S01.E09: eps1.8_m1rr0r1ng.qt

[formerlyfreedom]

The Evil Corp hack is threatened by a mystery man from Elliot's past.

 

 

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Please go away Christian Slater.

[dgpolo]

So, that happened.

One shot I really liked, on the train platform with Elliot and Mr Robot, they are placed so it looks like one body with two heads. Creepy.

Also creepy? that the childhood house hasn't been changed much and the family is considered weird especially the dad.

[benteen]

Really good episode with strong development on all fronts.  Not sure how things are going to play out next week.

[Cardie]

Elliot's going to find out that the crazy in his head is a lot more manageable than the crazy who's his new BFF.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Once again, Rami Malek killed it.

He's why I keep coming back.

[thuganomics85]

So, the episode seemed to play around with a "Maybe the dad is real, and his death was a cover-up" at first, but now it looks like they've officially confirmed that he's just in Elliot's head.  Who knows with this show?  Either way, kind of obvious, but at least the show seemed to be aware of it by having Elliot's voice-over be all "Y'all already knew, didn't you!" to "us."  I also liked his "Y'all are going to make me say it, right?", before he admits he is Mr. Robot.

 

Have to say, Angela possibly working for Evil Corp was a twist I never would have saw coming.  Will she do it?  Honestly, maybe.  If she does, I can only imagine what Elliot (and Darlene) would think.

 

Tyrell finally hit an all time low, by not only getting fired, but Joanna basically said they are done, if he doesn't get his shit together. So, he's now more or less joined Elliot and Fsociety.  I can't wait for the batshit craziness that should entail.

 

Poor Gideon.  I hope me somehow makes it out of this, not completely destroyed.

 

I hope next season gives us more Darlene and Angela, because I'm really starting to dig that duo.

[benteen]

Yeah, Angela's offer was something I didn't see coming.  Could be very intriguing and I like the idea of her "infiltrating" from the inside.

 

I enjoyed the opening flashback a lot and how new businesses kept springing up over the next 20 years.

Edited August 20, 2015 by benteen

[tennisgurl]

Wow. That was a lot to happen in just one episode. They just kept springing stuff on us.

 

Rami Malek is just killing it. Its tragic he will never see any Emmy love for this show.

 

This is going to need a re-watch. Its like fight club, but with computers instead of punching! 

[MrsRafaelBarba]

@tennisgirl...

Truth be told, Rami stands a better chance with the Golden Globes and SAG Awards.

He'll probably get Lead Actor nominations from them.

The Emmys, would be a pleasant and well deserved surprise.

[benteen]

Golden Globes I can see for sure...they're very good at recognizing actors from the CW and so on.  Emmys I'm not sure but it would be a crime if he didn't get a nomination.

[alias1]

Yeah, Angela's offer was something I didn't see coming.  Could be very intriguing and I like the idea of her "infiltrating" from the inside.

 

I enjoyed the opening flashback a lot and how new businesses kept springing up over the next 20 years.

This show has been so creative with the opening credits.  The Mr Robot title has been shown a different way every week. 

 

Tyrell is really, really creepy.  At least Elliot had the foresight to say it was just him when he was asked who else was in fsociety.

 

I need a refresher on how Tyrell and Elliot even know each other.    

 

Angela working on the inside would be a good twist, but it didn't seem realistic to me that she would be offered that job.  Was it for real or some con job on the part of Evil Corp?

Edited August 20, 2015 by SierraMist

[Bama]

God, I love Rami Malek.

 

Tyrell and Elliot met at an onsite Allsafe meeting.  That's the first time we see them meet but I can't remember the exact dialogue to know if it's actually the first time they met.  I think it was in episode 1.

 

I tried to find the scene on youtube but all I got was a bunch of fanficcy Elliot and Tyrell shipper tribute videos.

[that one guy]

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.

 

Sorry. I really liked this episode. I really like this show. I love that Elliot is only the second craziest person on this show, and the first craziest has already put on the plastic gloves so that his fingerprints won't be found on Elliot's body. Eek.

 

I watched the end of Ones and Zeroes after this and it fits. Mr. Robot is all "Did you ever think he was right?" Yeah.

