Mr Robot is a thriller series based on the protagonist Elliot (Rami Malek) – a brilliant hacker crippled by social anxiety – his group FSociety and their fight against a global conglomerate and the financial status quo. Creator Sam Esmail was inspired by the Arab Spring of 2011, and the role technology and the youth of these countries played in their revolt against dictatorships. Channelling their anger at the system and their hope for a better life.
The show is based on a first-person point of view with Elliot doing most of the narration – addressing us, the viewers, as his friend and confidante. Elliot is an unassuming young man (this cannot be stressed enough, he wears a black hoodie with the hood pulled up all the time. Really. No matter the weather.) Armed with unparalleled hacking skills and an almost blunt wisdom which lets him see through people with almost childlike innocence and brutality. Elliot also has an enduring determination to make the world a better place by hacking into villainous groups such as drug gangs and paedophile rings, and giving them up to the authorities with no obvious direct profit to himself. Esmail made sure the hacking was authentic and had in-house experts developing the software and technology for the show.
Throughout the series Elliot hides his trauma and issues well, and his relationship with the elusive and mysterious Mr Robot is mired in secrecy. A show where you are constantly second-guessing motives, which is further compounded by Elliot’s unstable narration. Intellectually, Mr Robot really keeps you on the edge of your seat, especially in exploring how technology has changed the world; whether in terms of power dynamics and vulnerabilities – like how easy it is to hack into an organisation and bring about its ruin – or with relationships and how in spite of all the information available on people, we are still quite isolated.
All in all, this show guarantees to keep you hooked and to question the things around you – all the while keeping you entertained.
Creator: Sam Esmail
Other notable works:
- Gaslit 2022
- Homecoming 2018 –
