Mr. Robot, oh, Mr. Robot, how you messed up my mind.
Spending ten hours in the point of view of Eliot Alderson is a harrowing trip so dark you absolutely want more and more until you understand what you're seeing.
And like most trips, it's not always clean or safe or even manageable, but as long as you make it out safe it's worth it.
Remi Malik's neurotic anti-social on-edge portrayal of Eliot was sizzling and deserved to win the Golden Globe instead of Jon Hamm's going away present.
Regardless, Mr. Robot creates a legitimate and intimate portrayal of the hacker community on a level of execution not quite achieved as of yet. The show explores an underbelly and psychology of a world most in the mainstream don't quite understand.
Although, we are very much interested in this hacktavist world.
In addition, the show borrows from other productions we already love, most notably Fight Club (Eliot's schizophrenia and the take-down-the-system revolutionary mission, also seen in The Dark Knight Rises) and Dexter (we are used to the monotone voice-over point-of-view in Dexter, as well as the "code" that Eliot uses to justify his anti-heroic protagonist, not to mention the slight incestuous brother / sister dynamic) but because of the content in Mr. Robot and zeitgeist (turn on the news and listen to Bernie Sanders' message) this show elevates itself to its own level.
Another blessing is casting Christian Slater to basically revise (arguably one of his best roles ever) a character he played in the 1989 cult hit Heathers -- the provocateur J.D. -- a more than ready to blow-it-all-up punk, except now he's all grown up.
Add the creepy antagonist Martin Wallstrom as Tyrell Wellick.
This show is legit. It's a little scary.
Still, it's not a perfect show. There are cracks in the armor, flaws in character arcs, like Portia Doubleday. There are disjointed and incomplete plot-lines -- but none of this matters -- that's how strong Eliot's character is -- he effortlessly shoves this show into crevices of our own psyche that push us past our comfort zone and that's always worth the ride to the edge of town.
Mr. Robot is like fearing the needle but needing the shot.
You should watch Mr. Robot. Or, maybe you shouldn't. You didn't hear it from me. But even if you did, would it matter? Of course it matters. But why? And why am I telling you this? Shit. I'm online. On Huff Po. I'm my own exploit. Damn it.