 

Then they played that fantastic piano version of "Where is My Mind," the Pixies song from Fight Club.  Not running from the source material at all. I don't think I've approved of an episode of TV this much since "Downloaded" on Battlestar Galactica. I don't quite know what to say, except "F**k Yeak" and thank you Sam Esmail, Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Portia Doubleday, and Cary Chaikin. And also, I was annoyed by Angela the first few episodes and I would totally hire her now too. Not hyperbole. I have a good team that's overworked and I could use an aggressive techie with a bit of self righteousness to ride herd on some contracts...she's perfect. I don't even consider it a "twist" that E corp wants to hire her. Of course they do.

[sluggish neko]

I was all, Yeah! Elliot got Mr. Robot back for pushing him off the balcony... until I realized he threw himself out the window. Dammit Elliot, how many times are you going to keep throwing yourself off high places?

 

Elliot looked so devastated when he realized that he was hallucinating Mr. Robot and his real father was dead dead. He can never make up for betraying his father, except in his mind. It was sweet to see their bond in that opening flashback in the Mr. Robot store (and yeah I agree, that customer was a real prick). Also sweet? The sisterly dynamic between Angela and Darlene whose characterizations have really improved over these last few episodes.

 

Tyrell has become totally unhinged. His plan to climb the corporate ladder was an EPIC FAIL. I'm guessing he's using Elliot as some way to get rid of his CTO competition and return to Evil Corp? Or he could be plotting something even crazier. Who knows with him? The guy likes strangling people.

 

Where can I find a husband like Gideon's?

[Chicago Redshirt]

We saw in the pilot that Tyrell visited Allsafe and introduced himself to Elliott. it may be that they already met and they were just acting like they were strangers.

When Elliot stopped the hack, they crossed paths again.

They met a third time when Tyrell offered Elliot a job at Evil Corp and told him that Evil Corp was planning to internalize its cyber security stuff.

And a fourth time when Elliot was in the process of hacking Steel Mountain.

Finally, they met once when Elliot was in Mr. Robot mode in such a way that suggested a long relationship.

Edited August 20, 2015 by Chicago Redshirt

[artieLange]

Beautiful ending with where is my mind 10/10, best episode so far IMO

[Hosl]

Can someone please explain to me how the whole heroin thing went down? Elliot got shot in the house, but wakes up in the hotel. If his dad isn't real, who got him back to the hotel??

[that one guy]

Can someone please explain to me how the whole heroin thing went down? Elliot got shot in the house, but wakes up in the hotel. If his dad isn't real, who got him back to the hotel??

 

It never happened. Elliot was in withdrawal at the hotel and hallucinated the whole thing. You can tell, because Mr. Robot was interacting with people.

[DEM]

This show has been so creative with the opening credits.  The Mr Robot title has been shown a different way every week. 

 

It took me a second to realise what I was seeing this week, and then I cheered.  Well done, show!

 

The scene between Elliot and Mr Robot in Elliot's apartment... I can hardly describe how painful that was to watch.  I could "see" Elliot having a break even with Christian Slater as a physical presence.

 

I want to give kudos to director Tricia Brock.

 

What's Colby's angle with Angela, I wonder.  Is E Corp trying to draw her into a lawsuit-compromising position? Is Colby trying to stick it to his former associates?  Does E Corp think she's their type, so they're pouncing on the opportunity to absorb more evil?

 

I need Elliot and Darlene and Angela all to talk with one another.  Just spend a day alone hashing things out.  They're all in such precarious positions right now.

 

On a lighter note, I chuckled a bit at the Blank's Disk fire, even though the owner instantly elicited my sympathy. All I could think of was whiterose's cigarette.  But won't someone please help Gideon?  Dude is stuck in a grand web of ever-morphing, ever-metastasising crap.

Edited August 20, 2015 by DEM

[Netfoot]

Young Elliot who stole the $20?  Appearance-wise he may not have been very much like today's Elliot,  but mannerisms, gestures. etc he got it spot on.  Who was that kid?  A future star actor in the making. 

[Hosl]

I think that E Corp will tie all of them together somehow. Remember that job offer Elliot rejected at the start? Will he be mad at Angela? Will Angela give them an ultimatum; Her and Elliot or nothing? What else is Elliot going to remember?

