MovieChat Forums > Mr. Robot (2015) Discussion > What people need to understand about the...

What people need to understand about the series

posted 8 years ago by dunnKID155
57 replies | jump to latest

It's all about the long haul. This isn't like traditional shows where each season neatly wraps up all stories and moves on to a new adventure. This is a 4-5 season show on one topic. Each season is merely a piece to the grand puzzle, not a puzzle of its own. Shows like Arrow have completely gone downhill steep bc of making each season it's own individual thing and it makes for less things to do. Game of Thrones is doing incredibly well and it took till the season 6 finale to wrap up storylines from the beginning of the series. Mr. Robot was intended to be a movie so it should be seen as that way. Season 2 to some may be a dull part of the movie, but in the end it is a crucial part of the whole series. Nothing will be wrapped up completely until the final season bc that's what the show is, a progressive series on one topic.

Season 1 introduced us to the concept of the show.

Season 2 brought all the problems to face

Seasons 3 and on will be solving the problems.

This series is literally a 50 hour movie

[–] michael11391 8 years ago

Exactly!!

"I like being bad, it makes me happy." - Eddie Brock/Venom, Spider-Man 3

[–] jcain1635 8 years ago

I have said this in, like, four other boards. I'm glad someone else appreciates the architecture of the story, and doesnt want the story equivelent of a hand-joe before the show hibernates another year.

[–] ksperrye 8 years ago

Sam Esmail said that (not those exact words but but the same meaning) unequivocally in a number of interviews right after the Season 1 Episode 1 early "leak" online last year.

So, that's 100% correct and confirmed by Esmail - no need to wonder or argue about it.

It's one of the reasons I think the series is so incredibly good; it's meant to be a film so it's fundamentally cinematic and compelling.

[–] msvillager 8 years ago

Yes. Shows like this never have a huge following because people are stupidly obsessed with instant gratification. It isn't till later that they receive some recognition and appreciation.

[–] Ghost0101 8 years ago

Precisely. The finale was great, but didn't "answer enough questions". So people are mad.

[–] ShannonTriumphant 8 years ago

That, along with the two posts above you (about Esmail's statement and the cinematic concept) explains it well. Too many people want things neatly wrapped up at the end of each episode, an old tradition, which is fine for police procedurals and simple mystery stories ("Murder, She Wrote" comes to mind).

But I don't want or need immediate answers. I want to solve the puzzle over time, or sometimes, never. To quote the character of Jim Williams in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", regarding the fact that he never x-rayed an antique painting to see the original work underneath, "Sometimes, I rather enjoy NOT knowing."

If you don't enjoy that, then I could see how a show like Mr. Robot would grate on you! No instant gratification. Could it be that too many viewers had their imaginations ruined by standardized testing in schools, to which they were given the answers to make their schools look good? Yet it does nothing to further analytical ability.

I followed all the rules...and you followed none of them. And they all loved you more.

[–] trebor_trancheplanete 8 years ago

Too many people want things neatly wrapped up at the end of each episode

No, I'm not expecting answers at the end of every show, but I would like the story to actually move forward so that something actually happens near the end of the season. It's one thing to create mysteries on top of other mysteries, but it's another to artificially stretch a thin plot over several seasons just to milk a series.

I'm old enough to have seen the original 17 episodes of "the Prisoner" a show where you were never told the name of the main character! So I'm not expecting Mr Robot to explain everything in every episode and I can live with that happily, but it would of been nice if they at least resolved the issue of "is Tyrell real or imaginary" and "phase two of the plan" without having to make us wait until season 3.

The fear here is that as the show progresses, it stops being about intriguing things that you can understand and just moves into wackiness for the sake of being different. We had an episode of Alf and we had a scene where Angela is questioned by a child using an 80's computer with floppy discs while a fish tank empties and there is no rational explanation for this except that the writer/producer just wanted to do something whacky like the red room from Twin Peaks with it's backward talking midget.

It can either go both ways. Some will see this as brilliant while others will see this as silly. And the danger is that if they stretch this too much, it will become impossible to explain in a satisfactory way and the end of the series will be a huge letdown. I just hope they can course correct and drop the idea of stretching this to 5 years if they only have 3 years of material planned.

[–] NotASpeckOfCereal 8 years ago

No, I'm not expecting answers at the end of every show, but I would like the story to actually move forward so that something actually happens near the end of the season.

You really don't think things happened near the end of both seasons?

Be sure to proof your posts to see if you any words out

[–] redcoatmenace 7 years ago

How are you gonna talk about it moving slow when Twin Peaks is taking 25 years to move their story along? Like damn, what happened to Agent Cooper? (I kid)

The whole point of that scene was for it to be weird to see how Angela would react.

My biggest issue with it moving slowly is the filler content. I understand plots that go nowhere this season are just setting up things further down the line, but i don't need to see Angela stare off into space for minutes at a time while nothing else is happening.

Tyrell was real, he shot Elliot. Mr. Robot told him that he was dead so he would stop asking and they could move the plot along. Phase two was the malware that would cause the UPS's to overload and take down the tower with all the physical copies of the records.

No other offense has ever been visited with such severe penalties as seeking to help the oppressed.

[–] Meldove 8 years ago

Yes. Shows like this never have a huge following because people are stupidly obsessed with instant gratification. It isn't till later that they receive some recognition and appreciation.

This is true, however the following Mr Robot does have appreciates the unique storytelling, beautiful and often unusual cinematography and we are watching a show with characters that are fallible and often times struggling with their own inner turmoil.

Season 2 was necessary to introduce fallout of 5/9 and of course to introduce new characters into the mix. There have been reactions to the character of Dom and with the hack being so major and the ramifications so big, of course they would have introduce the FBI element into the storytelling. Obviously, we know they in addition to Dom they at least 6000 agents working on the case of the fsociety, so it's not just about Dom being a brilliant "independent" agent (which would be ridiculous). I think Sam wanted to provided the audience at least one agent's perspective of the inner workings of the case.

We all want to know more about the Washington Township Plant and why it's so important to Whiterose, however revealing that at the end of season 2 wouldn't have been necessary. We got just enough information, Tyrell is still alive and what Stage 2 entails. I feel very satisfied and currently watching season 2 again and realizing it's even better than the first time around.

[–] The_Vamp_Lord 8 years ago

Breaking Bad was about the long haul and every episode was excellent, stop defending this show with weak ass excuses.

[–] sportswiz14 8 years ago

Every episode was great? You mean including the "Fly" episode that was almost universally hated? Go on and continue to spout nonsense. I loved Breaking Bad and love Mr. Robot. Every show is going to have their critics. With this show in particular, it definitely is all about the long haul.

[–] The_Vamp_Lord 8 years ago

It was only one episode and it was not almost universally hated, I don't where you getting that from.

[–] tbone280lr 8 years ago

Breaking Bad also didn't wrap up everything that precluded it at the end of each season, so what's your point about "defending this show with weak-ass arguments"? This show doesn't need defending. It's brilliant. And so was this past season. You didn't care for it? Fine. I'm not going to call you a dim-witted retard. But I'm betting you haven't quite made up your mind as you keep coming back to the message boards to attempt to refute people who are "defending" it.

*beep* off, you goddamn *beep* *beep*

[–] !!!deleted!!! (60102715) 8 years ago

What plot points did Breaking Bad leave hanging?

[–] Sluggr-3 8 years ago

Exactly, the final scene of Fly defined where BB was going. But as no one got shot, the haters hated it.

OYOH, when Hank was in the burnt out lab, I so wanted to see Walt's shoe drop and clonk him on the noggin.

My Chimp DNA seems to have lost its password temporarily. Sluggr-2

[–] !!!deleted!!! (60102715) 8 years ago

"Fly" from BB was not "almost universally hated." Critics praised it. Ranking all of BB's episodes, Entertainment Weekly ranks it the 5th best episode of Breaking Bad.

[–] marius_em 8 years ago

Man, Fly was one of the best pieces of tv ever filmed, it was just tension building up, you could feel Walter's guilt trying to come out.

And so far, Mr. Robot does not qualify to be in the same league as Breaking Bad.

I get it is a long haul, and they're setting up pieces, but until we get the payload you really can't argue if this is a great show. Right now it's on the same track as Lost, awesome start, but *beep* conclusion. So what i'm saying is they'd better make the waiting worth it, or they'll go down in history as a *beep* show as Lost was.

[–] lulumary123 8 years ago

I loved "The Fly"!

"A sword is useless in the hands of a coward" - Nichiren Daishonin

[–] cantwells-1 8 years ago

Sporty,

Just because the Fly episode was too complex for you doesn't mean that is was bad. Take it easy my friend.

[–] ajxajxajx 8 years ago

true, mr robot tries too hard imo. some people are saying it's on breaking bad level now when it isn't. every bb episode immersed people of all types, whereas 50% of S2 was more for people with insane tolerance for the shows slow progression and people who like to stare at a screen for 5 minutes watching some blonde chick with huge eyes stare at someone.

i think what makes mr robot so great for the few people that actually still enjoy the show is the fact that it gives their mind something to do afterwards, and by that I mean they can waste even more time coming up with stupid theories.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] aya-ar 8 years ago

I'm in no hurry and actually looking forward to see how it all wraps up eventually.
I think it'll last 4 seasons at most due to its nature. I mean it won't get canceled but it'll just end soon cuz they can't drag this for long.

Aya A.R

[–] AgentBlue 8 years ago

dam I just realized that.

Lose the Game!!!!!!!

[–] Meldove 8 years ago

Well, I definitely in it for the long haul. I find it to be the only intriguing television show on TV, the kind of show that has me thinking and theorizing long after the end of an episode. I am happy to say many of my theories came true, I never thought Tyrell was dead and that he would he be a prominent part of the last two episodes. The bullet casing never made sense to me, the lack of blood evidence of any killing - just one bullet casing left behind.

However, beyond superficial theories like that, it is a grand puzzle and I enjoy coming here and going on Reddit to read theories and ideas.