'Mr. Robot': The Most Radical New Show You'll See This Summer
Mr. Robot follows the thoughts and actions of Elliot (Rami Malek), a young employee of a cyber-security firm who dreams of nothing less than taking down a huge chunk of this country’s online financial system. As he sees it, his enemy is “the top 1 percent of the top 1 percent” that is “playing God without permission.” The beneficiaries of his wily good will would be anyone who owes money, from struggling home buyers to college-loan debtors.
If Mr. Robot — premiering Wednesday night on USA and created by Sam Esmail — is a hit, it will be the most radical-minded TV series ever shown on basic cable, a dark triumph originating from the network that usually showcases blue-sky dramas such as Royal Pains, Suits, and Burn Notice. Mr. Robot, though, aims to burn the rich.
In Mr. Robot, Elliot, a disaffected computer genius, sees an opportunity to hobble a multinational corporation, here called E Corp. It’s a prospect that dovetails nicely with the goals of Mr. Robot, the leader of a group of anarchist hackers, played Christian Slater. His character is as outgoing and chatty as Elliot is shut-down and terse. Mr. Robot seeks to bring off nothing less than “the single biggest incident of wealth redistribution in history.” When Elliot hears Mr. Robot’s assertion, this young man — who suffers from a personality disorder that makes him prone to depression — perks up considerably. Bill O’Reilly, I think we’ve found your new pop-culture nemesis: Time to get the folks, as you like to call them, out on the street protesting Mr. Robot!
Mr. Robot’s pilot moves at a swift pace, doing a great job of layering in its technological information via unforced dialogue and implication. The show grants its audience the sophistication to realize that, even if you don’t quite understand how the devious plan will be executed, the why of it — the motives and ideas behind it — are crystal clear. You find yourself rooting for Elliot, a chilly eccentric who would normally be a secondary character, an eccentric oddball of the sorts that clog up lesser shows like NCIS, Criminal Minds, and CSI: Cyber. Malek, who has appeared in The Pacific and the Night at the Museum movies, gives a subtle performance that brings you over to Elliot’s side even as you understand why this kid really needs the therapy sessions he has with a clinician played by Gloria Reuben.
For all its cynicism about the elites who run the finances of the country, Mr. Robot is almost genially high-spirited: It excites you to keep following Elliot, Mr. Robot, and their improbable plan of revenge. The series will resonate with anyone who’s ever had so much as a glancing encounter with an infuriatingly impassive computer voice telling you your checking account is empty when you know damn well you deposited $200 into it three days ago. I can’t wait to see the next episode.
Mr. Robot airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on USA.
