My heart feels very heavy after watching this finale. This show means so much to me and, as far as I'm concerned, no other show can connect with its audience like Mr. Robot did. As I sat watching this beautiful series come to a close with my cat Elliot, I realized this show accomplished its message spectacularly, and it did so while preserving its legacy. Well I guess it's time to get "mind awake, body asleep" tattooed on my ribs and complain on reddit about how underrated this show is. Farewell to an exceptional masterpiece of storytelling and character insight. I speak for those who appreciate television as an art form, and therefore love this show, when I say Mr. Robot is a one-of-a-kind phenomenon that we were lucky to witness. Thank you to everyone who worked on this show, every cast and crew member, and especially Sam Esmail. Truly, thank you all for this show. It has helped so, so many people in coping with mental illness, and that is something these people should be immensely proud of.
249 Reviews
An Emotionally and Narratively Satisfying Conclusion
TouchTheGarlicProduction23 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Wow. Sam Esmail has proved time and time again that he's a genius storyteller, but this might just take the cake. This episode hits the trifecta of things required for a truly perfect series finale; it's emotionally satisfying, narratively satisfying, and surprising. It's tremendously difficult to make something that you don't see coming but makes perfect sense; if it's perfectly logical, why wouldn't it occur to the viewer?
In recent years, many writers have become obsessed with the need to surprise the audience (after all, it's boring if there are no surprises, right?) and have decided to prioritize it over crafting a good ending. Narratives such as this can be fun in the moment, but often leave the viewer feeling shortchanged. The much harder path, the path this show opts for, is to create something that makes sense and then obscure it through clever misdirection, so the viewer never catches on but feels like they should have been able to once all is laid bare.
It's risky; too subtle, and it doesn't feel foreshadowed. Too blatant, and the viewer figures it out before the show reveals it (like when Reddit predicted season 2's big twist after one episode). This episode reveals the show's big final twist, and Esmail has been riding the line perfectly this whole time; all the way up to last episode, nothing made sense to me. But when the reveal happened in this episode, everything clicked AND it led to a fantastic farewell.
It's been an amazing journey; I reviewed the first episode on this site the day it came out, and I've reviewed every episode since. The show has helped me through some hard times, serving as the one constant in a sea of variables. Ever since IMDb removed the lower limit on the length of reviews, I've pretty much stopped writing them - but I had to finish this show out. Now that it's over, you may never hear from me again. If this is the last we meet, then all I can say is...
Goodbye, friend.
In recent years, many writers have become obsessed with the need to surprise the audience (after all, it's boring if there are no surprises, right?) and have decided to prioritize it over crafting a good ending. Narratives such as this can be fun in the moment, but often leave the viewer feeling shortchanged. The much harder path, the path this show opts for, is to create something that makes sense and then obscure it through clever misdirection, so the viewer never catches on but feels like they should have been able to once all is laid bare.
It's risky; too subtle, and it doesn't feel foreshadowed. Too blatant, and the viewer figures it out before the show reveals it (like when Reddit predicted season 2's big twist after one episode). This episode reveals the show's big final twist, and Esmail has been riding the line perfectly this whole time; all the way up to last episode, nothing made sense to me. But when the reveal happened in this episode, everything clicked AND it led to a fantastic farewell.
It's been an amazing journey; I reviewed the first episode on this site the day it came out, and I've reviewed every episode since. The show has helped me through some hard times, serving as the one constant in a sea of variables. Ever since IMDb removed the lower limit on the length of reviews, I've pretty much stopped writing them - but I had to finish this show out. Now that it's over, you may never hear from me again. If this is the last we meet, then all I can say is...
Goodbye, friend.
And like that, Rome falls. Hello Elliot.
SeventhirtyseveN_73724 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
It was an honor to be able to witness this show as it was airing, first of all.
Mr Robot will forever be with me and will forever be one of my favorite shows ever created.
We find out the Elliot we've been following all this time was not the real Elliot, but an alternate version of the real one, created by his anger. This persona was so motivated to change the world, destroying all evil, that he took over (almosy) completely and locked the real Elliot away, in a perfect loop where sexual abuse was never present, where his mother loved him, where he had friends, a life, and Angela as his partner. But like our fake Elliot said... Real Elliot did not have everything. He didn't have Darlene, and after the conversation with Darlene, fake Elliot decides to finally give up control and let the Real Elliot come out. He accepts that he's just a part of him, and says his goodbyes to Darlene. Real Elliot wakes up. We watch as Elliot sits besides the other alter egos.
This was by far one of the best series finales I've ever seen, (I'm looking at you GoT.) we are taken on this journey with Elliot and we discover the truth besides him. We are there with him, we want to know, and when we finally do... we are just as shocked as him. We don't want to let go. But we have to. Our Elliot has to.
Sometimes in life a gem like this will appear in our way, all we can do is sit back and watch as it completely blows our minds. Mr.Robot is that gem. Back in 2015 when my friends told me to watch a show called Mr.Robot I never, in a million years expected anything quite like this. This show was masterfully crafted by Sam Esmail and masterfully acted by everyone involved. Thank you for creating one of the most powerful series ever aired.
We find out the Elliot we've been following all this time was not the real Elliot, but an alternate version of the real one, created by his anger. This persona was so motivated to change the world, destroying all evil, that he took over (almosy) completely and locked the real Elliot away, in a perfect loop where sexual abuse was never present, where his mother loved him, where he had friends, a life, and Angela as his partner. But like our fake Elliot said... Real Elliot did not have everything. He didn't have Darlene, and after the conversation with Darlene, fake Elliot decides to finally give up control and let the Real Elliot come out. He accepts that he's just a part of him, and says his goodbyes to Darlene. Real Elliot wakes up. We watch as Elliot sits besides the other alter egos.
This was by far one of the best series finales I've ever seen, (I'm looking at you GoT.) we are taken on this journey with Elliot and we discover the truth besides him. We are there with him, we want to know, and when we finally do... we are just as shocked as him. We don't want to let go. But we have to. Our Elliot has to.
