I'm gonna be one of those dickheads imitating the style of what I'm reviewing. Great. Oh wow, now we're going up. Holy shit isn't this cool. You wanna know something I love? I love Mr. Robot. You wanna know how good it is? Look at me π£π¦π§π°π³π¦ Mr. Robot. This is how I operated on a computer before Mr. Robot. Look how clumsy I am, just like one key at a time, whatever. Now this is me after Mr. Robot. Fuckin' hacking into the Pentagon and shit like, all typing fast I am the #1 fan of Mr. Robot. It's official. No one tops me. I got the Mr. Robot hoodie, there was a short period in my life where I had the Mr. Robot hairdo, I got, like, the Mr. Robot patch right here, I got a signed picture of Rami Malek, I have a signed picture of Sami Malek, which is Rami Malek's brother, right? I'm gonna talk about this in two segments, okay? We're gonna have two segments. Segment 1: I'm gonna talk about the show without spoiling anything. The goal of segment 1 is to get people who aren't watching the show to watch the show. Then segment 2: We're gonna talk about it in more depth, with spoilers and all. If you haven't seen the show once we get into segment 2, stop watching. I mean, watch the ad first that I put in the middle of the video. But after that, you can click off. Then it doesn't matter. So Mr. Robot is auteur television if I've ever seen it. Auteur theory is this thing where the director's style takes over the entire project and the director has a distinct vision that's present in all of his work. This really doesn't apply to television as much most of the time because it's different people directing every episode. In television, really, the stars of the show are the writers. Not the directors. Because the directors just change every episode. While the writers basically stay the same throughout an entire show. But Mr. Robot is unique in that it actually has a director's vision, a voice that controls the entire project. Sam Esmail has directed every episode in season 3, every episode in season 2, and a good portion of the episodes in season 1. As a result, Mr. Robot looks quite different than most TV shows. And it's all 'cause of this guy. This boy right here, the second coming of Christ, Sam Esmail! Instead of curin' the sick or turning water into wine, he made the best fuckin' show ever made, hallelujah! Alright, we gotta relax a bit on the Sam Esmail. You know, the point isn't to sound like a fanboy. It's a good show. It's a-it's a good show. It's well-made. And plus, Sam Esmail didn't direct every episode in season 1. It's not really like... Oh who am I kidding? Sam Esmail's the fuckin' best! He's a genius! (overlapping praise) Something about the framing and the lighting in Mr. Robot is so unique and just adds to the eeriness of this world. Look at all these other shows. It's all over-lit and over-saturated, and then you got Mr. Robot, and it's all dark and moody; things you never see in TV. Because everyone on TV wants everything to be evenly-lit and bright. And most shows don't have that cinematic, contrast-y dark lighting that Mr. Robot has. The show makes great use of empty space, conveying how empty every character feels. I don't know how Sam Esmail does all this [They didn't mind that I wanted to direct every episode.] [They just thought I was gonna die.] I can't even imagine the workload this guy has. And yet, every episode is so well done, and it's so efficiently shot. Most of these scenes have very few shots, and there's nothing complicated about them. They're locked down on a tripod, they hardly even adjust focus. And he uses these limitations to make the show so much more interesting, visually. A simple scene of Elliot, like, pacing back and forth is done like this. [We need access to his key logger files.] [The Feds confiscated his drives. Now all of his data's in the FBI evidence storage system.] Most of the dialogue scenes in Mr. Robot are shot very simply. Usually two or three shots. You get, like, a wide sometimes, and then you get two medium shots of the guys talking. Nothing fancy about it. To cut down on the amount of shots even more, Sam Esmail does little tricks like this: See here, he turns a medium shot into a close-up not by moving the camera, but by moving the actor closer to the camera. It's a simple little touch, and it's not like he's the first one to do it. But by doing it more frequently than most media, it becomes a Mr. Robot staple. And it's another thing that just adds to the style. I could go on and on about the cinematography, but let's leave it here. If you're studying directing or cinematography, Mr. Robot should be one of those shows you look out for. It has a large set of very simple tricks that make it feel so much more cinematic. Like I said before, the show has got a lot of style. And it's Sam Esmail, you