[justmehere]

I don't understand the SUV meeting between Mr. Robot/Elliot and Tyrell and the secret Tyrell says he has. It doesn't seem to fit with the visit at the end of this episode. Maybe there's more info to come next week, but I can't reconcile that incident of familiarity with the apparent unfamiliarity of everything else between them.

[Ruby25]

So they must be saving the Angela reveal for next week, but I'm still convinced they were a couple. That funny look he gave her after she hugged him and walked away meant something.

[editorgrrl]

I don't understand the SUV meeting between Mr. Robot/Elliot and Tyrell and the secret Tyrell says he has. It doesn't seem to fit with the visit at the end of this episode. Maybe there's more info to come next week, but I can't reconcile that incident of familiarity with the apparent unfamiliarity of everything else between them.

Elliot's an unreliable narrator. This episode, Tyrell put on the rubber gloves, then it jump-cut to the arcade. For all we know, "Tyrell" could be a nurse.

Last episode, we might have thought Mr. Robot's "dirty little secret" was Fsociety. But now it's safe to assume Tyrell knows Elliot is crazy.

[monkeypox]

Angela working at Evil Corp is going to be just like Angel working at Wolfram and Hart. Only with less demons and more daemons. And better hair. I can't wait!

[riverheightsnancy]

This will be an unpopular opinion, and I will preface this by saying that I actually really like the show, but they are playing fast and loose with the schizophrenia diagnosis practically bordering on multiple personalities (the way it is presented). This is a big WTF for me, when Elliott "talks" to Mr. Robot, and we are now to assume that Mr. Robot is truly a visual hallucination, THEN onlookers should react to this. People move away from someone doing this and they react to it. I have been carefully watching scenes in public places and no one reacts. The train platform last night, there were people close enough in the background, that they may notice him and react to him talking to himself. The bar scene was another one. I know that the show didn't want to give it away so early on, soooooo, there you go. In addition, why didn't doctor Dr. Krista have him committed?  He is definitely fits the criteria for a 36-72 hours hold. 

 

Statistically speaking, visual hallucinations are more rare in schizophrenia than auditory, but it makes for a better dramatic effect for the viewer to "see" Mr. Robot. The thing that really was accurate though, is how the hallucinations (auditory or visual) will convince the person that others are out to harm them, that there are secret plots against them, not to take their meds, etc... When Mr. Robot was going through all of the reasons that Elliott needs to isolate from others-even friends, it really reminded me of some of the patients that I worked with and how they did things such as, barricade themselves in their house afraid that people were trying to poison them, run away into the woods because people are out to get them, stop eating because "people" were trying to sabotage their food, etc....

 

I agree that Rami is doing a great job. I even think that Christian Slater is pretty good. That window broke way too easily for a decent window though. 

[Rohirrim]

After last week's episode, I wondered if Tyrell was Elliot's "inside man".  Tyrell would work on dismantling Evil Corp from the inside (just as Colby advised Angela to do) with Elliot and fSociety doing their thing.  But Tyrell would need CTO in order to pull off the plan.  I dunno.  Not so sure about that theory now...

 

And each week, I feel more and more sympathy for Elliot.  At the cemetery, I just wanted to grab him and hug him.  Rami Malek is phenomenal and gets better and better each episode.

 

This does make me wonder what role dear old Mother Alderson will play in future episodes... 

[marcee]

This is a big WTF for me, when Elliott "talks" to Mr. Robot, and we are now to assume that Mr. Robot is truly a visual hallucination, THEN onlookers should react to this.

 

My assumption is that Elliot is "smart enough" somewhere in the back of his mind to limit his interactions with Mr. Robot in public. (ie the conversations that we're seeing between them are mostly happening in his mind). And, in some cases, he's vocalized AS Mr. Robot so people are seeing and hearing him, but he's imagining that Mr. Robot is talking - like when he said "No hospitals" during his withdrawal.

 

When Elliot finally did break down - Angela and Darlene DID hear him talking to someone who wasn't there and they confronted him about it. When he was acting spooked on the train, a passenger DID look at him funny. People do react when he's acting bizarre, just not overtly - and, it's possible, from Elliot's PoV, he's not noticing some (or many) of those reactions, so we're not either. Also, he's a weird-o tech guy, so some idiosyncrasies are expected. My techie friends talk to themselves all the time.