Sometimes in life a gem like this will appear in our way, all we can do is sit back and watch as it completely blows our minds. Mr.Robot is that gem. Back in 2015 when my friends told me to watch a show called Mr.Robot I never, in a million years expected anything quite like this. This show was masterfully crafted by Sam Esmail and masterfully acted by everyone involved. Thank you for creating one of the most powerful series ever aired.
A new bar in Television is set.
laudesam23 December 2019
Profound
matlo-buddu23 December 2019
One of the best series finales in television history
Splarke2223 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is easily one of the most amazing series finales in television history! We are given answers to all of our MAJOR questions surrounding Elliot & everything is explained, connecting the entire show together and making it make sense. Our Elliot was never really Elliot all along. Everything on Mr. Robot actually did happen, but our Elliot was the "mastermind" behind everything. He orchestrated all of these events we saw, after trapping the real Elliot in his own "prison" world inside of his mind.
The 5 personalities are: Young Elliot, Elliot's mother, Mr. Robot, our Elliot we followed the whole series, & the REAL Elliot who woke up at the end. I've seen people say that we the viewers are the real Elliot, but that is not true.
There are quite a lot of things that don't actually end up getting explained at all, which really takes away from how great of an ending Mr. Robot has.
We aren't shown who the real Elliot is at the end. The "dream" our Elliot was trapped in had made it seem like he didn't actually physically look like who the real Elliot is (referring to when our Elliot showed Dom his ID). But that contradicts the fact that the mastermind Elliot came face to face with the real him and they did look alike. My only guess is that they do look alike and it was just a twisted part of the dream. I may just be stupid and totally misinterpreted this.
The second is, what the hell was whiterose's machine? We were never told what the actual function or purpose of it was.. Was whiterose just an insane person who was convinced of her machine actually working and creating a parallel world? I guess in the end it's not important, as the story was never about her machine, it was about Elliot discovering who he actually is. I think the biggest takeaway here is that whiterose's machine represented her inability to admit that she wasn't a god and her not wanting to give up control is the cause of her downfall, whereas our Elliot came to grips with having to give up control to the real him. I felt like these two characters were similar yet polar opposites throughout the show, so their endings staying true to that was beautiful.
Third, what the hell happened to Tyrell!? The whole show we are seemingly led to believe he is an important character and will play a big role in the end, but that wasn't the case at all. What on earth was the blue light he encountered in the woods? Was that just nothing of importance, was it meant to be symbolic? Did he just end up dying offscreen? In the end I guess it's not important to how the show wrapped up, but I just wish they gave more definitive closure & explanation to Tyrell's story.
Some other things that we were just never given answers to: What happened in those 3 missing days after the 5/9 attack? Why did whiterose make it so her machine could be shut down by a 90's computer game? What was the significance of 11:16, which we saw so many times? Why is Elliot in the hospital and not jail after being found at a nuclear power plant that almost just had a meltdown, with the entire staff murdered and Minister Zhang found dead? Too many important things not being answered definitively took away from my enjoyment of this series finale.
I do think this was an absolute masterpiece of a series finale that tied together the whole show in a magnificent, shocking way, despite quite a few things not being answered. I'm left satisfied with how (what I consider to be) the best show in television history concluded, but am also left confused over the things I listed above.
Thank you Sam Esmail for creating a show that will be talked about for years to come and remembered as an all time great. Thank you Rami Malek, Carly Chaikin, Christian Slater, & all the rest of the cast for bringing to life such amazing, memorable characters & giving Emmy worthy performances over the years. I love Mr. Robot so much & am so grateful for this journey. All I have left to say is...
Goodbye, friend.
The 5 personalities are: Young Elliot, Elliot's mother, Mr. Robot, our Elliot we followed the whole series, & the REAL Elliot who woke up at the end. I've seen people say that we the viewers are the real Elliot, but that is not true.
There are quite a lot of things that don't actually end up getting explained at all, which really takes away from how great of an ending Mr. Robot has.
We aren't shown who the real Elliot is at the end. The "dream" our Elliot was trapped in had made it seem like he didn't actually physically look like who the real Elliot is (referring to when our Elliot showed Dom his ID). But that contradicts the fact that the mastermind Elliot came face to face with the real him and they did look alike. My only guess is that they do look alike and it was just a twisted part of the dream. I may just be stupid and totally misinterpreted this.
The second is, what the hell was whiterose's machine? We were never told what the actual function or purpose of it was.. Was whiterose just an insane person who was convinced of her machine actually working and creating a parallel world? I guess in the end it's not important, as the story was never about her machine, it was about Elliot discovering who he actually is. I think the biggest takeaway here is that whiterose's machine represented her inability to admit that she wasn't a god and her not wanting to give up control is the cause of her downfall, whereas our Elliot came to grips with having to give up control to the real him. I felt like these two characters were similar yet polar opposites throughout the show, so their endings staying true to that was beautiful.
Third, what the hell happened to Tyrell!? The whole show we are seemingly led to believe he is an important character and will play a big role in the end, but that wasn't the case at all. What on earth was the blue light he encountered in the woods? Was that just nothing of importance, was it meant to be symbolic? Did he just end up dying offscreen? In the end I guess it's not important to how the show wrapped up, but I just wish they gave more definitive closure & explanation to Tyrell's story.
Some other things that we were just never given answers to: What happened in those 3 missing days after the 5/9 attack? Why did whiterose make it so her machine could be shut down by a 90's computer game? What was the significance of 11:16, which we saw so many times? Why is Elliot in the hospital and not jail after being found at a nuclear power plant that almost just had a meltdown, with the entire staff murdered and Minister Zhang found dead? Too many important things not being answered definitively took away from my enjoyment of this series finale.
