TV Review: MR. ROBOT: Season 3, Episode 4: Eps3.3_m3tadatapar2 [USA Network]

Mr. Robot Eps3.3_m3tadatapar2 Review

Mr. Robot: Season 3, Episode 4: Eps3.3_m3tadatapar2 continues at the slow pace of the previous week’s episode but still gives us a lot to digest.

I ended my review of the previous episode by hoping that we would see more of Bobby Cannavale as Irving, and sure enough, he figured plentifully and pleasantly in Wednesday night’s show. Even something as unremarkable as the ribs he is eating become a subject of immense interest when he describes the process by which they are made and what makes them better than others. Granted, it may not be interesting to Angela (Portia Doubleday), but it definitely is interesting to the audience and goes a long way in selling the quirkiness of the character.

The show doubles down on Irving’s strange charm when he talks to Tyrell (Martin Wallstrom) about how he and Elliot (Rami Malek) have to work their problems out. Describing the rift between the two as “interpersonal problems”, Irving addresses the issue as if he were an HR counselor for a company like E Corp and implores Tyrell to focus on himself instead of worrying about Elliot. Undoubtedly, there is an undercurrent of menace to everything he says, but Irving remains completely likeable all the while.

This scene is also noteworthy in that it is shot in a particularly engaging way, with both Irving and Tyrell shrouded in black as the camera captures them from the side. But while parts of Irving’s face can be made out in, Tyrell is nothing more than a silhouette, perhaps a commentary on the nature of the two. Perhaps it’s the show’s way of saying that while there’s something, however small, redeemable about Irving, there is nothing that can be redeemed about Tyrell, obsessed as he is with implementing Stage 2 of the plan and becoming a “god”.

On a similarly technical level, the episode works well enough, but sadly there is no scene equivalent to the masterful interrogation of Tyrell in the previous week’s show. There are nice shots here and there like the over-the-head shots of Elliot entering Darlene’s (Carly Chaikin) room, but nothing especially noteworthy here. One possible exception occurs when Elliot transitions from his Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) persona back to his normal life, with the background seeming to shift in and out of focus as he slips from one personality into the other. This really gives the impression that Elliot is transforming before our very eyes, adding a new layer to a familiar aspect of the show. Let’s hope that Mr. Robot adds similar layers and keeps things fresh in future installments of the program.

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