 

Of course the writers will take some liberties with regard to how a person suffering from a mental illness may or may not act, but I think they've done pretty well for the most part.

[riverheightsnancy]

My assumption is that Elliot is "smart enough" somewhere in the back of his mind to limit his interactions with Mr. Robot in public. (ie the conversations that we're seeing between them are mostly happening in his mind). And, in some cases, he's vocalized AS Mr. Robot so people are seeing and hearing him, but he's imagining that Mr. Robot is talking - like when he said "No hospitals" during his withdrawal.

 

When Elliot finally did break down - Angela and Darlene DID hear him talking to someone who wasn't there and they confronted him about it. When he was acting spooked on the train, a passenger DID look at him funny. People do react when he's acting bizarre, just not overtly - and, it's possible, from Elliot's PoV, he's not noticing some (or many) of those reactions, so we're not either. Also, he's a weird-o tech guy, so some idiosyncrasies are expected. My techie friends talk to themselves all the time.

 

Of course the writers will take some liberties with regard to how a person suffering from a mental illness may or may not act, but I think they've done pretty well for the most part.

 

See, if we are supposed to buy that Mr. Robot is a visual hallucination, THEN Elliott sees him. That is how it works. His occipital lobe in his brain will light up in response to stimuli which is not actually perceived via sensory receptors in his eyes. Yes, it is "in his mind", but to Elliott it is actually real and he is perceiving the hallucination. It was more realistic for Mr. Robot to try and hide behind Elliott on the train platform and Elliott trys to hide him so others don't see or hear him talking to him, then believe that Elliott controls whether he perceives the hallucination as auditory or visual. This is why I say that they are playing a little fast and loose with how this actually works. Generally speaking visual hallucinations are organic issues (brain tumors for instance) and less likely to be because of schizophrenia. 

 

Regarding whether or not Elliott notices the reactions of others, I think that it is a stretch for the viewer to know when we are supposed to know when Elliott is in his head or not, especially adding that he has hallucinations. The viewer is watching by breaking the 4th wall. If we were supposed to be seeing from Elliott's viewpoint, I think that it would be filmed differently. The passenger that looked at him on the train was not because he was talking to Mr. Robot, but because he was staring out through the seats. Yes, Angela and Darlene did react (one of the few times that we have seen), and he seems to be quite decompensated and psychotic at this point. MMV

[cpcathy]

Oh, I'm so "brilliant." I heard the cover of "Where is My Mind" (gorgeous, by the way) and thought--"HEY! I KNOW that song!" Uh, yeah, from Fight Club, dope!

 

Funny, now that we know the truth, I'm sad. No more guessing, no more theories. I hope something huge happens next week. I'm looking forward to next season now.

[Primetimer]

And other not-quite-burning not-quite-questions about Mr. Robot...some of them FROM Mr. Robot.

Read the story

[scrb]

Not sure Tyrell has a long game.

 

Obviously didn't plan to murder Sharon Knowles, though it's questionable whatever plan he had if he didn't kill her would have done any good.

 

Obviously didn't anticipate Joanna threatening to dump him.

 

Obviously didn't anticipate being fired.

 

So somehow he figures out Elliott is fSociety and is going to go in league with him?

 

Run away Elliot!

[vendredi3]

You can say "cocksuckers" on basic cable now?

 

Yes, but sadly you still can't say "Go suck a fuck."

[Cardie]

Television will always prioritize what works dramatically for the writers over what is accurate by real world standards. So of course Elliot's symptoms don't really match with schizophrenia, which seems to be the diagnosis the writers have given him, along with social anxiety. My father was a lawyer and complained about the errors in courtroom dramas endlessly. I'm a professor and have never seen a college work place represented accurately.

 

I like how the flashback showed why Elliot has put his father's face on the part of himself that says it's OK to commit illegal acts if the person--or Evil Corp--you've targeted is a prick.

[MrWhyt]

Television will always prioritize what works dramatically for the writers over what is accurate by real world standards

yes, it's a work of fiction, not a documentary on mental health.