know, (kiss) ππΆπ΅ the style never takes away from the drama or the story. The show knows when to have crazy frickin' visuals and it knows when the drama is coming from the characters and the situation, and it just needs to be a two-shot. There are lots of really fantastic one-takes in Mr. Robot as well. There's an excellent scene in season 1 where Elliot's trying to get morphine. There's Angela trying to hack into the thing, and this is a long take. There's a whole episode that's done in one take, or at least looks like one take. Some of them are flashier than others. But some of them are so beautiful in their simplicity. Let's take a look at this shot from Mr. Robot, right? All it is is a shootout. And instead of making it this over-dramatic thing with lots of crazy music and shots and hand-held whatever, it's this static shot, and you know something bad's about to happen. And it adds so much to the tension. I mean, that crosswalk signal is counting down to the moment he's going to shoot them. This guy could do no wrong. Then you get into the sound. Oh my god, the sound. Every element of the sound, from the crazy glitching noises... to the beautiful score by Mac Quayle... (βͺ) Aw yeah, this is the music I play when I'm searching up porn. The score of Mr. Robot is inspired by the work of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Who have scored many of Fincher's films. Albeit, sometimes it's a bit too reminiscent of Trent Reznor's stuff. (βͺ) Season 1's music was more fast-paced and frenetic. And in season 2, the score is much more somber and experimental. And then season 3, he goes back to just frenetic craziness. The song choices are fuckin' awesome too. This scene in season 2 to Daydreamin' is like Elliot's waking up and doing his daily routine. [What time do you get up?] (βͺ) The music and the editing here are just fantastic. Even just the opening titles, "Mr. Robot," are so unique. Every other show either has just text, or they have an opening that they use every single episode. But Mr. Robot changes it up a bit. And I just get excited watching the first ten minutes because I just wanna see the title sequence, it's different every week. And every time, it's fuckin' awesome. You got this one episode 9 of season 1 where it's just the Mr. Robot sign. You got the opening that's making fun of 80's sitcoms. (upbeat music) And Angela standing there over her mother's grave, just crying (chuckles) There's the one from season 3 that's supposed to mimic the Shining. (scary music) So I made my point. The sound and visuals supercede anything else on TV. So now let's talk about how Mr. Robot uses these elements to depict mental illness. Just the way this show conveys mental illness is so interesting. The show and Elliot himself compare mental illness to a malfunctioning computer. By putting his disorder in this context, it allows for the show to make sense of something so unfathomable and abstract. And it's used for both comedic purposes [Whooooo!] [Slaaam dunk!] And... to disturb you. You never quite know what's real, what isn't real, and what is even supposed to be happening some of the time. And the show does a good job putting you in that same state Elliot is always in. Another thing that gives us insight into Elliot's mental condition is his voiceover narration. [The panic isn't settling in anymore.] [It's just there.] Narration gets a bad rap in most forms of entertainment, like, "Oh, you're gonna have a character explain the plot to us?" Meanwhile, some of my favorite movies ever have narration. Narration, like anything else, is a tool. It's a part of filmmaking. And you can either do it well and use it effectively or not. The voiceover illustrates how his character is slowly going insane. Elliot is talking to his imaginary friend, 'cause he's such a lonely guy, he needs someone to talk to. And that person just happens to be you, the audience. All these elements combine to create one of the most interesting depictions of mental illness in media. Period. [(panicky) What we both may have done, I don't know if I can say it.] [(electric distortion) I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know if I can say it.] [I don't know if I can say it. I'm sorry.] [electrical distortion] "So, uh, Sam, I'm curious how you were able to, uh, come up with that sequence." (computer voice) Yes. It is because I am Sam Esmail and I am a fucking genius. I took a shit yesterday and it got nominated for a Golden Globe because I am that good. (normal voice) So I mentioned the editing briefly as well. The editing in this show is so good. Some of my favorite moments in this show are, like, the little montage sequences, like Elliot working at E Corp. Tyrell answering these questions and there's, like, tea in the background. (teapot whistling)
[No!]
