Its a static, digital kind of hum that operates on a strange frequency.
Its persistent and annoying and induces a feeling of paranoia and claustrophobia.
Its the kind of sound that leaves us whispering to ourselves: Can everyone else hear that?
Credit: Michael Parmelee/USA Network
Elliot waits in an elevator on Monday morning as this hum rings out.
A man speaks German to him.
Hes confused and paranoid.
Were all a little confused and paranoid
That feeling of paranoia is the anchor of this episode.
Also in that elevator is Angela.
Shes watching Elliot very closely.
As of now, Elliot is unaware.
So he goes about his routine.
The lost weekend, and whatever drugs Angela pumped him full of, have him reeling.
Plus, hes locked out of his account.
He cant make sense of any of this.
That means something is coming.
Elliots paranoia reaches a fever pitch.
He knows hes involved in this somehow.
When security shows up in the office to clearly fire and escort someone out, Elliot knows its him.
He can feel it.
Do not leave me.
Stay focused, he says.
Were in this with Elliot now.
The single take immerses us in his anxiety and paranoia.
Its unbearable, and thats the point.
The single take allows us to feel the same things Elliot is feeling at every single moment.
Again, in that moment, we feel the swerve with Elliot.
The following scene is a wonderful display of visual storytelling.
The fact that we can see them enhances our already buzzing paranoia.
We ask ourselves: Will they turn and see Elliot?
Will they search the conference room next?
Will Sean from sales cause a scene that will draw securitys attention?
None of that happens.
He gets inside just in time and begins pacing.
The camera follows him as he walks around in a circle.
Our disorientation is his disorientation.
Robot can help him with that.
But thats not true.
Robot, but rather a ghost of Mr.
Robot (which is somehow different than the other, more controlling ghost of Mr.
He tells them theres a bomb thats set to go off, and thats it.
Seemingly, theres nothing else Elliot can do.
When hes passive, all he can do is listen.
So he listens to Darlene.
Again, Elliot and Darlenes relationship is put through the wringer.
Its been fascinating to watchMr.
Robottug at the fraying strings that hold Elliot, Angela, and Darlene together.
Angela and Darlene are, in some ways, two sides of the same coin.
Another variable unexpectedly introduced to Elliots code, and now hes on the fritz.
The truth about the FBI throws him for a loop.
The truth about Angela seems to give him clarity.
Everything clicks back into place.
He remembers seeing her and Tyrell over the weekend.
He turns to head back into the building to get to the HSM or to get some answers?
and the camera moves away from him for the first time.
It pushes through the crowd of protesters; the close quarters are uncomfortable.
Its a shift in tone.
This is full-blown panic and anarchy.
(Recap continues on next page)
Angelas instructions come from Irving.
She walks past the E Corp slogan Still on your side thats been spray-painted over by the protesters.
Irving says that once she gets the package, she needs to find Elliot and give it to him.
The instructions are for him.
But thats not really possible, is it?
Angela knows she cant go to Elliot.
He wont do what the Dark Army is asking; only Mr.
Robot answers that call.
She grabs the package.
She sees Elliot calling her phone and ignores it.
She gets in the elevator, along with a security guard, and its here she starts to fumble.
She drops a fake identification badge meant for Elliot, and that makes the security guard suspicious.
Then the violence begins.
Its a brutal, shocking turn of events, and it comes as a moral reckoning for Angela.
The last section of this episode relies on that moral reckoning for its atmosphere.
As the chaos and violence escalate, Angela is our center.
But did Angela doeverythingthat was left in those instructions?
He underscores thatevery single stepmust be followed.
Its a Red Wheelbarrow BBQ bag, but it doesnt look like hes handing her lunch.
She looks absolutely distraught.
Shes on the verge of tears, and every breath is shallow.
Is it because of what shes done?
Is it because theres another step that shes afraid to carry out?
My brain is racing for ideas.
Robot kill himself once Stage 2 was complete, but I have no evidence to support that claim.
Thats true of Elliots life too.
As Angela comes back to her office, Elliot is there waiting for her.
Angela, is there something you want to tell me?
The single take ends.
We can all take a breath now, at least until next week.