[cardigirl]

It's possible we heard Flipper jingling around at one point in the latest episode, but I don't think so -- is the dog real? (I hope not, actually; when nobody's walking him or feeding him, it makes me anxious. Better just to write him off, literally, as part of Elliot's hallucinations.)

 

 

Flipper was on the bed and went out the door with Darlene when she went to get Elliot's scripts filled.  She even "called" to him and took his leash.  So...I'm with you, I get anxious for the dog, but I do enjoy having a dog in the show.  Don't know why. Just do.  

 

Plus I rather like Joanna, and want to find out more about that duo.  Who was driving the bus there, because once she had the baby it seems she was done with plotting.  

Edited August 20, 2015 by cardigirl

[taragel]

RE: Angela and Elliott having been a couple, I could've sworn that Darlene called her her sister or said she was family or something like that in this episode, right before they found the glass from the broken window on the ground. I thought it was going to lead to a reveal that she and Elliott were married previously or engaged or something.

[cpcathy]

I thought Darlene meant that Angela was family in the sense that they've all known each other since they were kids.

[tennisgurl]

 

Oh, I'm so "brilliant." I heard the cover of "Where is My Mind" (gorgeous, by the way) and thought--"HEY! I KNOW that song!" Uh, yeah, from Fight Club, dope!

I totally did the same thing. I made a bunch of Fight Club jokes on Twitter, plus mentioning how great a cover that was of "Where is my mind" and it took until today to put that together, while I was reading a recap. Wow am I on it! 

[alias1]

We saw in the pilot that Tyrell visited Allsafe and introduced himself to Elliott. it may be that they already met and they were just acting like they were strangers.

When Elliot stopped the hack, they crossed paths again.

They met a third time when Tyrell offered Elliot a job at Evil Corp and told him that Evil Corp was planning to internalize its cyber security stuff.

And a fourth time when Elliot was in the process of hacking Steel Mountain.

Finally, they met once when Elliot was in Mr. Robot mode in such a way that suggested a long relationship.

Thank you for that recap.  Most of these meetings made it seem like they didn't know each other that well.  The exception is when Tyrell and Mr Robot were in the SUV and that one didn't make sense to me (nothing unusual there).  I just don't find the Tyrell character very credible.  Nor the wife, for that matter. I think it's the actors.  Unfortunately it seems that Joanna is going to be a bigger force to be reckoned with next season.

[Miles]

So, the episode seemed to play around with a "Maybe the dad is real, and his death was a cover-up" at first, but now it looks like they've officially confirmed that he's just in Elliot's head.  Who knows with this show?  Either way, kind of obvious, but at least the show seemed to be aware of it by having Elliot's voice-over be all "Y'all already knew, didn't you!" to "us."  I also liked his "Y'all are going to make me say it, right?", before he admits he is Mr. Robot.

I liked the little touch where he said "You knew all along, didn't you?". It was a nice little touch that shows that the writers don't think we are stupid. They knew we knew and just wanted to show Elliot's journey of discovering it.

But I have to correct you a little here. He never says "Y'all" to us. That would imply that we are many, however Elliot is talking to his one imaginary friend, when he is talking to us.

Elliot's an unreliable narrator. This episode, Tyrell put on the rubber gloves, then it jump-cut to the arcade. For all we know, "Tyrell" could be a nurse.

That was really fucking weird. But I doubt Tyrell is a nurse or anythign of that sort. As far as we can tell, anything without Elliot (or his alter ego) in it has been real. We his, imaginary friend, somehow know more than him, even if it's not fair.

Still something was missing there. It went from gloved hands, to glove free hands without any explaiantion what they were actually for. I would guess another personality took over for a while?

This will be an unpopular opinion, and I will preface this by saying that I actually really like the show, but they are playing fast and loose with the schizophrenia diagnosis practically bordering on multiple personalities (the way it is presented).

They are also playing fast and loose with the hacking since episode one (really, Elliot controls the TOR-network, didn't realise god had another son). I raged for a while, then I got over it.

But I have to say it did make it much more infuriating that this show almost gets stuff right, but not quite. I wouldn't have raged so much if hacking was basically magic, like it is in most shows. Is it the same with the mental health aspect?

