What I’m Watching: Mr. Robot

Mr. Robot: Season 2, Episode 4 “eps2.2_init1.asec” (B+)

I don’t think I could find two siblings who interact like Darlene and Elliot do on any other show (the closest example is probably Billy and Brenda Chenoweth on “Six Feet Under”). After we had to discover by her horrified reaction that they were brother and sister last season, it’s disarming to see Darlene casually stop by to spend time with her brother on Halloween, indulging in bad horror movies, Instagram, and conversation that didn’t turn serious until Elliot realized that she was up to just as much as Mr. Robot in terms of dangerous schemes designed to bring down powerful corporations with almost certain resounding implications. The internal battle going on within Elliot right now is endlessly fascinating, and he is literally playing chess with himself as a way of determining who will wrest control, either the calm, antisocial Elliot or the massively bold and psychotic Mr. Robot. The fact that Ray is well aware of Elliot’s internal struggles is equally interesting, and though I’m not sure he’ll ultimately be the ally that Elliot needs because of the way that they actually crossover and intersect in the business that they’re in, it’s great for Elliot to have him there now to keep tabs on him. Angela is continuing to stand up for herself and a big way, and while her latest attempt to assert her demands didn’t work, she’s not giving up. Dominique’s location of the headquarters is being handled and showcased in a cool way that doesn’t have her actually finding either Elliot or Darlene but shows just how close she is to unraveling their entire operation. Joanna is growing tired of her husband’s absence, and it didn’t take long at all for her to agree to turn on him just to be able to finance her lifestyle.