It’s rare I get hooked on a television show these days. The episodic nature depends so heavily on the intriguing interplay between micro and macro story arcs that all too often, at  some point, the plot-ball gets dropped and I lose interest. Conversely, I have a hard time getting into movies because they focus so little on the micro-plots that the world feels bare boned, so maybe I’m just one of those whiny consumers who’s impossible to please. This is pretty much why I read so many damn books.

Anyways, Mr. Robot swan-dived my world a couple weeks ago like an avian kamikaze when Mr. Chuck Wendig (who is not so unlike a Monsieur of Robotory <–yes, that’s totally a word, by the way) made mention of this new show on his Twitter feed. To paraphrase, he said something along the lines of:

“There’s nothing on television that looks like this. Arghablargh, bees and lightsabers. Woosh, ziff, badger hineys!” – Chuck Wendig

That right there, ignoring the badger booty references, is a compelling endorsement for anything. Seriously, you want to grab people’s attention, tell them how something looks absolutely nothing like everything else. We’ll flock in mindless droves, mostly because we want to poke and prod this abnormality defying the organized rule of the natural world. DEATH TO ALL THINGS DIFFERENT!

Anyways, I’m just like everybody else–I put my leather pantaloons on one leg at a time while doing a handstand–so of course I wanted to see what all the hub-bub was about. Now, remember that part early in the conversation where I said: T.V. ain’t really my thing?

No?

Really?

Jeepers, it was like, literally the first thing I said to you. Quickly scroll back up, read that first paragraph, it’s suddenly pertinent. Don’t worry, we’ll wait for you.

*sighs dramatically while fanning self with the back of a limp wristed hand*

Oh, look who’s back. How nice of you to join us.

Okay, so as I was saying, to hook me, T.V. shows have to fight an uphill battle these days. Not that it can’t be done, mind you–Daredevil Season 1 was phenomenal–but they best be bringing their A game if they want to impress me.

I went into Mr. Robot thinking it would break my heart, but guess what? It totally didn’t. Yeah, that’s rig–Wait, what do you mean you aren’t surprised? I gave it away in the title of the post? Shit you’re right. Ugh…okay, I guess that was a bit of a spoiler, but you don’t have to keep interrupting me. Jerk.

Anyways, I had a nifty metaphor about getting our your box of Crayolas, finding the one labeled “IMPRESSED”, and then coloring me in. Trust me, it was a nifty metaphor, but we’re gonna leave it discarded and slightly unused. Just know that I totally had it up my sleeve.

Public Service Announcement: Anthony Is About To Gush!

Here’s the thing about Mr. Robot: it’s not just good, it’s great. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the most important shows I’ve ever seen on television, which, ya know, is a pretty bold claim, but since this is the internet and nobody can stop me, I’m going to say it anyways.

Now, for those of you who have been patiently reading along who’ve never heard of Mr. Robot, let me give you a little break-down. Wait, no. I won’t do it justice. Let me instead tantalize you with this little video clip.

Elliot is a cyber-security tech by day, vigilante hacker by night. If that right there doesn’t interest you, well, then perhaps this show isn’t for you. Then again, if you’re interested in compelling psychological dramas centered around a cast of complex characters, then maybe it is.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But Anthony, this looks like every other ‘Cyberpunk hackers take on the system’ reboot.” But guess what? You’re wrong.

Why?

I thought you’d never ask. Without further adieu, here are the 5 Reasons Mr. Robot is Better Than Survivor.

5 Reasons Mr. Robot Kicks Ass

P.S. Notice how the title of this top-5 list has changed like 22 times? Yeah, I have a problem with commitment I guess.

1) DIVERSITY

From the trailer you might have noticed that Elliott (played by Rami Malek) is not your traditional (heavy air quotes here) normative white guy. He’s of Egyptian descent, which might not seem like a big deal, but seriously, look around and tell me when was the last time you saw a middle-eastern actor cast as the GOOD GUY?

This is such a rare turn of events that it deserves recognition.

Now, on the whole, Mr. Robot tries (oh, how they try) to introduce meaningful characters of color elsewhere in the story. Unfortunately, these characters, though plucky and vital to the plot, aren’t terribly important. Take the middle-aged black man and his hijab wearing hacker counterpart who team up with Elliot for some good old-fashioned cyber-crime for instance.

On the surface, this sure looks like diversity.

Problem is, if pressed, I couldn’t tell you either one of their names. They are modern-day spear-carriers, meaning they just stand there and look pretty. Occasionally they do stuff, but eh…sort of not really.

At the end of the day, the man cast still looks like this:

That’s a whole lot of whitey.

But still, hand it to the producers for actually making the effort.