I do think this was an absolute masterpiece of a series finale that tied together the whole show in a magnificent, shocking way, despite quite a few things not being answered. I'm left satisfied with how (what I consider to be) the best show in television history concluded, but am also left confused over the things I listed above.
Thank you Sam Esmail for creating a show that will be talked about for years to come and remembered as an all time great. Thank you Rami Malek, Carly Chaikin, Christian Slater, & all the rest of the cast for bringing to life such amazing, memorable characters & giving Emmy worthy performances over the years. I love Mr. Robot so much & am so grateful for this journey. All I have left to say is...
Goodbye, friend.
What a beautiful wild rollercoaster of a show and finale.
jordanxstump23 December 2019
This show has changed my life. I didn't know what to expect in this finale or how they could end this wild show, but this finale broke me to pieces and built me up again to end on the perfect note. This was the only way this show could have ended.
Thank you to Sam Esmail, Rami Malik, Mac Quayle, Tod Campbell, Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin, Martin Wallstrom, Christian Slater, and USA Network for making this show and being apart of this moment in television history. This show will go down as the best piece of television history, mark my words. Goodbye, Friend.
Thank you to Sam Esmail, Rami Malik, Mac Quayle, Tod Campbell, Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin, Martin Wallstrom, Christian Slater, and USA Network for making this show and being apart of this moment in television history. This show will go down as the best piece of television history, mark my words. Goodbye, Friend.
A mind-bending, emotional, satisfying, and ultimately uplifting conclusion.
howardad123 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I'm jumping for joy. Sam Esmail-you're a damn genius. The plotting, the brain-power, and the patience it must have took to calculate this story is mind-blowing.
To know that Elliot actually saved the world and saved himself all at the same time makes me so happy I could scream.
Thank you Mr. Robot for one of the most thrilling series of television of all time. I will miss you so much.
To know that Elliot actually saved the world and saved himself all at the same time makes me so happy I could scream.
Thank you Mr. Robot for one of the most thrilling series of television of all time. I will miss you so much.
Nothing will ever come close to this Finale.
templar8823 December 2019
Masterpiece...Just wow
KananZeynalov18 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I haven't cried since the finale of the series called Dark.. But this finale made my cry for the whole 50 minutes straight.. I don't know what to say because I'm definitely shocked and puzzled..
I just don't want to believe that the Elliot we have been speculating since the beginning is not the real one. But doesn't matter it is our real one because we all grew up with him all the time.. I am so sad no to watch Mr Robot till today but yeah I won't get out of shock for a while..
I hoped we would get to see fifth season but no this is all covered..
Goodbye, friend.
I just don't want to believe that the Elliot we have been speculating since the beginning is not the real one. But doesn't matter it is our real one because we all grew up with him all the time.. I am so sad no to watch Mr Robot till today but yeah I won't get out of shock for a while..
I hoped we would get to see fifth season but no this is all covered..
Goodbye, friend.
Goodbye, my dear friend, Mr. Robot
TheMelancholySpirit24 September 2021
Look, not everyone will love or get this episode, and you could probably be petty enough to create an account just to rate it a 1 or 2 and write a mere couple lines saying why it's "bad" or even come up with an insightful argument why it's "bad", which would be fine... But honestly, who are you kidding, this is art. I wouldn't call it the best episode of the show, that goes to either episode 407 or 409, but this is probably the third; well, at least to me. I think as far as finales go this was excellent. It isn't overly ambiguous but it does leave you with some questions, and that's OK. To conclude a show that started off so well and since its beginning has gone on to present us with some of the most intriguing, ambitious, masterful, and special episodes a TV show could provide, and conclude it in a superb way, well, surely it means something. It might be quite puzzling to some and to others easy to digest, for me it was a mix. I understand the ending, the outcome of it all, all of what went down, but of course I am left with some questions. As aforementioned, some, in fact, probably many people, won't like the ending but I honestly loved it. It could've went a kind of sci-fi-esque route but it didn't, and Sam Esmail knew what he was doing right from the start. The payoff here is astounding, it's just expertly written and conclusive. The show had its flaws here and there but for a series so deeply personal, that isn't as dramatised as you might think, to be so rewarding in the end, I would hope for that to be an achievement of sorts. The personal message/subject matter/themes, intricacies, tone, camera work, acting, directing, writing and just the entire plot and its progression and the attention to detail in general are all amazing in regards to this show. To me personally, it's the best since Breaking Bad. That doesn't mean there aren't others up there that are phenomenal cuz there are tons and lots, but this is just at the top of the list for me. This episode was satisfying, heartfelt/profound - just emotional in general - intense, strange, and completely rewarding. Again I don't think it is the best of the series but definitely makes the top three to five episodes. Loved it and loved the whole show especially the first and fourth seasons. Don't know what to start watching next cuz this was just tremendous and on a different level, thank you to all involved.
Not Bad... But A Lot Left Out!
kliffz23 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I liked it, I thought the ending wasn't bad like GOT or Dexter. It still feels like a finale, which is great. However, Sam left so many things unanswered. Usually I like these certain things, but Sam left things that he seemed were going to be answered ay some point, and then he ended up not revealing anything. Sam planted certain dialogue that was very important for the viewer to be answered.
We never learned what Whiterose showed Angela, what Tyrell saw at the end of his fate, why Tyrell was so odd and important to the story of Elliot, the unknown encounter with Vera, and why Whiterose killed herself?
Sam did a really fantastic job this season, and I think it is a masterpiece of a season and show. I just don't think these episodes could have laid all the cards on the table, at least the important ones that didnt really go anywhere. Which kinda makes rewatching the show less interesting. That is why I gave this episode a low rating. Sam promised to reveal the truth, and only revealed something he had to answer for obvious reasons. The reward didnt feel worth it enough, the tension in this episode was great... But I didnt feel satisfied at the end.
We never learned what Whiterose showed Angela, what Tyrell saw at the end of his fate, why Tyrell was so odd and important to the story of Elliot, the unknown encounter with Vera, and why Whiterose killed herself?
