Someone may have underestimated how popular Mr. Robot has become. The panel at San Diego Comic-Con was packed to the gills with attendees, and they continued to let people trickle in even towards the very end of the event. Multiple fans wore fsociety masks – sorry Anonymous, but fsociety is the new Guy Fawkes – and everyone in the (far too small) room readily showered the panelists with thunderous applause at every given opportunity. It was electrifying.
Christian Slater received numerous ovations for his role as Mr. Robot, but his biggest crowd-pleasing moment came when it was revealed he was the only member of the cast that plays Pokémon GO. Co-star Carly Chaikin (Darlene) lovingly invoked the show’s philosophies when she asked the crowd how they could play a game that gives unseen corporate forces such direct access to their phones. It was a sentiment moderator Chris Hardwick — who is Team Mystic in case you were wondering — jokingly dismissed.
The real world parallels and smart criticisms didn’t stop there; Another attendee asked what it’s like to have the show chastise a villainous fictional organization while being produced by a frighteningly similar institution, USA Network. Rami Malek (Elliott) quoted creator Sam Esmail‘s response to this question by saying that it’s very bold for USA to put out a show that has such stark comparisons to our reality. He also said that a studio will do anything if it makes money.
Malek also described how they shoot Mr. Robot like a movie instead of a TV show. Where most shows would focus on putting together one episode at a time, they shoot scenes from multiple Mr. Robot episodes during one production stint. It helps reinforce the cinematic nature of the show and it clearly helps give the show its amazing quality.
Before the panel ended, we were shown an exclusive clip from this week’s upcoming episode. In this clip, Elliott and Ray (season two newcomer Craig Robinson) play a game of chess as Ray tries to reach out to Elliott as a friend. Ray can tell that there’s something Elliott is keeping from the world and that sharing it is the only way to help exorcise it. As soon as Elliott considers opening up to Ray, Mr. Robot appears and tells Elliott that he would commit suicide if Elliott even began to divulge his numerous dark secrets. It was a scene filled with tension, humor, and sadness that makes the wait for the next episode unbearable. This show is already on its way to being as big of a cultural touchstone as
This show is already on its way to being as big of a cultural touchstone as The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, or even Game of Thrones. This year’s Comic-Con panel was proof of that. Fsociety is only going to get bigger.
Make sure to keep up with our Mr. Robot episode recaps every week. Check out the Mr. Robot wiki to learn more about the show.