[You hate your father?]
[No.] (teapot whistling)
[Do you love your father?]
[Of course I do.]
[Were you fired?] (teapot whistling)
[No.]
[Will you be loyal to me?]
[Yes!] (teapot whistling)
[Don't look away. Look at me. Do you hate your father?] (teapot whistling)
[Are you afraid of becoming your father?]
[This is enough.] But do you wanna know when the editing is really on point? During the hacking scenes. [I live for this shit.] Something so mundane and boring is made to look so intense. [Step 3: A reverse shell two-stage exploit.] As if all these elements aren't good enough, this show is very relevant. It talks about a lot of political issues, a lot of social issues, and it's fascinating to watch this alternate history unfold, where in 2015 the economy collapses and one company kind of takes over the whole planet. The creators of this show make the world feel grounded by doing little things like showing actual politicians on the news talking about stuff that happens in the show. [...Tyrell Wellick and as society engaged in this attack.] Or the super realistic depiction of hacking. There are little Easter eggs hidden in codes all throughout the show. There's an actual E Corp website. There's an actual Reddit page for E Corp where E Corp employees just talk about their lives. And there's all these behind-the-scenes extras that just add layers upon layers to the show and make everything feel so much more real. And then you got the characters. First you got Elliot Alderson, the main character. And when you first see this guy, you go, "Oh my god, it's King Tut from Night at the Museum." I'm sorry to derail this whole video for this one stupid thing, but I was trying to find footage of Rami Malek in Night at the Museum but then I stumbled across all these random remixes and tributes. I-I don't understand what these are! (dance music) Like, who-who made these? There's so many of them! (dance music) But Elliot is an extremely likable character. He goes through so much, and his character changes so much over the course of the show and Rami Malek pulls it off brilliantly. You know what really makes it? His eyes. Rami Malek's, like, 30-something years old and it looks like all of the wrinkles just went directly to his eyes. It looks like he hasn't slept in, like, two years. And that really adds a lot to this character. It's an extremely difficult role to pull off. And I can't really go into much detail as to why it's so difficult to pull off 'cause that would spoil it. Then you got Christian Slater as Mr. Robot. He's so perfectly cast, I can't even imagine any other actor playing him. This is another character I can't talk about much because I don't want to spoil everything. But Christian Slater plays this snarky asshole character so well. And his interactions with Elliot are so great because they are polar opposite people. Personality-wise, anyway. Then you got Darlene. Most of her dialogue sounds like an edgy teen rodent. [Get woke already, dude.] But Carly Chaikin, who plays her, is such a good actor, she manages to sell it. Again, giving a character who could easily suck so many layers, like an onion. Then there's Tyrell, who's just fuckin' nuts. This is another character I can't talk about that much 'cause I don't want to spoil it. But he's just this weird, narcissistic dude who has this god complex and you never really understand him until season 3, and for the rest of it, he's just, like, this loose-cannon unpredictable guy. And you just never know what he's gonna do next. [And this?] Then you got Dom DiPierro who shows up in season 2. The biggest thing she has against her is that she's showing up in season 2. We spend season 1 with all these great characters, and then in season 2, they're just gonna introduce this random woman? Who the hell is this? And she's given a lot of screen time. But again, the Mr. Robot writers can do no wrong. And instead of writing her as a snarky, smartass detective, which she kind of is; they make her lonely and almost pathetic in a way. And by season 3, she becomes one of the best characters in the show. But everyone's a great character, so you can't really-- well actually, not everybody. Angela Moss is the weakest character in the show. And I don't quite know why. 