Here's What We Know Happened in the 'Mr. Robot' Season Finale
Mr. Robot is a futile search for absolute clarity. fSociety seeks a world clear of all corporations and the stranglehold of banks and records. Elliot is trying to find clarity of mind and reality. The FBI wants a clear picture of who executed the 5/9 hack. Throughout it all, the viewer, Elliot's loyal second person, wants a clear understanding of what the hell anyone is doing or thinking.
But, again, in the chaos that is Mr. Robot (and in the chaos that is reality), there will never be absolute clarity. Our attempts, even with all our beautiful technology, are in vain. Such is the experience watching Sam Esmail's Emmy-winning series, one that leaves the viewer grasping for coherence among the beautiful, frustrating, brilliant, and often pretentious, narrative. In the end, we strive to hold on to the things we truly understand, which, as it turns out, is very little.
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Season Two of Mr. Robot-12 episodes that ranged from boring, to overwrought, to stunning-concluded with a middle finger more aggravating than when Game of Thrones left Jon Snow lying in a pool of his own blood. Just as it felt like it had just gotten started (and in many ways it had by the eighth episode) Mr. Robot's second season cut out suddenly in its finale at its narrative peak. As such we're left with a number of mid-tension cliffhangers that are more annoyingly (rather than tantalizingly) abandoned until next season. Let's briefly outline the puzzles we're left with:
After the shootout in the diner, Cisco is dead and Dom DiPierro has finally caught Darlene. After trying to get Darlene to play ball, Dom decides the only thing she has left to do is show her full hand. And it turns out the FBI actually knows everything.
Joanna has tracked down who was sending her little gifts and calling her. It's not Tyrell. No, it is Scott Knowles, the eCorp exec/husband of Sharon, whom Tyrell killed. (Following? At all?) In a completely hard to watch scene, Joanna, after learning the truth, says some horrible shit to Scott, who is taunted into beating the hell out of her. As revenge, Joanna tries to get her boy-toy to frame Scott for his wife's death. This all, however, does very little for the main plot, other than provide a clue about the existence of Tyrell.
Which leads us to the final rage-inducing question of the Season Two finale: Is Tyrell dead? Alive? A figment of Elliot's imagination? Here's where we're left: Tyrell brings Elliott to a warehouse near eCorp where a Dark Army thug leads them to where they'll be executing Phase Two of the 5/9 hack. Phase Two, it turns out, is to blow up all of the remaining physical records that they're trying to use to scrape together what's left of corporate power (which seems like a pretty antiquated plan, given the eCorp CEOs have already maneuvered to gain a global monopoly on e-coin). Anyway, Elliot is worried that this plan will kill innocent people-which, honestly, is something he's almost directly guilty of through his previous actions-and refuses to go through with it. He ends up in an argument between both himself and Mr. Robot (who is actually him) and Tyrell (who could be him?). Then Tyrell threatens Elliot with a gun. Elliot convinces himself that Tyrell is in his mind. Tyrell shoots Elliot.
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Call it the cyberpunk version of a Game of Thrones ending. Or not.
Because, at the every end, Angela gets a call from a voice that may or may not be Tyrell or Elliot or both. Oh, also, Leon-aka Joey Bada$$, Elliot's friend from prison, whom I would argue is the only likable character this season-show up wherever Trenton and Mobley have fled to.
In the coming weeks, months, and year there will be theories upon theories upon theories. But, really what we're left with that we can bank on is what we know.
• We know Tyrell was not contacting his wife.
• We know Mr. Robot has shot Elliot before, and even though there was blood, no physical harm was done.
• We sure as fuck know Elliot is not a reliable narrator-one who often invents entire different realities and personas to complete his mission.
• We know that Elliot has often gone through great lengths-putting himself in prison-for the greater good of the plan. Even if Tyrell is a figment of his imagination, we know it wouldn't be a stretch for him to shoot himself in the gut for some goddamn reason that involves completing Phase Two.
• We now know that Angela has been in contact with someone she evidently thinks is Tyrell.
•We know over the phone Angela mentioned something about "when he wakes up," so we can assume that she both knew he would be shot and that he wouldn't die-at least right away.
• We know no one else has acknowledged the physical Tyrell since he's returned.
• We know Rami Malek just won an Emmy for his portrayal of the batshit Elliot Anderson, and it would be absurd for him to be killed off.
These are the things we know, and we'll definitely find more facts we know in the coming year as we agonize over how this season ended.
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