My Brutal Opinion: Mr. Robot, Episodes I and II
The USA series Mr. Robot is a commentary on technology and its intersection with many hot topics including love, mental illness, capitalism, and human connection. I appreciate all that the show is trying to accomplish, and I will admit that it had me on the edge of my seat watching for men in black suits around every corner, searching for clues that Mr. Robot is a hallucination from Elliot's mind, and questioning my own ethical boundaries. I do, however, have many critiques about the show after viewing the first two episodes.
Firstly, I take issue with the way that the show depicts mental illness. I am not a psychologist, but it is clear that the show's writers aren't, either. They have taken characteristics from mental illnesses that are often glorified in the media, such as intellectual giftedness and social awkwardness, and put them together in an incredibly handsome, mysterious, and "troubled" young man. As I said before, I'm not a psychologist and am not asserting that I have any kind of exceptional ability to identify and diagnose mental disorders in others. I am merely saying that, as a viewer, I found Elliot's character to be contradictory and unrealistic. I believe that, when people from minority groups are depicted in media, it is the creator's job to depict them in a realistic fashion that brings insight and awareness to the general public. I don't believe that Elliot's character does this. I don't appreciate that unhealthy and problematic behaviors, such as skipping his schizophrenia medication, following his hallucinations, manipulating the lives of others, and abusing drugs, are glorified through his character.
I have nothing against young beautiful people, and I understand that Hollywood places a lot of importance on sexuality and physical attraction. I enjoy shows most when they adequately reflect reality, and the fact that Mr. Robot's cast is made of predominantly thin, beautiful, and stylish young adults keeps me from becoming invested in the show's virtual world. Take, for example, the blonde best friend with long hair always perfectly made up into trendy updo's that walks around her apartment naked with perfectly done makeup, or the edgy model/hacker who also walks around naked in Elliot's apartment and makes boy's clothing look like an Urban Outfitter's catalogue, the attractive drug dealer down the hallway that they try their best to "grunge up" with a little smudged eyeliner, or even the young new executive with piercing blue eyes and the bone structure of a greek god. It's all enough to keep me from seeing these characters as real, multidimensional beings. The fact that we see three young, naked, thin white women (the drug dealer, the friend, and the hacker) in the span of two forty-minute episodes makes me seriously question the validity of the story and its characters.
As a whole, I think that the show's plot and characters are cheap and unoriginal. I thought back to critics of the Social Network's glorification of computer programming when Elliot was whisked away on a private jet in the middle of the night to race against the clock and save Evil Corps, and I just couldn't buy the secret "F Society" headquarters in a cool, abandoned arcade on Coney Island run by an eccentric old man and his band of misfits. I don't see myself continuing in the series unless someone can prove to me that the show becomes more substantial or artistically motivated in the future. I have nothing against the show's creators, and I understand that ploys like these are often necessarily to get a network show off the ground in its early episodes. For now, I don't feel much of an urge to uncover the mystery behind Mr. Robot anytime soon.