'Cause it's not like Portia Doubleday's a bad actress. And it's not like the character isn't given interesting things to do. But there's just something about her that doesn't click. It makes me think that they have something planned for her later on. There's so many other awesome characters. You got Joanna, there's Phillip Price, who's like-- [Well, uh... (chuckles)] His voice is just awesome. He commands the room in every scene he's in. [It's not that I'm out of moves.] [It's that you are not worth one.] And then of course, you got Leon played by Joey BadA$$ who just shows up and ends up being one of the best characters ever. [Damn.] [That's no way to treat a caddie.] And I'm guessing he was just supposed to be, like, a random side character in season 2. But he's so good, they just throw him in whenever they can. So is there anything wrong with this show? Nope. It's perfect. Best show ever made. 10/10. No. It has flaws. There's, of course, the big complaint I have with season 1, and it's a complaint that everybody has. And that's the reveal that Mr. Robot is, in fact, Elliot's dead father. And if you didn't guess this by the end of episode 3 or so, you either haven't seen Fight Club or you're just dumb. Or maybe both, I don't know. Something like this could ruin the show. I mean, it's not just the fact that it's completely ripped off from Fight Club. Not just this plot point, by the way. I mean, by the end of season 2, you realize the plan is they're gonna blow up a building, just like in Fight Club. It's just such a cliched twist, like, "Oh, this character was really this character's alter-ego the entire time." And the show does its best to soften the blow by having Elliot say lines like, "You knew this the whole time, didn't you?" But I don't know if that really excuses it. What does excuse it is that the show does so many interesting things with it. It isn't just a twist that's dropped and is just there to shock you. It seemed like Sam saw Fight Club and was like, "You could do so many more interesting things with that twist." And then built the whole show around that. Maybe if this was revealed earlier, or if you just knew from the getgo that Mr. Robot was a vision, π΅π©π¦π― this could've been easier to swallow. And I'm the kind of guy who swallows. You hear that, Sam? I've forgiven it at this point. But whenever I introduce this show to people, they always come to me and they're like, "Is that really gonna be the twist?" And I'm like, "Meh, it is. "But just wait 'till you see all the cool stuff they do with it." I mean, there's other twists in season 1 that are awesome. Shayla's death, the reveal that Darlene is actually Elliot's sister, the twist that Tyrell isn't really the bad guy; he's just, like, a crazy person who has a god complex that wants to work with Elliot. I don't think a perfect TV show does exist. I mean, it's hard to make a perfect two hour movie. Imagine making... shit, wanna see some math on that.(?) Imagine making 30 perfect movies. Stanley Kubrick, the best of the best, didn't make 30 perfect movies. He made ten perfect movies. The show is interesting 'cause, although I accused it of ripping off Fight Club, which it does; and Sam Esmail has since admitted that he basically ripped off Fight Club, the show kind of takes pieces from everything. It's like this culmination of pop culture. All these different references to different movies and TV shows and video games. It takes all these elements you've seen before and blends them into something you've never seen before. [I was so resistant to this being, like, a long-running TV series.] [It was gonna be a-a very finite-- we're gonna get to the ending of the- sort of the story I envisioned.] Mr. Robot is planned to be five seasons long. That's what Sam Esmail said, anyway. It plays out more like a 50 hour movie than a standard TV show where Elliot would just kinda hack a different group every week. Season 1 is mainly about hacking, and of course launching the 5/9 attack that's meant to take down E Corp. Then season 2 is about all the characters dealing with the emotional baggage of season 1. Elliot finding out Mr. Robot's his dead father, and all the other characters dealing with the 5/9 attack. Then almost everyone basically agrees by the end of season 2 that 5/9 was a bad idea. And season 3 is basically about undoing the 5/9 attack. You would never feel like you're watching the same thing over and over. The characters grow, their goals change. Let's go back to season 1 for now. The pilot episode is written by Sam Esmail and directed by Niels Arden... Oplev? He made the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movie. Not the Fincher one; the other one. And I gotta say, as much as I suck Sam Esmail's dick, we owe a lot to this guy. The framing, the colors, and just the overall feel of the show. This has to be one of the best pilot episodes I've ever seen. It does a good job introducing all the characters, building the world and making it feel real, and giving Elliot's character a clear goal and motivation. By the end of episode 1, you understand who Elliot is, who Mr. Robot is, and what they want. I haven't even discussed Shayla at this point, even though in the episode we're about to see, she's dead. (chuckles) But Shayla's another great character. They're clearly gonna do a lot more with this