For a full recap of the episode, visit the Mr. Robot Wiki here. This article is a review of the episode in which specific details and events are discussed. SPOILERS may occur, so read at your own risk.
The quick and dirty catch up: Elliot wants to meet us, his imaginary friend, all over again. He promises no secrets from us. He’s curious about Robot protecting him with a false reality. Remember that. He also wants to resolve with Robot once and for all what happened with Tyrell.
Angela’s brush with DiPierro ended up with the job done, but Dom is suspicious. Her suspicions were confirmed when all security footage vanishes from E Corp’s servers. This leads to Angela (who has now connected the fsociety dots to Darlene) making some power moves of her own to dodge suspicion; this includes leveraging Terry Colby and pressing Price into giving her a lateral “promotion” to risk management. Her new boss doesn’t think much of her, and we are left to not think much of him (or his underestimation of Angela).
Robot describes shooting Tyrell, but the awkward way this is presented still makes me think this is a half-truth (and I’m holding fast to the “Tyrell is another alt” theory). Ray drags Elliot out of the hole long enough to “fix” the marketplace site, which Ray rightly knows will eventually lead to his own downfall. Goodbye, Ray. Others, who had an improbable Bitcoin stake, are not happy about Ray’s downfall, and try to teach Elliot a lesson before Leon, a surprise ninja assassin working for the Dark Army, eviscerates them.
Joanna is having boyfriend trouble, but she gives him a birthday present: a divorce from Tyrell. (Should we think it odd that Joanna’s boyfriend and Price have the same birthday, and neither of the women in their lives wants to party with them? Should we be drawing a parallel? Are they somehow the same person? I never know with this show.)
The big news: Elliot is no longer willing to lie to us, or himself, and the truth is that he hasn’t been staying with his mother all of Season 2. He’s been in prison projecting all of his scenes as being in Brooklyn as a coping mechanism. But it appears he’ll be released soon. More than anything, this raises more questions than answers about his access to the internet.
Best Moments of the Episode:
Ray’s downfall, as Elliot proves to be awesome at SEO. It’s hard to hide your underground black market when someone indexes it on Google, tips off the FBI, and takes out adverts as a coup de grâce.
We interrupt the congressional vote on bailing out E Corp to bring you Rocky Mountain oysters, courtesy of the Wall Street Bull. Now serving on the House floor.
Leon’s ninja move burying a shiv into Elliot’s would-be rapist’s… private regions. The punishment fit the crime.
Elliot’s reality reveal. Kudos to those who saw it coming.
Next Week on Mr. Robot:
“eps2.6_succ3ss0r.p12”
Bonus Round:
Red Wheelbarrow, aka Elliot’s journal, was announced during the episode. It hits stores Nov. 1, and will contain seven removable artifacts described as “a ripped-out page, newspaper clipping, mysterious envelope and more,” that should provide insight into Elliot’s fractured mind.
Director Sam Esmail shares his thoughts and motivation regarding this episode’s twist and the thrust of season two.
Want to feel like you’re inside the show? Check out our in-depth review of the new Telltale Games Mr. Robot app game.