[Ruby25]

RE: Angela and Elliott having been a couple, I could've sworn that Darlene called her her sister or said she was family or something like that in this episode, right before they found the glass from the broken window on the ground. I thought it was going to lead to a reveal that she and Elliott were married previously or engaged or something.

I caught that too. Yes, it could mean in the sense that they've known each other since they were kids, but that it could easily mean something more literal. I was thinking they were at least engaged, but now I'm wondering if they're going to reveal they were actually married. Maybe they got married really young.

 

She kept saying "I do" in his episode 4 hallucinations. I think people assumed they were at prom or something, but what if it was a wedding he was remembering? She was definitely in a wedding dress. That would be a pretty big secret that would make sense to save for the finale, I suppose.

Edited August 20, 2015 by Ruby25

[riverheightsnancy]

But I have to say it did make it much more infuriating that this show almost gets stuff right, but not quite. I wouldn't have raged so much if hacking was basically magic, like it is in most shows. Is it the same with the mental health aspect?

 Yes, for me it is a bit problematic as I have worked in the field and teach it on the college level. I try not to be too crazed about it though. Just wanted to express my thoughts on some specifics.There are a few things that I wish they would do or wouldn't do that would make it more realistic and yet they could still fool the audience. If this show were fantasy, you wouldn't hear a peep, because I get that it is a different construct going in.  

 

I was actually wondering about the hacking aspect of the show myself. As I know little about it. So I usually rely on comments from people in the field to gauge how accurate it is. Case in point, I have been watching Halt & Catch Fire. I really like the show, but the true computer pros talk about some of the issues with how they historically presented  computer tech in the 1980s. It actually adds to my enjoyment of the show and I learn a little something, even if the producers are playing "fast and loose with the facts" but I can see how it annoys others who have a different factual experience.  Still a good show though. I was worrying about Flipper too. Glad someone mentioned that they saw the dog. I did not see her at all. 

[artieLange]

They are also playing fast and loose with the hacking since episode one (really, Elliot controls the TOR-network, didn't realise god had another son). I raged for a while, then I got over it.

But I have to say it did make it much more infuriating that this show almost gets stuff right, but not quite. I wouldn't have raged so much if hacking was basically magic, like it is in most shows. Is it the same with the mental health aspect?

 

I'm pretty sure he said he controlled an exit node

[Miles]

I'm pretty sure he said he controlled an exit node

He said he controlled the exit nodes, meaning all of them. You'd have to control essentially all of them to get any kind of usfull information. If anybody could break TOR in this way it would be the NSA, with their nearly limited resources, not one hacker. They clearly wrote that in to tell us what a l33t h4x0r Elliot is, but they waaaaay overdid it. I wouldn't have even minded so much if there hadn't been an easy explaination for the hack. The guy clearly didn't air-gap his cofe shops wifi and the child porn servers, to hide the traffic. If stuff isn't air-gapped you can use the public part to break into the private part, as we have recently seen with planes and cars. At which point you don't even have to mess with TOR, since you are at the source.

Also I think it is lazy writing to bring out the child-porn-hammer to show how evil a character is and how righteous our hero is for bringing them to justice. That might just be a personal gripe, but I expect more subtlety from modern shows.

Those two things turned me off of the show for a few weeks, until I decided to give it another chance because everybody was saying it was amazing.

[artieLange]

He said he controlled the exit nodes, meaning all of them. You'd have to control essentially all of them to get any kind of usfull information. If anybody could break TOR in this way it would be the NSA, with their nearly limited resources, not one hacker. They clearly wrote that in to tell us what a l33t h4x0r Elliot is, but they waaaaay overdid it. I wouldn't have even minded so much if there hadn't been an easy explaination for the hack. The guy clearly didn't air-gap his cofe shops wifi and the child porn servers, to hide the traffic. If stuff isn't air-gapped you can use the public part to break into the private part, as we have recently seen with planes and cars. At which point you don't even have to mess with TOR, since you are at the source.

Also I think it is lazy writing to bring out the child-porn-hammer to show how evil a character is and how righteous our hero is for bringing them to justice. That might just be a personal gripe, but I expect more subtlety from modern shows.

Those two things turned me off of the show for a few weeks, until I decided to give it another chance because everybody was saying it was amazing.