Sam did a really fantastic job this season, and I think it is a masterpiece of a season and show. I just don't think these episodes could have laid all the cards on the table, at least the important ones that didnt really go anywhere. Which kinda makes rewatching the show less interesting. That is why I gave this episode a low rating. Sam promised to reveal the truth, and only revealed something he had to answer for obvious reasons. The reward didnt feel worth it enough, the tension in this episode was great... But I didnt feel satisfied at the end.
Final Few Minutes? Great. The Preceeding Two Hours? Awful.
machina2224 January 2020
This review will enrage fellow Mr. Robot fans, but I needed to say it for my own sake - what a shame, what a disappointment.
There were strong hints in the previous episode that this was where the finale was going. Unfortunately it proved to be the case, and it made for one of the worst episodes of an otherwise superb show.
There were a couple of forced emotional moments (helped along by classic 'sad, contemplative, please cry now' music) and a final scene that returned things to the show's usual stellar form, but 3 minutes of greatness at the end couldn't elevate the final 2 hours of this 4-year long show beyond mediocrity.
In hindsight the show should have ended with episode 4-11 eXit, or better yet 409 Conflict, rather than being stretched out with two additional episodes that almost entirely consist of a dream world.
I had higher expectations.
There were strong hints in the previous episode that this was where the finale was going. Unfortunately it proved to be the case, and it made for one of the worst episodes of an otherwise superb show.
There were a couple of forced emotional moments (helped along by classic 'sad, contemplative, please cry now' music) and a final scene that returned things to the show's usual stellar form, but 3 minutes of greatness at the end couldn't elevate the final 2 hours of this 4-year long show beyond mediocrity.
In hindsight the show should have ended with episode 4-11 eXit, or better yet 409 Conflict, rather than being stretched out with two additional episodes that almost entirely consist of a dream world.
I had higher expectations.
The Greatest Finale to the Greatest Season of the Greatest Show
maxglen23 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Genuinely the most beautiful, mind bending, tense, well written and satisfying conclusion to a show I've ever seen. Rarely does a finale elevate the rest of the show but this episode makes every episode before it better by tenfold. What was one of the worst episodes of the series (in my opinion) Elliot's withdrawal in season one is now one of the most important episodes of the show. On one hand I am frustrated by the secrecy of Elliot's true self but on the other, this has never been about him, but his personalities building a better world for him and eventually losing control before accepting that their job is done and handing it back to the true Elliot. It's equal parts heartbreaking and wholesome. Mac Quayle, thank you for your incredible symphonies helping establish the totalitarian techno thriller atmosphere that was an important staple of the show. Thank you Rami Malek, Christian Slater, BD Wong, Portia Doubleday Carly Chaikin and EVERYONE else for bringing this incredible vision to fruition and making the characters your own. Thank you to Sam Esmail for this unmatched masterpiece of television which I doubt I will see surpassed in my lifetime and thank you to the rest of the crew behind the scenes for the sound mixing, incredible editing and enchanting cinematography. This show makes you feel like you are apart of its world, because you are, remember, this only works if you let go too. Goodbye, Friend.
Such a satisfying end to a great series
coleson-7145224 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I was completely blown away by this finale. People rating lower show in their descriptions complete lack of comprehension of the ending.
For example, someone said it was lame that it was a "dream" the whole time. No. If that's what you took away from it you need to start the series over from the beginning because you didn't understand it. The big reveal is not that it was all a dream, it's that the Elliot we knew wasn't the Elliot we thought he was. Despite him not being the "real" Elliot, we still connected with the character in such a strong way. Mastermind Elliot was just as much a person as Real Elliot.
The unanswered questions don't bother me. What did Angela see? What was Whiterose's machine? What was with the glowy thing Tyrell saw? Etc. If you're stuck on whether these questions were answered then you missed the whole point of the show entirely. All these things were subplots to what the show was really about: Elliot's mental health and how he dealt with his trauma. And it was beautifully executed. I now want to rewatch the series.
For example, someone said it was lame that it was a "dream" the whole time. No. If that's what you took away from it you need to start the series over from the beginning because you didn't understand it. The big reveal is not that it was all a dream, it's that the Elliot we knew wasn't the Elliot we thought he was. Despite him not being the "real" Elliot, we still connected with the character in such a strong way. Mastermind Elliot was just as much a person as Real Elliot.
The unanswered questions don't bother me. What did Angela see? What was Whiterose's machine? What was with the glowy thing Tyrell saw? Etc. If you're stuck on whether these questions were answered then you missed the whole point of the show entirely. All these things were subplots to what the show was really about: Elliot's mental health and how he dealt with his trauma. And it was beautifully executed. I now want to rewatch the series.
One of if Not the Best Endings to a Series Ever
frankie-5913723 December 2019
The crazy thrilling journey in Elliots mind has come to an end.
Aktham_Tashtush23 December 2019
I'll start from the end, the last scene, the last lyrics ...
"I'm the king of my own land, Facing tempests of dust, I'll fight until the end, Creatures of my dreams, raise up and dance with me, Now and forever, I'm your king."
These were the lyrics of Outro for M83, just to wrap up a perfect finale , emotionally heightened so intense and all focused into finally explaining who's the "Real Elliot".
It's .. I can't really keep on repeating myself commending Sam Esmail, Rami Malek, Christian Slater and literally the whole cast .. It's just painful to see them go after 5 long years.
So at the end, The whole series was a perfect melody that we'll all be remembering for years to come .. Farewell Mr. Robot.
"I'm the king of my own land, Facing tempests of dust, I'll fight until the end, Creatures of my dreams, raise up and dance with me, Now and forever, I'm your king."
These were the lyrics of Outro for M83, just to wrap up a perfect finale , emotionally heightened so intense and all focused into finally explaining who's the "Real Elliot".
