[rating=7.00] “eps2.6_succ3ss0r.p12”
Have you ever gotten yourself into a situation so dire you don’t know whether or not you’re about to destroy your life or every single one of those around you? Yeah me either. Fortunately, we’re not living in a post fsociety world where the stakes are high and the consequences higher. This week’s Mr. Robot had that sense of urgency as Darlene takes the lead on figuring out what to do next. After hacking the FBI and learning of a deeper conspiracy, we’re left with an impeding sense of dread, questioning what Darlene can actual handle as she takes the lead.
Elliot was conspicuously absent this week, and after the latest big reveal it came as no surprise. His dwelling solely in his mind this first half of the season will need a hell of a lot more explaining than they would have been able to deal with at this point. While this episode was no doubt mostly filler, it was also an insight into characters we haven’t had the privilege of exploring yet.
Trenton and Mobley’s involvement has been vastly down played this season. While they played mostly as static characters to Mr. Robot’s insanity, they were also the reason why things worked so flawlessly. To finally get a piece of their lives was a welcomed choice, though more like a late reaction to character development. During their rise to fleshed out story lines, we see Darlene unraveling. With Cisco back at her side, and the world crumbling in front of her, it makes sense that she wouldn’t be able to take the lead as she might have before this all started.
Our favorite Evil Corp lady lawyer’s return to the series was a short lived one as we learn who she really is. It turns out she was part of the team that helped fuck over the families of those who died at the hand of Evil Corp. So while her home has been instrumental to the fsociety team, it wasn’t just a random attack, but calculated by Darlene. As she returns home, it becomes apparent that they’ll need to get rid of her somehow. It was anticlimactic as she hits her head in an escape attempt, and then is callously killed off by the angry hacker herself. Darlene mentions not feeling anything about killing her, and one has to wonder if she too suffers from an affliction like Elliot.
Before the gore, the team released a new video by fsociety using a taped FBI conference call in which we found out that everything we’ve ever worried about the government is true. This in turn leads to a desperate attempt by Dom to nail someone to the cross for the fsociety hack before it’s too late. Of course, this doesn’t work as she is quickly turning into the hard ass cop stereotype. Anything to get the bad guys, even if that means putting her job on the line. Again, her demise will likely come at the hand of Angela, especially now that we know Dom put a tail on her. But for now, we can watch the conflict unfold in front of us.
The big moment this episode wasn’t Darlene’s first kill, but in fact her (likely) second. After dealing with the body, and her lack of emotions, she spends the night with Cisco. On a hunch she opens up his computer to find a picture of herself sleeping and his shady correspondence with the Dark Army. First of all, taking pictures of anyone sleeping is fucking creepy. Second, whatever privacy Darlene should have given Cisco does not matter as he is the most dubious fuck boy to ever exist, ever. Not only has he lied about his involvement with a dangerous corporation, but he also disappears for months at a time, only to come back and want to fuck in a bathroom. Jesus, Cisco, buy a girl dinner first. As the episode closes, Darlene takes a bat to his head, piling up the bodies and making sure she takes care of hers. Maybe she’s a leader after all.