in season 4, because Vera comes back at the end of season 3. As of right now, none of this stuff has really paid off yet. It hasn't even been mentioned since season 1. Apparently, according to Sam Esmail, the stuff with Shayla and Vera was the only stuff he didn't plan out. But it works really well. The show presents this miserable, lonely, angry character. So giving him a love interest to play off of, who in some ways is very similar to him, brings a lot of life and likability to Elliot who would otherwise never have an opportunity to show off his more sensitive side during this season. Throughout the rest of these episodes, he's running around hacking into stuff and injecting morphine and--- But watching him try to be social with a random chick is just as entertaining as the rest of the stuff. (chuckles) Having scenes like this of him trying to be normal at a dinner party with Shayla is necessary for making us connect with him. On top of it, their romance is really well-written. In his first meeting with her, he's clearly just interested in drugs. [I'd buy morphine from you.] [If you could also get me Suboxone.] And it's not 'cause Elliot is an asshole, which he kind of is. He just doesn't wanna connect with people in fear of losing them, because the pain of losing someone for him is so great, he would rather be alone. And what makes it even more tragic is that Elliot's drug addiction is what gets Shayla killed. [I do know of a guy who sells Suboxone.] [He's supposed to be a fucking psychopath, but if you want, I can call him.] [You might be worth a psychopath, I dunno. Maybe.] And that psycho turns out to be Vera, who ends up killing her. Rip. The show gets very dark very quick, and it always keeps you on the edge of your seat because you know no one is safe. They kill great characters out of nowhere. Perhaps the most tragic death is fsociety. fsociety is, in a way, a character in this show. A character that dies. 'Cause much like the other characters who die, it's used by people who needed it and is disposed of shortly after. It's sad, 'cause Elliot, Mr. Robot, Darlene, Mobley, and Trenton all started fsociety to go against the grain and it ends up becoming a movement that goes beyond their control. When Darlene started, she wanted to go against the system and against capitalism, and by season 2, she became the very thing she hated. A figurehead of a movement that's been bought and paid for by the same shitty people who controled the world in the first place. You, as the viewer, bought into these characters and bought into this movement as if it was gonna change the world. But it ends up changing nothing. It's a revelation for both the characters and the audience. And it's upsetting. And then you got season 2, boy. Oh my god, let's look at this. Episode 1: Directed by Sam Esmail. Written by Sam Esmail. Episode 2: Directed by Sam Esmail. Written by Sam Esmail. 3: Directed by Sam Esmail. Written by Sam Esmail. 4: Directed by Sam Esmail. Written by Sam Esmail. 5: Directed by Sam Esmail. Written by Sam Esmail. Season 2 is interesting. The tone and pace of the show completely shift. A lot of what the show is about completely shifts. Season 2's slower pace allows for a lot more time to explore these people and just how tragic and miserable every one of them are. And while some of the darkest and most disturbing stuff happens in season 2, some of the funniest moments in this show take place during these 12 episodes. Elliot's Adderall high is still one of the funniest things I've ever seen on TV. [Damn, these dishes look immaculate.] The 80's sitcom episode is just brilliant. And this is the season when Joey BadA$$ makes his appearance. And he's great comedic relief and continues to be all the way to season 3. [Want some of this catnip, girl?] The most depressing episode of this show has to be season 3's Fredrick and Tanya. I mean, if you've seen the episode, I don't have to go through how hopeless this episode makes you feel. But there's also a lot of great comedy in this episode. The writers know that having an hour of misery would get boring after a while, so they counter this horrible tragedy with just a little bit of levity. [And I've got my fingers crossed he treats you guys alright.] [No! Stop!] No Sam, you evil fucker. After the explosive, fast-paced epic that season 1 was, season 2 slows way the hell down. Every episode is much longer than season 1, and this is the only season with 12 episodes. Season 1 was also more focused on Elliot and Mr. Robot and their dynamic and all the other side characters were just that; side characters. But in this season, since Elliot's in prison... I mean, you all know this. You all guessed it before it happened. We get a chance to step back and explore the rest of these side characters. We get to know