After a flashback to Tyrell’s past, Mr. Robot season 3’s fourth episode brought us back to the present, where Elliot discovers that it’s Darlene who has been spying on him. Thanks to a quick warning from Dom, Darlene spins her deception as the work of a concerned sibling, rather than that of a mole for the FBI. After she and Elliot hash out their issues, they hatch a plan for Darlene to follow Elliot to Tyrell, once Mr. Robot takes control. She discovers that Angela has been working with Mr. Robot, but loses them in pursuit.
Angela, Tyrell, and Mr. Robot feel the pressure as Whiterose demands they move up the timeline for the Phase 2 attack. They learn that Elliot is behind the shipping delays of E Corp’s paper records, thanks to the job Angela gave him. While they meet in secret, Elliot wakes up and regains control from Mr. Robot, forcing Angela to sedate him.
Seeing how damaged Elliot truly is, Tyrell becomes disillusioned with the flawed man he once thought to be a god. Irving convinces him that he can execute Phase 2 on his own, and they agree to move forward, on the condition that Tyrell be reunited with his wife and son. Unbeknownst to him, Joanna has been murdered. Meanwhile, Darlene meets with Dom and tells her she has a plan to take down Tyrell, but she’ll have to go it alone.
This episode felt a bit slow, serving more to highlight characters’ motivations than to progress the plot. Mr. Robot has a tendency to eschew narrative momentum in favor of character development, philosophical examination, and psychological deconstruction. This episode positions all of the pieces on the chess board for the inevitable arrival of Phase 2, but it suffers from the continued lack of action. It feels like we’ve been waiting for Phase 2 for quite a while now. The show’s pace will need to pick up if there’s to be satisfactory payoff for the groundwork that’s been laid thus far.
Darlene’s emotional arc definitely carries this episode. In the opening scene, she interrogates a girl who’s stolen her wallet, only to allow her to keep it (except for a single photo of her family). We see the depth of her guilt for her role in the Five/Nine hack. She feels that she stole from the entire world, and has a responsibility to make things right.
Darlene’s reconciliation with Elliot is a major moment of growth for both characters. They seem more like actual siblings than ever before, the distance between them finally closing, and their “vengeance pact” sealing their commitment to each other. It also suggests that Darlene feels she might soon need to be avenged. Caught between the tightening noose of the FBI and her love for her brother, she devises a plan that seems like it may save everyone – except her. Leaving behind the family photo in Elliot’s apartment, it looks as if she might be headed on a suicide mission.
It’s been interesting to see Elliot and Mr. Robot working actively against one another this season. Cut off from each other’s memories, they’re forced to figure out just what their other half is up to while they sleep. Rami Malek often takes on both roles, leaving the audience as unsure as the characters of which Elliot they’re speaking to. Seeing other characters’ interactions with both of his personalities has been the most intriguing element of this season. Angela especially is fascinating to watch, as she realizes she may have bit off more than she could chew when she agreed to manage Elliot and Mr. Robot.
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