Mr. Robot

[The] tightly crafted pilot abjures the urge to make its own judgments on good/evil, sanity/delusion, isolation/connection, conscience/capitulation.

The summer's most wildly original new series. [27 Jul - 9 Aug 2015, p.12]

The first episode is riveting, driven by cinema-caliber direction from Niels Arden Oplev, a razor-sharp script from Sam Esmail and a fantastic performance from Rami Malek.

You haven't quite seen a performance like Malek's, who drags us deeply into Elliot's wide-eyed psychosis and crushing loneliness, or a hero like Elliot--an unexpectedly sympathetic morphine addict with a history of delusions and psychotic breaks.... Who knows: Eventually he might even explain that title. Until then, enjoy a show that just might end up being named one of the summer's best.

Elliot's (Rami Malek) haunted eyes and black hoodies, coupled with a blunt, abrasive take on humankind, propel Mr. Robot through a world of deep discontent and covert villainy.

Mr. Robot is compulsively watchable and interesting. It's a reminder that even the most well-worn cliches can still work with the right execution.

Elliot may just be another of TV’s millennial hackers-in-hoodies, but Malek’s subtle yet strong performance indicates that there is something wounded and believable about this kid, drawing out the viewer’s sympathies--and suspicions.

Mr. Robot season 3 is quick to prove its building excellence. It’s apparent that Esmail learned from the mistakes he made in his strong, if frankly overloaded, second season, and that he understands what it is that drew fans into his show in the first place.

When the show focuses on that best version of itself, it feels brilliant and paranoid and, above all, prescient.

For all its cynicism about the elites who run the finances of the country, Mr. Robot is almost genially high-spirited: It excites you to keep following Elliot, Mr. Robot, and their improbable plan of revenge.

An intriguing new series.... a cyber-age thriller infused with a dark, almost nihilistic pessimism about the Internet, capitalism and income inequality. And that makes it kind of fun.

It's creepy and wonderful and makes great use of its New York locations--particularly Coney Island--but it's Malek's almost hypnotic performance as a bundle of hurt in a hoodie that sells it.

A thought-provoking, exciting, in-your-face hacker drama.

As written by Sam Esmail, this has the jittery feel of a British thriller, and an absurdist sense of entrenched interests vs. a weird insurgency: a conceit that vaguely recalls Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil.” While commercial prospects appear hazy, it’s hard to remember the last time USA put on anything more intriguing.

The series is ridiculous in description and enthralling in execution because of Malek’s natural charisma and his way with creator and head writer Sam Esmail’s frequent jeremiads against the powerful and moneyed.

Mr. Robot is like a computer virus that will worm its way into your consciousness if you’re not careful.

With only a single episode available for preview, it's difficult to gauge what Esmail will do with that time and how much Slater (in the pilot, a goofy oddball) will alter the tone. But fans of smart thrillers, and tortured heroes, will want to stick around to find out.

It takes special skill to write and enact a character like Eliot, someone with psychological tics.... Mr. Robot and Malek get it more than right. Let’s hope Eliot doesn’t get lost in a cliched crowd beyond Wednesday’s premiere.

The first hour is overly obsessive-compulsive in plot points--code strings and routers as the new McGuffins--but the adolescent rage of its protagonist gives it emotional life.

The Mr. Robot pilot is too long--one montage drags on interminably--but it begins and ends on intriguing notes. It’s completely unclear what the show will be on a weekly basis, which makes jumping in a risky proposition.

What’s less clear is how interesting this premise will actually be, as Elliot asks lots of reasonable questions and Mr. Robot offers few, if any, satisfying answers, which could get tedious. Malek is an actor worth watching, though, and he is well-suited to his character’s quirks.

The series’ structure--set up to alternate Elliot’s “monster of the week” vigilante justice with the overarching conspiracy plot--has enough flavors to keep the show fresh. Mr. Robot’s just not as revolutionary as it thinks it is.