You can actually limit the number of nodes used, selecting from a given list even. Regardless, nothing in the show is extremely far from the truth, not as far as we've seen from other depictions in the past. I get your point though

[Miles]

Yeah, but I doubt a guy who served child porn intentionally limited the exit nodes. That would have been really dumb. Also I'm pretty sure what the show said is factually wrong. You'd have to not only control the exit nodes, but all nodes in a given connection to effectively trace it, but I have to confess, I haven't looked into how TOR works too much. But the whole thing didn't make much sense in general, since Elliot was sitting at the source. There was nothing to trace. Anywho thanks for considering and understanding my point. :)

This was also by far not the only incident that left a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth, but it was a pretty harsh to be introduced to a new show like this, which is why it stuck out so much. After a while you just have to accept that it's TV and they'll never get it quite right. I'm just not sure what's worse, if hacking is essentially magic or if they get it almost right. I certainly have an easier time enjoying media where it's magic. But on the other hand, the enjoyment will probably be greater in the end if the creators actually try to get close to reality. Even if it requires a little more work on my part to suspend my disbelieve. :D

Edited August 21, 2015 by Miles

[yourmomiseasy]

That was really fucking weird. But I doubt Tyrell is a nurse or anythign of that sort. As far as we can tell, anything without Elliot (or his alter ego) in it has been real. We his, imaginary friend, somehow know more than him, even if it's not fair.

Still something was missing there. It went from gloved hands, to glove free hands without any explaiantion what they were actually for. I would guess another personality took over for a while?

Tyrell putting the gloves on was a call back to when he paid the homeless guy to let him beat him up.  He put the same rubber gloves on before starting the beating.  I'm not sure if he didn't want homeless guy blood on him or if he didn't want to leave DNA on the homeless guy should things go too far, or both.  Either way, the implication was that he was prepping for some violence.  

Yeah, but I doubt a guy who served child porn intentionally limited the exit nodes. That would have been really dumb. Also I'm pretty sure what the show said is factually wrong. You'd have to not only control the exit nodes, but all nodes in a given connection to effectively trace it, but I have to confess, I haven't looked into how TOR works too much. But the whole thing didn't make much sense in general, since Elliot was sitting at the source. There was nothing to trace. Anywho thanks for considering and understanding my point. :)

This was also by far not the only incident that left a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth, but it was a pretty harsh to be introduced to a new show like this, which is why it stuck out so much. After a while you just have to accept that it's TV and they'll never get it quite right, but not quite. I'm just not sure what's worse, if hacking is essentially magic or if they get it almost right. I certainly have an easier time enjoying media where it's magic.

I don't think he was tracing, he was packet sniffing.  In theory, I guess he could have hacked in and altered the TOR config himself, but if he could get in to do that, I don't know that he would actually need to make himself a node, as he'd already be in.

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Yes, for me it is a bit problematic as I have worked in the field and teach it on the college level. I try not to be too crazed about it though. Just wanted to express my thoughts on some specifics.There are a few things that I wish they would do or wouldn't do that would make it more realistic and yet they could still fool the audience. If this show were fantasy, you wouldn't hear a peep, because I get that it is a different construct going in.

I was actually wondering about the hacking aspect of the show myself. As I know little about it. So I usually rely on comments from people in the field to gauge how accurate it is. Case in point, I have been watching Halt & Catch Fire. I really like the show, but the true computer pros talk about some of the issues with how they historically presented computer tech in the 1980s. It actually adds to my enjoyment of the show and I learn a little something, even if the producers are playing "fast and loose with the facts" but I can see how it annoys others who have a different factual experience. Still a good show though. I was worrying about Flipper too. Glad someone mentioned that they saw the dog. I did not see her at all.

I know you're right with what you've said about the things they are playing fast and loose without far as actual mental health. But partially you have to understand we have elliot as a very unreliable narrator. Also some things just have to be presented a certain way for it to work visually as a tv show.

It's tough because I'm usually the biggest nitpicker I know but Ive had to sacrifice a lot of that to just enjoy a fantastic show. Especially being computers are my world. It's not perfect but they've done as good a job as any. You'd think a big name show like csi could've had a good consultant like Mr robot does for that cyber show of there's.