It's .. I can't really keep on repeating myself commending Sam Esmail, Rami Malek, Christian Slater and literally the whole cast .. It's just painful to see them go after 5 long years.
So at the end, The whole series was a perfect melody that we'll all be remembering for years to come .. Farewell Mr. Robot.
The best payoff and the best finale I have ever witnessed, truly masterful
aarongnr1 April 2020
This episode puts even the Breaking Bad finale to shame. My jaw was on the floor throughout the entire episode, I could not have wished for anything more beautiful. This was the most flawless episode I have ever seen (Aside from the Chernobyl finale, but I'm not gonna account miniseries here).
I am not sure if I will ever witness anything like this ever again. Thank you Sam Esmail for some of the most memorable hours, some of the most mindboggling twists, some of the most intense nailbiters and some of the most emotion payoffs in television history.
Thank you.
I am not sure if I will ever witness anything like this ever again. Thank you Sam Esmail for some of the most memorable hours, some of the most mindboggling twists, some of the most intense nailbiters and some of the most emotion payoffs in television history.
Thank you.
Goodbye Mr. Robot
anselmdaniel20 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This review contains spoilers
The season four finale for Mr. Robot is entitled "Hello, Elliot". The episode is the series finale for Mr. Robot and takes place immediately after the conclusion of the previous episode. Elliot begins to take the Alternate Elliot's place and tries to live his life.
The fourth season's finale is the final twist to Mr. Robot's story. The Elliot that the audience knew and followed is not the real Elliot and instead is "The Mastermind". The Elliot the audience knew is another personality of the real Elliot similar to Mr. Robot. This final twist is satisfying as it is the culmination of the story of Mr. Robot's fourth season in focusing on Elliot Alderson. Elliot was a disturbed individual as evidenced in the seventh episode of the fourth season. The events that he had to endure and the harsh point of views he took is indicative of a form of Elliot taking place. This was played magnificently by all of the actors in this episode.
The episode ends on a heartwarming note where the entire series was really about Elliot coming to terms with past mental trauma. At its heart, this is Darlene and Elliot's stories and it shows with this season finale. The season focused a lot on the relationship between these two and it paid off in the final scene.
I highly recommend the season four finale of Mr. Robot, "Hello, Elliot".
Grade: A
Mr. Robot Season Four
Mr. Robot's fourth season is the conclusion to the entire series. This conclusion is one of the best conclusions in television history. The fourth season wraps up many of its loose hanging story arcs with returning characters that were introduced in season two and season three. The fourth season has difficult and heartfelt moments that Elliot and the audience have to endure. The best episode that showcases this is episode seven.
Episode seven of Mr. Robot is by far one of the best episodes of Mr. Robot. This episode focuses exclusively on Elliot, Vera, and Krista Gordon. The episode explored deeply into Elliot's life and shed light on dark events in his past. The three in this episode and setup are masterfully acted and crafted. The episode utilizes Mr. Robot's central themes of isolation and trauma incredibly well.
The returning villain of Whiterose is at the center of this fourth season. Likewise Philip Price returns to aid Elliot Alderson in his mission to bring down Whiterose. The two talking and working together is an interesting change of pace from the previous seasons.
I highly recommend Mr. Robot's fourth season. This is one of the best Mr. Robot seasons as well as a great season of television.
Grade: A.
The season four finale for Mr. Robot is entitled "Hello, Elliot". The episode is the series finale for Mr. Robot and takes place immediately after the conclusion of the previous episode. Elliot begins to take the Alternate Elliot's place and tries to live his life.
The fourth season's finale is the final twist to Mr. Robot's story. The Elliot that the audience knew and followed is not the real Elliot and instead is "The Mastermind". The Elliot the audience knew is another personality of the real Elliot similar to Mr. Robot. This final twist is satisfying as it is the culmination of the story of Mr. Robot's fourth season in focusing on Elliot Alderson. Elliot was a disturbed individual as evidenced in the seventh episode of the fourth season. The events that he had to endure and the harsh point of views he took is indicative of a form of Elliot taking place. This was played magnificently by all of the actors in this episode.
The episode ends on a heartwarming note where the entire series was really about Elliot coming to terms with past mental trauma. At its heart, this is Darlene and Elliot's stories and it shows with this season finale. The season focused a lot on the relationship between these two and it paid off in the final scene.
I highly recommend the season four finale of Mr. Robot, "Hello, Elliot".
Grade: A
Mr. Robot Season Four
Mr. Robot's fourth season is the conclusion to the entire series. This conclusion is one of the best conclusions in television history. The fourth season wraps up many of its loose hanging story arcs with returning characters that were introduced in season two and season three. The fourth season has difficult and heartfelt moments that Elliot and the audience have to endure. The best episode that showcases this is episode seven.
Episode seven of Mr. Robot is by far one of the best episodes of Mr. Robot. This episode focuses exclusively on Elliot, Vera, and Krista Gordon. The episode explored deeply into Elliot's life and shed light on dark events in his past. The three in this episode and setup are masterfully acted and crafted. The episode utilizes Mr. Robot's central themes of isolation and trauma incredibly well.
The returning villain of Whiterose is at the center of this fourth season. Likewise Philip Price returns to aid Elliot Alderson in his mission to bring down Whiterose. The two talking and working together is an interesting change of pace from the previous seasons.
I highly recommend Mr. Robot's fourth season. This is one of the best Mr. Robot seasons as well as a great season of television.
Grade: A.
Beautiful ending to an amazing show.
sahanmalagala23 December 2019
This was a satisfying and emotional finale to a masterpiece of a show. Very little will top this as this show is undoubtedly incredible. From the cinematography, music, writing and acting. Everything is exceptional. The great thing about this show is that there is nothing like it, it is one of a kind and it is very unfortunate to see it go. Thank you Sam Esmail, Rami Malek, Christian Slater and everyone else involved in this Mr Robot.
