Last year, USA Network’s “Mr. Robot” took critics and audiences by storm with its innovative storytelling and wildly intriguing premise. Telling the story of a hacker named Elliott (Rami Malek) as he leads a cyber-revolution, this show draws heavy inspiration from the likes of filmmakers such as David Fincher and David Lynch, and its freshman season was one of the best on television in 2015.
At its core, the series is a psychological thriller that uses its cyberpunk science fiction elements to examine the human condition. Tackling everything from corporate corruption and government surveillance to issues like anxiety and depression, creator and executive producer Sam Esmail has proven here that he’s ready to take network TV to new heights.
Now with season two, Esmail had to deliver one heck of a follow-up to a stellar debut, particularly with season one’s climactic twist in episode nine. And while I’ve only had a chance to catch the new season’s two-part premiere, I am excited to see where it will go from here.
Set a month after the end of season one, the story opens with Elliott coming home to live with his mother, thus abandoning his cyber-revolution movement fsociety. Locked in an internal struggle with his fictional counterpart Mr. Robot (Christian Slater), he is clearly doing everything he can to run away from his past. Meanwhile, his sister, Darlene (Carly Chaikin), has now taken up his mantle, assuming command of fsociety in a militaristic fashion.
Whereas last season devoted the bulk of its attention to these characters, the show is now delving more into the inner-workings of the sinister E Corp. The character of Elliott’s childhood friend, Angela (Portia Doubleday), allows for an interesting viewpoint of an otherwise strictly antagonistic corporation through her position at E Corp and her subsequent personal struggles. With several scenes featuring just E Corp executives and government officials, it seems that season two is trying to examine the larger picture of this universe and how society reacts to a widespread digital revolution. At this point, viewers already know Elliott so well, and surprisingly it’s his internal struggle scenes with Mr. Robot that come across as slightly uninteresting in the premiere. Esmail was wise to expand the show’s world this time.
On that note, season two brings with it some great new characters, thus adding to an already stellar ensemble. On Elliott’s turf, the protagonist’s new friend, Leon (played by rapper Joey Bada$$) provides some much-needed comic relief in an otherwise hard-edged drama. As he rambles in the premiere about how he just discovered “Seinfeld,” it’s nice to see Esmail incorporate a subtle amount of humor, particularly as the overall tension steadily increases with each episode. Another welcome addition to the cast is Craig Robinson’s Ray, a seemingly innocent dog-lover who lives down the street from Elliott. Though it’s unclear what his background is in the premiere, he nonetheless possesses a commanding screen presence with his Tarantino-esque monologues. And while it’s unusual for a comedic actor of Robinson’s caliber to be in such a dense series, he no doubt plays the part well.
Season two also sees the return of the devilish duo of Tyrell (Martin Wallström) and Joanna Wellick (Stephanie Corneliussen). While Tyrell has gone rogue and fallen off the government’s radar, his wife is left to deal with the public scrutiny of being a terrorist’s spouse. Both continue to give dynamic performances and their story is still one of the show’s greatest strengths, filled with an abundance of unexpected twists.
Between its phenomenal cast, top-notch filmmaking and an intricate vision from Esmail tying all these elements together, “Mr. Robot” is one of the best shows on television, adding new layers of depth with each and every chapter.
