Review: MR. ROBOT Ep. 1

Mr Robot, @whoismrrobot

USA Network, Wednesday

By Allen Roy, @aroymb

July 1, 2015

When Mr Robot debuted last week, I was excited to see an innovative TV show about the hacktivist culture that has developed as technology has.

The show did not disappoint. Yes, it was preachy and predictable at times. But it was never not interesting. I kept watching the show thinking I’ve seen this before. Then it hit me. Fight Club. The show is similar to the iconic movie Fight Club, because we don’t know what’s real or imagined.

Background:

The show is about Elliott, played brilliantly by @ItsRamiMalek, a cybersecurity analyst by day, hacker vigilante by night. Elliott pays the bills by working for a cyber security company whose clients are monolithic conglomerates that he feels are the real criminals of the world. Because he can’t take down the real criminals, he uses his particular set of skills to right the wrongs of the less powerful. He takes down a child porn peddler and makes his therapists boyfriend confess his adultery. Throughout the show, a baseball hat wearing @ChristianSlater shows up attempting to interact with Elliott. The first few attempts are fruitless, leaving me to wonder, is he imagined.

What I liked:

The concept is good, if unoriginal. I seem to recall a similar show of tech gurus putting their talents to good use.

@ItsRamiMalek is great. He plays Elliott with subtlety and nuance befitting this character.

What I disliked:

The predictability of the show. The monolithic E corporation, complete with the E logo similar to Enron is an easy target to go after.

While I enjoyed @ItsRamiMalek acting, the wardrobe is predictable, with the dark hoodie and the omni-present backpack.

Analysis:

While I’m not completely sold on the show, I’m looking forward to the second episode. @USA_Network has a history of developing interesting character driven shows. I hope this is another winner for the network.

Image from USA Networks
Image from USA Networks

#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE