“I love the party, but I can’t stand the scene.”

I binged Mr. Robot over the summer on Blu-Ray Home Video. Like most people I thought that the first season was superior and the second devolves into mind trips with its less structured nature and slightly longer length. After an extended break the show returns to a very interesting story that retains the ambition of season two and hopefully more hacking centric like season One.

Bobby Cannavale is here as a guy named Irving who I initially believed based on the ‘Democracy’ trailer to be some sort of mob doctor or accountant. Though he believably has some gangster ties related to the woefully sounding ‘Dark Army’ and “Whitehorse” he comes across here as more benevolent, though due to the nature of his associations he must have that classic mean interior thing going on that many of the actors previous characters have had if his opening introduction to Elliot is any indication, he also seems a man of principle.

What’s so interesting about this season is that it takes place on the cusp of capitalist society breaking down, something the show and its characters have been working towards for two seasons and yet almost too late we have our main character changing his mind to stop it. We are now rooting against our main protagonist and its frustrating to see him working against our goals and we are happy to see the others including not too late the titular alter ego manipulate the heck out of Elliot. We are so close to the new future that movies like Fight Club end at, and before “Escape From New York” begins that at least the show riskily invests in a fresh dynamic as it continues to go deeper and dwindle in the ratings.

The characters are well-developed and mostly in place for an improved season of Mr. Robot, one with the new world hacker intrigue of season one and the corporate espionage and confident mind meld of season two the series is in prime position. Catching up to real life politics I was curious how they would mention President Trump as this is a show that takes its politics seriously and doesn’t just shove it in. I believe despite the slow start similar to last season that this could become the show’s most memorable season. I look forward to the reintroduction of a few more characters and which side wins out as neither “fsociety” nor “E corp.” are worth rooting for. Like Elliot we are stuck in the middle. At least it remains fascinating to behold.

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