OT - Mr. Robot
- Public Service Annoucment - To All TV (self-proclaimed) Afficianados
This one snuck by me for almost a year. I heard about the Golden Globe win, but I chalked it up to a hot take win like Shakepeare in Love at the Oscars. After all, this is the USA Network, the people behind such modern classics as "In Plain Sight" and "Burn Notice." No way this is legit.
Wrong. Very Wrong. This show is top notch from the jump. For those not fully aware, Mr. Robot is a computer hacker based drama that combines very current subject matter with a throw back retro feel with the title sequence graphics and the uninhibited use of Christian Slater(subtly brilliant). In wine lingo, this is a vintage Fincher with notes of Kubrick and Spike Jones.
I highly recommend this show if you have not watced it yet. I am only through epsiode 7 and I am very hooked. For those that still subscribe to nasty, filthy, money grubbing, bastard-child bundled cable services, all of season 1 is On-Demand right now and season 2 starts in July. Give it a binge if you have the chance.
I agree it's a really good show, and completely off brand for USA, but in a good way.
I tried to watch the first episode but it couldn't hold my attention enough to follow what was going on. I've been meaning to try again, but right now I'm busy forcing my friends to watch Crazy Ex Girlfriend, which is a surprisingly amazing show.
You should try staring at flashing lights. Or a ceiling fan.
The little blinking light on a waffle iron also offers top notch entertainment for those with weak attention spans.
I grew up with Darryl Whitefeather (Pete Gardner) from Crazy Ex-GF... great guy and one of the funniest people I have ever known.
I've been using Mr. Robot as my internet handle for over a decade, and now whenever I am playing games on Steam everyone thinks it's because of this show.
its Mr. Robot, just like the show :)
Yea if there was another person out there or a show refered to as Mean Joe I'd be pissed. So glad no one else has been called Mean Joe.
Who is that?!?
Exactly! No talent ass clowns...
You could always work harder until you earn Dr. Robot.
Should have trademarked it...
(I realize that you probably couldn't have trademarked it, since it's unlikely you were using it as a mark in commerce...)
USA = U Suck A lot
Shut your whore mouth. 'Merica.
Thanks for the review. Computer nerds don't do as much for me as gratuitous sex and violence a la Spartacus or GOT
there is gratuitous sex and violence. I mean, let's be serious, I wouldn't be watching it if there wasn't. Of course it is a basic cable show they have to stop short of the real good soft porn stuff, but they throw in some risky scenes.
...terrific stuff. You all should watch Breaking Bad. Sleeper hit.
burn bro
It'll never catch on.
then you will love Zoombies. Animals at a zoo become zombies and all hell breaks loose. Cameo appearance by Mean Joe.
Been a fan since the pilot. Excellent main actor.
I kind of feel like we should have a thread for these last few episodes of the season of The Americans coming up. Anyone down ?
Mmmmm...Keri Russell.
But I am more of the former Mrs Beaman kind of guy
I just started the Americans about a week ago when someone in another thread said it was the best show on TV and highly underrated I agree. It's all around phenomenal. I'm just 5 or 6 episodes into Season 2, so if you started a thread... give a spoiler alert please!
For my money, it's the best show in TV right now. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are incredible.
In another thread last week that were hyping it up. FX is killing it lately as I personally think Fargo is neck and neck with The Americans as the top drama series on right now.
I actually prefer Fargo, mainly because I really like what having a limited number of episodes does for a show. So they need to tell the story and wrap it up all in one season before they start a new story with a new cast next season. No dragged out plotlines or filler episodes. Too many shows just drag it out until everyone stops watching out of boredom.
Fargo and Americans are both top notch shows.
I concur. Such a surprise when I randomly watched an episode last summer about 5 episodes in. It's extremely well done with great acting. Total surprise for USA. Can't recommend it to people enough.
seemed to wander as it got closer to the end of season 1, and eventually became hard to watch. The early episodes in season 1 were much better and very good IMO. Maybe season 2 will bring new life.
is disappointing. It is really clicking at the point where I am at right now. I have wondered whether it is going to be able to hold it together. I am going to finish it out in any case and will watch season 2.
I didn't think the show fell off in quality at all. It and The Americans are the best shows on television IMO. I've recommended Mr. Robot to a bunch of people.
The show isn't perfect, none are, but most plot lines picked up a lot of steam and there were some solid cliff hangers ending season one. Would love to expand but don't want to spoil anything.
Agree to disagree I guess. I'd argue the plot just broadened in scope and started to show glimpses of the real end game. That was after some truly great episodes introducing characters and of course the "who is mr robot reveal". This show is planned to be a set number of episodes/seasons to achieve the director/writer's goals - like breaking bad. So they won't mess with the show just to extend the hype and $.
From what I understand Mr Robot was a movie script that was broken down into 2 seasons worth of content for a TV show. Now that it has turned out to be as popular as it is I really hope they don't abandon that in order to extend the show and sacrifice on the quality they established in s1.
I don't agree with you...I think the show changed based on circumstances but hard to watch isn't equal to worse. As far as first seasons go, I thought it was superb.
I do agree a bit with the wandering plotlines but thoguht the end of the season tied things up fairly well and set it up for a potentially excellent season 2.
.....for the review.
I will probably never watch Mr. Robot but Christian Slater was flipping awesome in Archer Season's 5 and 6.
For the infinity-eth time!
+1,000
Good reminder that the soundtrack is the shit too. Sorry, no chance the rapper though.
https://youtu.be/faG8RiaANek
song is used brilliantly on The Leftovers as well.
I'm not sure if that is a genius nod to Fight Club or too on the nose
Gotta be the former. The nods to fight club (and the plain plot similarities) are too obvious to be on accident. That's why I never minded them. The main one was obvious long before it was revealed, and the other similarities are themes basically. A lot of nuance in mr robot that has nothing to do with fight club other than disdain for corporate America and capitalism.
I've seen the show's creator, Sam Esmail, say that in an interview.
Archetypes are archetypes for a reason, so it never bothered me too much. However, I am still on the fence about how much is too much in the line between paying homage and outright copying.
I’ll give Mr Robot this this though, it has a much more convincing protagonist than Fight Club. It’s hard to suspend disbelief in Fight Club and go along with the anti-social, anti-corporate ethos as it is being spouted by arguable one of the worlds most recognized faces.
the most obvious nod is to Fight Club (I have not gotten there yet but the show is not exactly playing hard to get on that element), I really don't think that Fight Club is really the strongest influence on the show, thematically or cinematically. Thematically, I think it shares ideas closer to The Matrix. Stylistically, once again Fight Club is the easiest parallel but I really see more of Seven, A Clockwork Orange and even Gone Girl.