This put Esmail on my face!
surajck423 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I stopped watching after season one, coz I thought they spoiled a great show on computer hacking by introducing psychological concepts. I was in only for the hacking and all the cool stuff.
A few weeks back I chanced upon how high the recent episodes have been getting rated. That made me come back to this show and pick up from where I had left off, with a fresh perspective.
And must I say, its has been one hell of a ride! There was always a thin dark cloud that has been wrapping the whole story up, few bits and pieces here and there that left us wondering what we were missing or what we are failing to expect.
This episode finally blows all the smoke away, and bids us farewell in the most fitting way possible. In the end, Elliot never knew we existed, and we never met Elliot.
A few weeks back I chanced upon how high the recent episodes have been getting rated. That made me come back to this show and pick up from where I had left off, with a fresh perspective.
And must I say, its has been one hell of a ride! There was always a thin dark cloud that has been wrapping the whole story up, few bits and pieces here and there that left us wondering what we were missing or what we are failing to expect.
This episode finally blows all the smoke away, and bids us farewell in the most fitting way possible. In the end, Elliot never knew we existed, and we never met Elliot.
Masterpiece like Breaking Bad
rusinov-vladimir23 December 2019
Phenomenal Season. With slightly LOST vibes at the end.
mkrapp-8212623 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
What a great second series finale to this show with 4.09 being the first. But I slightly got LOST vibes again. (Lost spoilers ahead)
Ending his character arc that way felt epic. So the whole show, we see mastermind interacting with mr. robot, while real elliot has to lay low in his dreamland loop. To give us that puzzle peace at the end feels right.. but was that really what season 4 was leading up to?
If you break it down through the seasons, all the hacking stuff arround evil corp and the dark army was building up white roses township plant machine. I was kinda hoping we would never see this machine in action. I didn't want time travel or dimensional travel in this show. I always thought white rose was building a new kind of gigantic atomic clock. Since his obsession with time. It would be kinda dumb but plausible. :D
Now we get to the LOST part.
Imagine you stand in front of a child, hiding something in your left hand. You build up a big mystery arround it and right before you seemingly will reveal the inside of it, you open up the right one with some choclate and the child goes "wooow". Forgetting everything about the left hand. This is how the show LOST made me feed. "Heeeyy, we changed the past so the plane never crashes and guess what, we show this all in the last season with FLASHSIDEWAYS." And in the very last episode its revealed that it were never flashsideways, but a glimpse in the afterlife. I felt cheated.
Mr. Robot took a similar route. "Heeeyyy, this is my big machine. Do you want to travel in parallel dimensions? Stick arround." OMG! Parallel Dimensions! "But do I have parallel dimensions in my left hand? I don't know.. but I have the third personality in the right."
I get that in order to make the third personality (the real elliot, which technically was the fifth) reveal more interesting, you can make it look like white roses machine actually worked. But some may feel a bit cheated.
Including my fifth personality. ;p
But other than that. Season 4 was a phenomenal blast. And I guess I will restart this series soon.
Ending his character arc that way felt epic. So the whole show, we see mastermind interacting with mr. robot, while real elliot has to lay low in his dreamland loop. To give us that puzzle peace at the end feels right.. but was that really what season 4 was leading up to?
If you break it down through the seasons, all the hacking stuff arround evil corp and the dark army was building up white roses township plant machine. I was kinda hoping we would never see this machine in action. I didn't want time travel or dimensional travel in this show. I always thought white rose was building a new kind of gigantic atomic clock. Since his obsession with time. It would be kinda dumb but plausible. :D
Now we get to the LOST part.
Imagine you stand in front of a child, hiding something in your left hand. You build up a big mystery arround it and right before you seemingly will reveal the inside of it, you open up the right one with some choclate and the child goes "wooow". Forgetting everything about the left hand. This is how the show LOST made me feed. "Heeeyy, we changed the past so the plane never crashes and guess what, we show this all in the last season with FLASHSIDEWAYS." And in the very last episode its revealed that it were never flashsideways, but a glimpse in the afterlife. I felt cheated.
Mr. Robot took a similar route. "Heeeyyy, this is my big machine. Do you want to travel in parallel dimensions? Stick arround." OMG! Parallel Dimensions! "But do I have parallel dimensions in my left hand? I don't know.. but I have the third personality in the right."
I get that in order to make the third personality (the real elliot, which technically was the fifth) reveal more interesting, you can make it look like white roses machine actually worked. But some may feel a bit cheated.
Including my fifth personality. ;p
But other than that. Season 4 was a phenomenal blast. And I guess I will restart this series soon.
Not really a fan
FiRE01017 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I didn't really care for this final twist.
My understanding of the twist is that the Elliot that we've been with: created Fsociety and planned out "Stage 1" and "Stage 2." He lied to the audience, making it out that Mr. Robot was the one doing all these things to feel like a hero. He was the "rage" personality taking radical action and "the mastermind" behind the plans just mentioned.
Lying can be really engaging and compelling in story-telling. Usually, it's a character lying to another character, but the audience is seeing the situation from the point of view of the character lied to. With Mr. Robot, we see things many things from Elliot's perspective. He's not lying to another character, he's lying directly to the audience, and arguably himself. He has a solid motivation for lying, he wants to make himself out as a hero. This is moderately compelling, and it is the final twist is that finally uncovers the lie. Unfortunately, I don't find it engaging; I think the build-up is poorly done.
Elliot was an unreliable narrator from the show's beginning; he speaks to the audience. The way his multi-personality disorder is presented inherently makes him an unreliable narrator, as well as more minor things, such as his perception of E-Corp as Evil Corp. But now, finding out that Elliot was unreliable in a particularly malicious way towards the audience. It brings everything portrayed from Elliot's perspective into deeper question, as now none of what is portrayed from Elliot's perspective is reliable concerning continuity. Earlier on, the way Elliot was an unreliable narrator felt more grounded. We would experience his struggle with him. We were with him as he went through his delusions from his dissociative identity disorder, but now we find out that his gaps were just sequences he didn't want to show the audience or whatever.
