What I’m Watching: Mr. Robot (Series Finale)

Mr. Robot: Season 4, Episodes 12 and 13 “Series Finale Parts 1 and 2”

I wasn’t quite sure where things were headed when Elliot found himself in some sort of bizarre alternate reality which was clearly a figment of his imagination. Discovering what his life could have been before deciding to kill the version of himself that existed there was certainly interesting, but I’ve always found this show to be a bit more compelling when it’s tethered to what’s actually going on in the real world and not just to what’s happening in Elliot’s head. The notion that the Elliot we’ve known isn’t actually the real Elliot, with him existing more as a Mr. Robot-type personality, is intriguing, though we’ve come to know him so well that I’m not sure it matters. It felt weird that Darlene was the only one who didn’t show up in his imagined Washington Township homecoming, but that made her presence by his bedside when he woke up from his dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream reminiscent of “Inception” all the more powerful. Her sentiments about having enjoyed spending time with him even when she knew that he wasn’t her brother were sweet, as was her parting greeting as the screen faded to black for good. I don’t think this finale was as strong as this show in general, but this final season was mostly good. I’ll appreciate this show most for the evolving relationship it conveyed between Elliot and Mr. Robot, and for some of its most incredible, innovative hours that made it one of the most unique and captivating shows I’ve ever seen.

Series finale: B-
Series grade: B+
Season MVP: Rami Malek
Season grade: B+
Series MVP: Rami Malek
Best Season: Season 1
Best Episode: Pilot