mostly took a subtler approach.
Even though I have consistently enjoyed watching this series, this is the first time it truly hooked me. It is still inconsistent, spending too much time on stories that feel unnecessary, but the emotion and drive of this season was fantastic.
When the series is on, it is electric. There is little action, but it certainly hits hard when it comes. The finale this season alone showcased that with the brutal killing of Dark Army's FBI mole (a moment that finally sold Dom DiPierro's character) and the high tension shootout that followed. For the first time with this series, I was wholly invested in seeing what would come next.
Esmail's vision for Mr. Robot has been showcased in this third season more than ever. Details become more complex, and the revelations are truly surprising but still earned with build up from details in the past. I am more excited now for what is next than I have ever been for this series.
From looks back at Angela's upbringing to Tyrell Welick's early resentment at his poor treatment at E-Corp, the human elements are strengthened. This leads to a more relatable performance from Portia Doubleday and more opportunities to see Christian Slater play Edward Alderson, making it harder to watch him play the incisive Mr. Robot.
I do wish more time was spent on Whiterose with B.D. Wong again a universal standout. That time could have been taken away from Martin Wallström and Stephanie Corneliussen with both Tyrell and Joanna Wellick feeling less than useful to the overall plot.
Where this season shines is its unique pacing and thematic choices that surprisingly never take away from the driving story. Sam Esmail (who directs every episode) again takes some interesting risks with none more clear and effective than the series' best episode to date, "eps3.4_runtime-error.r00", which is shot as if it is a one-shot.
As a whole, the season is tied so much to its characters that the political commentary can feel a bit underrepresented after such dynamic use of it in the first two seasons, but this is for the best. Sometimes the writing in this series can get a bit too on the nose while this season mostly took a subtler approach.
Even though I have consistently enjoyed watching this series, this is the first time it truly hooked me. It is still inconsistent, spending too much time on stories that feel unnecessary, but the emotion and drive of this season was fantastic.
When the series is on, it is electric. There is little action, but it certainly hits hard when it comes. The finale this season alone showcased that with the brutal killing of Dark Army's FBI mole (a moment that finally sold Dom DiPierro's character) and the high tension shootout that followed. For the first time with this series, I was wholly invested in seeing what would come next.
Esmail's vision for Mr. Robot has been showcased in this third season more than ever. Details become more complex, and the revelations are truly surprising but still earned with build up from details in the past. I am more excited now for what is next than I have ever been for this series.