It feels like a cop-out. If I try to criticize parts of the show from Elliot's perspective, there's always the interpretation that: "No, that's not what happened. Elliot was tricking you." There is nothing wrong with ambiguity, but in most cases, the setup implies the payoff. With how the ambiguity is utilized with this twist, it doesn't.
From a story perspective; I think it's a bad idea to have ambiguity like this on such a wide scale, especially for a twist. And it makes the show makes any attempts to uncover this lie nearly impossible. This is because I feel the show was inadequate in providing setups that fell outside of its ambiguity. I found the final twist cheaply unpredictable regarding certain specifics. And it made the twist feel like it existed despite the rest of the show. I think this type of twist would've worked better in a movie, where the build-up to it could've been better polished. I've heard Mr. Robot was initially planned to be a movie, and unfortunately being a rather convoluted television show, made it cheaply unpredictable.
I thought it was apparent they would expand on the multi-personal disorder somehow. At one point, Elliot questions if Tyrell Wellick is just another personality of his, and more blatantly, and in hindsight, outside of ambiguity, the ending of 402. The specifics, though, feel entirely out of the left field.
I feel many "setups" for the twist, such as Angela handing Elliot a key and saying: "Elliot, you are the-" and it cutting out in 104, just to be reincorporated in the finale as: "Elliot, you are the mastermind." My problem, if not obvious, is Angela could've just said anything like: "Elliot, you are the coolest person in the world." Stuff like this doesn't signify anything. One of the only things I can think of that definitively does is the hallucination sequence in which the scene mentioned prior takes place. This sequence supposedly represents the world the "real Elliot" is trapped in. However, I think that concluding what we find out this hallucination is supposed to represent is entirely out of left field.
There are things that are correctly recontextualized where they undoubtedly signify something, such as the meetings between Mr. Robot and the other personalities in 409. This clearly signifies that Elliot is a created personality, but doesn't signify how exactly our Elliot is tricking the audience. I feel some parts allude to how Elliot is tricking us, such as the end of 406, where we have Mr. Robot musing: "What if Elliot isn't the hero?" but overall, I felt that aspect of the twist was utterly unpredictable. I think too much information is withheld from the audience to figure out the ending.
I also found situations like these incredibly disjointed. They end up being one of many in the show that is perceived as cryptic when first viewed. This is important to note. Your brain treats information and problems with one of two systems. System 1 is fast thinking; it's a reflexive way of thinking through a situation. When your brain operates in this state, what it experiences is stored in short-term memory. This is done mostly for repetitive tasks. Say you take out the garbage. Unless something particularly unique occurs, you'll never remember it; it takes little thinking. It relies on long-term memory from when you learned to take out the garbage. System 2 is slow thinking when you are presented with new problems to solve, which is more likely to be placed in long-term memory. Unfortunately, many situations in the show are cryptic or vague, and a sizable percentage of them had no significance in the first place or stay undefined. Because of this I inadvertently trained my brain to use System 1 for these sequences, and I engaged with these sequences that set up the final twist in the same way I learned to with the others. To put them into the backlog of my mind, potentially completely forgetting them and hoping they will be explained later. I was never encouraged to engage with them otherwise. I feel the best path to improve this seems simple: Don't make a lot of elements of your story cryptic outside of stuff that sets up your twist, so its importance is properly signified. But, how Mr. Robot is done, fails to engage me.
I stated that I feel like the twist exists despite the show. The stuff mentioned with Elliot is one of these reasons, but ultimately the stuff with Elliot would be fine if the other characters were written around this twist...I don't feel any characters are written for this twist. Many characters feel like they only exist so that people around Elliot have died, such as Trenton, Mobley, Angela, Tyrell, Cisco, etc. These characters feel like they are just needed for a checklist of people dying, and these characters could be applied to a myriad of other tragic stories. They are not explicitly written for the twist. Also, Whiterose initially feels like she's written to reflect Elliot and Mr. Robot's dynamic in the earlier seasons. Yet, in the later seasons, with stuff such as the backstory she receives, all feel to be written so that the fakeout of her machine is initially believable. And Darlene: In the final episode, we find out that Darlene knew the entire time that our Elliot wasn't the "real Elliot." My main issue is that Darlene struggled with many personal problems, none of which I felt were explored, though likely they just couldn't, so a twist such as this could work, but ultimately her issues are vaguely coped with. The twist recontextualizes her character to that she had multiple things she was already struggling with, but knowing our Elliot wasn't the real one was another one of these. The twist simply adds one more layer to her checklist of personal struggles. I don't feel anything we are shown with her character before the twist is specific for the twist.
The entire appeal of mystery stories is being given pieces of information, but only enough to maybe figure out what was happening. Then an aspect of the information you likely overlooked is pointed out to you, or the pieces of information are put together in a way you didn't expect. It's engaging because you're provided a puzzle to solve, and to predict it beforehand you would have to put the pieces together by yourself. However, Mr. Robot is either too convoluted for me to identify all the pieces, or vital pieces are completely withheld, making it impossible to definitively predict. And ultimately, I feel this twist ended up going more for shock value than being compelling, and I have to question if many of those who like it have hindsight bias.
My understanding of the twist is that the Elliot that we've been with: created Fsociety and planned out "Stage 1" and "Stage 2." He lied to the audience, making it out that Mr. Robot was the one doing all these things to feel like a hero. He was the "rage" personality taking radical action and "the mastermind" behind the plans just mentioned.
Lying can be really engaging and compelling in story-telling. Usually, it's a character lying to another character, but the audience is seeing the situation from the point of view of the character lied to. With Mr. Robot, we see things many things from Elliot's perspective. He's not lying to another character, he's lying directly to the audience, and arguably himself. He has a solid motivation for lying, he wants to make himself out as a hero. This is moderately compelling, and it is the final twist is that finally uncovers the lie. Unfortunately, I don't find it engaging; I think the build-up is poorly done.