Darlene extremely well. She is given a big chunk of screen time, even her own episode. Angela is utilized better in this season by being part of the action rather than being off on some other subplot. Like, in season 1, every other character's trying to take down this giant conglomerate by stealing and hacking and breaking the law, and Angela's off trying to find a lawyer, like, who gives a shit? We get to explore Whiterose a lot, what makes him tick, what his motivations are, how he's got his own split personalty. Whiterose's such a great villain. The actor who plays him, B. D. Wong, does a terrific job jumping from whatever Chinese minister he's supposed to play, I don't know who the hell this guy is, I don't care. I care about Whiterose, goddammit, 'cause Whiterose is fuckin' awesome. Any scene with her and Phillp Price, who is the head of E Corp, is just enthralling, 'cause these two are such great actors. And these two characters can't fuckin' stand each other on top of it. [Don't mistake my generosity] [for generosity.] And then you get to season 3 of this show. And season 3 is this beautiful mix of the excitement and the pacing and the energy of season 1. With the originality and the drama and the style of season 2. And season 3 of Mr. Robot is one of the best seasons of television, ever. Every episode in this season is at least good. Episode 10 is probably the best finale in Mr. Robot. 'Cause season 2's finale was, like, "What the fuck was that?" And season 1's finale was, like, "What the fuck was that?" There was, like, no resolution at all. And this is finally, like, a finale that had a resolution to it. Then episode 5, 6, and 7 are some of the best episodes of television, ever. Most shows don't even get to that level. And Mr. Robot got to that level three times in a row. Episode 6, especially was just... brilliant. The twist at the end is one I didn't see coming at all. The way it was shot and edited was great. The sound design on it was excellent, especially at the end. [Reports are still coming in from across the country--] (sound dies) And I'm just imagining how corny it could've been if it had shown, like, a CGI explosion. But Elliot just sees it through a TV, and you see people looking down on their phones. And just right there, you get the scope of it. What else is there to talk about with this show? 'Cause all I'm-I'm just jerking it off. That's what I'm doing. That's what this is. This is a hard show to unpack, 'cause there's so much going on and there's so many different characters. And on top of everything else, the show isn't even over yet. Who knows? The last two seasons can suck. So let's boil it down, right? Let's just say I had to explain what this show is. What is this show about? What's the point? It's a criticism of capitalism, consumerism, society as a whole. It's also an examination of people who run the world and how much of a psychopath you have to be to succeed in this world. It's a show about loneliness. Despite us all being more connected than ever, we're all so lonely. Everyone is missing something in their lives. Everyone feels aimless. Each character has their own way of dealing with this, of course. Elliot being the most... extreme example, creating Mr. Robot to give him a purpose in life. But what does all this culminate to? Maybe it's a show about control. Or rather, the lack of control. How we live in such a depraved world and we do our best to control our lives and control the world around us to make it that much better. Whiterose wants to control time. Elliot wants to control Mr. Robot. Mr. Robot wants to control Elliot. And no one gets what they want. Or maybe they will, who knows? The show ain't over yet. We still have two more seasons left. And I think this is a show with a few more things to say. So I don't wanna determine what the point of it is yet. We're three acts in to a five-act story, and there's a lot more that's gotta happen. So you wanna know what my point is? Watch the show. Anyway, that's all I've got to say about Mr. Robot. I highly recommend this show. It is excellent. Teaches ya hacking, you cry, you laugh, you're in a constant state of confusion, and depression, and anxiety... This-this sounds bad, but no, these are good things.
Iβve been waiting for this since S3
I see you are a man of culture as well
Disappointed that he didn't mention Irving, still a good vid though
CHARLES STILES MYSTERY DINERS
Glad Ralph finally got around to making a video on the show
I love this video a lot, actually I know ralph because this sub a couple months ago, this dude have a very VERY good taste and knowledge about cinema stuff.
Angela's karaoke "Everybody wants to rule the world" haunting the background toward the end... goosebumps. Top stuff.
Is it better than Chips tho?
Amazing video!