2) MORE DIVERSITY!

Alright, so when we talk about diversity, we aren’t just talking about skin color, right? We’re talking about mental health, disabilities, sexual orientation, gender, and a whole slew of other really important categories I’m not mentioning.

This, in my estimation, is where Mr. Robot really shines. They pack the show with a clown’s car worth of diversity. Whether we’re talking about strong-willed, multi-faceted gay characters who are not simply running around being, ya know, gay, or we’re dealing with a main character who has a debilitating mental health issue, well, Mr. Robot never really misses an opportunity to pack more punch.

Quick Aside: One of my favorite scenes in the entire show occurs between Elliott and his boss, Gideon. They are on a private jet and Gideon turns to Elliott and says:

“Did you know I’m gay?”

Elliott: “Uh…no?”

Gideon: “Well… I am.”

Boom, end scene. It’s just thrown out there, almost haphazardly, and then isn’t touched on until later when Gideon throws a dinner party and we get to see his partner in the flesh.

Why do I love this? Because it’s so brash and unapologetic. We get a powerful character thrown at us who is more than just the sum of his sexual parts. He’s not hiding it, but he’s also not using it as the character equivalent of a crutch.

Also, there’s the White Rose character, who is a Transgender Chinese Ultra-Hacker. Why is this so great? ‘Cause nobody bats an eye at it. It’s not out-of-place. It’s not weird. It’s just a thing.

Gay character, check. Mental health issues, check. Transgender, check. Females? Uh… we’re gonna need a new number on the list to deal with this one.

3) EVEN MORE DIVERSITY!!! FEMALE CHARACTERS KICKING ASS!

Mr. Robot hits this one out of the park. I’ve never seen a show with so many strong-willed female characters dealing with their own shit completely separate from our main beau, Elliot.

Ever heard of the Bechdel Test? I see some of you out there raising your hands, but a couple of you are sporting looks of confusion. Allow me to elaborate. The Bechdel Test is a way of measuring the strength of your female characters. For example: Put two characters together in a scene. What do they talk about? Do they talk about the boy character? Well, guess what, they failed the Bechdel Test. Do they talk about something besides the boy? Yaay, then you might just have a full-fledged real life character on your hands. Congratulations.

Mr. Robot takes the Bechdel Test and addresses it specifically in a scene between the two leading ladies. One of them says: But what about Elliot? To which the other responds: I don’t have time to worry about Elliot’s shit, I have my own stuff going on.

Okay, I’m paraphrasing, but you get the idea. These characters have complex, intriguing subplots that add oodles to the main story line. They are not defined by their relationship with Elliot, nor are they dependent on him for ANYTHING!

4) The HEARTBREAKING Reality of Mental Health Disorders

For a number of reasons, this was the part of Mr. Robot that hit the closest to home for me. Elliot suffers from a host of debilitating mental health disorders (which makes him the ultimate in terms of an unreliable narrator) but it’s how the show portrays the reality of his condition that really makes for compelling watching.

Mental health disorders get a bad rap. We as a culture don’t know how to deal with them. So instead of actually, ya know, doing something productive, we instead shun the people who legitimately need our help. Mr. Robot confronts this idea and makes us take a long, hard look at what a person like Elliot is actually experiencing.

The writers for Mr. Robot did an incredible job using this feature of Elliot’s personality to tell an amazingly compelling story. If for no other reason than this, I would recommend this show. So there. No more excuses.

Wait, what’s that? We’re only at number 4?

*scrolls up* Crap. You’re right.

Uh…what else was good…hm…oh yeah!

5) Hacking Ain’t Sexy, Baby

I’m tired of Hollywood trying to make hacking look sexy, ’cause it ain’t. Not at all. It’s a boring, tedious process. Hours spent pouring over lines of code streaming across a computer screen does not make for scintillating entertainment. And yet, Mr. Robot managed to bring a more realistic perspective of what hacking is (and how it’s done) than any other show or movie I’ve seen recently.

Though, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Most hacking is done like this:

Also, the hacking underlined a stream of meaningful social commentary instead of just: WE HAVE TO HIJACK THIS NUCLEAR MISSILE!!!!!!! MUAHAHAHA!

And that, at the end of the day, is what Mr. Robot really is. It’s a social commentary dealing in both broad swatches and minute detail across a vast spectrum of topics and themes. If you want something entertaining, as well as meaningful, than do yourself a favor, and watch Mr. Robot.

Now it’s your turn. Have you seen Mr. Robot? What did you think? Get down to the comments and share your thoughts. Also, while you’re there, tell us about the best show you’ve seen recently. Do it, or I’ll have Elliot hack you.