Elliot was an unreliable narrator from the show's beginning; he speaks to the audience. The way his multi-personality disorder is presented inherently makes him an unreliable narrator, as well as more minor things, such as his perception of E-Corp as Evil Corp. But now, finding out that Elliot was unreliable in a particularly malicious way towards the audience. It brings everything portrayed from Elliot's perspective into deeper question, as now none of what is portrayed from Elliot's perspective is reliable concerning continuity. Earlier on, the way Elliot was an unreliable narrator felt more grounded. We would experience his struggle with him. We were with him as he went through his delusions from his dissociative identity disorder, but now we find out that his gaps were just sequences he didn't want to show the audience or whatever.
It feels like a cop-out. If I try to criticize parts of the show from Elliot's perspective, there's always the interpretation that: "No, that's not what happened. Elliot was tricking you." There is nothing wrong with ambiguity, but in most cases, the setup implies the payoff. With how the ambiguity is utilized with this twist, it doesn't.
From a story perspective; I think it's a bad idea to have ambiguity like this on such a wide scale, especially for a twist. And it makes the show makes any attempts to uncover this lie nearly impossible. This is because I feel the show was inadequate in providing setups that fell outside of its ambiguity. I found the final twist cheaply unpredictable regarding certain specifics. And it made the twist feel like it existed despite the rest of the show. I think this type of twist would've worked better in a movie, where the build-up to it could've been better polished. I've heard Mr. Robot was initially planned to be a movie, and unfortunately being a rather convoluted television show, made it cheaply unpredictable.
I thought it was apparent they would expand on the multi-personal disorder somehow. At one point, Elliot questions if Tyrell Wellick is just another personality of his, and more blatantly, and in hindsight, outside of ambiguity, the ending of 402. The specifics, though, feel entirely out of the left field.
I feel many "setups" for the twist, such as Angela handing Elliot a key and saying: "Elliot, you are the-" and it cutting out in 104, just to be reincorporated in the finale as: "Elliot, you are the mastermind." My problem, if not obvious, is Angela could've just said anything like: "Elliot, you are the coolest person in the world." Stuff like this doesn't signify anything. One of the only things I can think of that definitively does is the hallucination sequence in which the scene mentioned prior takes place. This sequence supposedly represents the world the "real Elliot" is trapped in. However, I think that concluding what we find out this hallucination is supposed to represent is entirely out of left field.
There are things that are correctly recontextualized where they undoubtedly signify something, such as the meetings between Mr. Robot and the other personalities in 409. This clearly signifies that Elliot is a created personality, but doesn't signify how exactly our Elliot is tricking the audience. I feel some parts allude to how Elliot is tricking us, such as the end of 406, where we have Mr. Robot musing: "What if Elliot isn't the hero?" but overall, I felt that aspect of the twist was utterly unpredictable. I think too much information is withheld from the audience to figure out the ending.
I also found situations like these incredibly disjointed. They end up being one of many in the show that is perceived as cryptic when first viewed. This is important to note. Your brain treats information and problems with one of two systems. System 1 is fast thinking; it's a reflexive way of thinking through a situation. When your brain operates in this state, what it experiences is stored in short-term memory. This is done mostly for repetitive tasks. Say you take out the garbage. Unless something particularly unique occurs, you'll never remember it; it takes little thinking. It relies on long-term memory from when you learned to take out the garbage. System 2 is slow thinking when you are presented with new problems to solve, which is more likely to be placed in long-term memory. Unfortunately, many situations in the show are cryptic or vague, and a sizable percentage of them had no significance in the first place or stay undefined. Because of this I inadvertently trained my brain to use System 1 for these sequences, and I engaged with these sequences that set up the final twist in the same way I learned to with the others. To put them into the backlog of my mind, potentially completely forgetting them and hoping they will be explained later. I was never encouraged to engage with them otherwise. I feel the best path to improve this seems simple: Don't make a lot of elements of your story cryptic outside of stuff that sets up your twist, so its importance is properly signified. But, how Mr. Robot is done, fails to engage me.
I stated that I feel like the twist exists despite the show. The stuff mentioned with Elliot is one of these reasons, but ultimately the stuff with Elliot would be fine if the other characters were written around this twist...I don't feel any characters are written for this twist. Many characters feel like they only exist so that people around Elliot have died, such as Trenton, Mobley, Angela, Tyrell, Cisco, etc. These characters feel like they are just needed for a checklist of people dying, and these characters could be applied to a myriad of other tragic stories. They are not explicitly written for the twist. Also, Whiterose initially feels like she's written to reflect Elliot and Mr. Robot's dynamic in the earlier seasons. Yet, in the later seasons, with stuff such as the backstory she receives, all feel to be written so that the fakeout of her machine is initially believable. And Darlene: In the final episode, we find out that Darlene knew the entire time that our Elliot wasn't the "real Elliot." My main issue is that Darlene struggled with many personal problems, none of which I felt were explored, though likely they just couldn't, so a twist such as this could work, but ultimately her issues are vaguely coped with. The twist recontextualizes her character to that she had multiple things she was already struggling with, but knowing our Elliot wasn't the real one was another one of these. The twist simply adds one more layer to her checklist of personal struggles. I don't feel anything we are shown with her character before the twist is specific for the twist.
The entire appeal of mystery stories is being given pieces of information, but only enough to maybe figure out what was happening. Then an aspect of the information you likely overlooked is pointed out to you, or the pieces of information are put together in a way you didn't expect. It's engaging because you're provided a puzzle to solve, and to predict it beforehand you would have to put the pieces together by yourself. However, Mr. Robot is either too convoluted for me to identify all the pieces, or vital pieces are completely withheld, making it impossible to definitively predict. And ultimately, I feel this twist ended up going more for shock value than being compelling, and I have to question if many of those who like it have hindsight bias.
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