[Music] It's one thing to question your mind, it's another to question your eyes and ears. But then again, isn't it all the same? Senses, just mediocre inputs for our brain. Sure, we rely on them, trust they accurately portray the real world around

us, but what if the haunting truth is they can't? That what we perceive isn't the real world at all, but just our minds' best guess? That all we really have is a garbled reality, a fuzzy picture we will never truly make out. A wise man once

told me solitude is a great teacher, but only if you pay attention to it. Solitude is a good way to pay close attention to your own life as a way of internal growth or personal examination. Learning to take advantage of solitude can be a very helpful tool on the path

to self-development, but it is a tool that you must learn to use. On the other hand, there's perhaps no part of the human condition that is more fundamental to its nature than loneliness. It's different than solitude in the sense that loneliness is a state of isolation,

a feeling of disconnection with other people and the world. Solitude is a gift, loneliness can easily put you on the path to self-destruction. In 2019, we are more connected than ever through the internet and social media, yet there are more depressed people and the suicide

rate is higher every year. Human beings are social creatures and the desire to connect with others has never been stronger than it is today. Has our connected world disconnected us from reality? Mr. Robot, Sam Esmail's fascinating creation, explores the theme of isolation and of the effects of social media and

culture, better than any other show on television today. We'll explore the mind of its protagonist, Elliot Alderson, and seek to unravel the roots of his troubled state of mind. You should know that nothing's gonna come from this. On the surface, Mr. Robot is a show about

hackers bringing down the world economy, but deep down, there's a vastly more profound reason for making Elliot a vigilante hacker. Hacking is Elliot's way of communicating with the world. Elliot has failed in his attempt to interact with other human beings in a direct

manner, so he has developed alternative ways to connect. Like a superhero, Elliot wears the costume that most accurately describes his way of helping other people in complete anonymity, a black hoodie to blend in with the world that he's not a part of, but ultimately

desires to be in. In this sense, he is lacking any reasonable connection with other people except for the one he establishes through his vigilantism, which leads us to the foundation for all Elliot's problems. [Music] Isolation. It is the single most valuable

fuel to shift his motivation into doing actions that are questionable in their moral structure, yet also grounded in a sense of self-righteousness. In three short minutes, he destroyed a man's business life, existence. Sam Esmail has previously mentioned in an interview with Vulture magazine that Taxi Driver

was one of the main influences for the show, for its voice-over narration as a tool to become a co-conspirator to the whole storyline and really get to know the narrator, but it's also an influence in the sense that they share many of the

same themes in *Taxi Driver*. Travis Bickle, a man also burdened with loneliness and the inability to connect, decides to go on a killing rampage where he saves an underage prostitute from pimps. Hello, and talking to me when one uses, "Follow me, my whole life when loneliness came back."

It works. It's a night, remember, there's no escape. Jesus and a lonely man. What did I do? My life has taken another turn again. It's actually happened. I'm talking to an imaginary person. The days move along with regularity over and over. I have to

be crazy because that didn't just happen, right? You're only... this is a delusion as healthy as this evolution. This gets out, you and I really lost it this time. Please tell me you're seeing this too. Not unlike Travis having to see the world move around him from what is

essentially his own bubble of complete and utter isolation. Makes Elliott a very self-conscious individual. Why do I feel that I'm devoid inside? Even if there are parts of himself that he doesn't identify yet, he understands the roots of his own misery, yet he is unable to act

upon them, being trapped by feelings of overwhelming loneliness. Can be very revealing about the nature of reality and about the society around a person. Am I supposed to say something for this reason? Naming Elliott's hacker group F Society wasn't only because it's a totally badass name. Elliott really

really, really dislikes this lock society. The interesting aspect about Elliott's social behavior is that you don't always get a sense that he dislikes people as individuals. Sure, he's a dick to Ollie, but that's just because Ollie's a total

Dude, must I really justify myself any further? But besides that particular situation, he's constantly looking to help people in his own way, always standing up for what he thinks is right in whatever way he can. Elliot's main aggravation is directly with the culture

and mass media which he believes has essentially brainwashed the American population through consumer marketing, politicians, and movie stars. Mr. Robot dedicates much of its runtime acting as a critique towards American consumer culture, among other inspirations for show creator Sam Esmail. Fight Club is

by far the most apparent, as both works share many similar themes. If you wake up at a different time in a different place, could you wake up as a different person? Interesting, crazy dude. He's severe isolation and past trauma. Elliot displays several signs of mental

illness: clinical depression, social anxiety disorder, DID, an intense paranoia are the staples of his unstable state of mind. Elliot's actions take a toll on his mental health throughout the show, and apart from his separation from the outside world, he constantly indulges

in drugs during the first couple of seasons. We're quickly introduced to Elliot's drug use in episode one. Here are Molly, which is presented as a major part of his lifestyle. The key to doing more things without turning into a junkie is to

limit yourself to 30 milligrams a day. His use ranges from recreational to a way of numbing the pain of being alone. What a normal people do when they get this sad. One of the best episodes in the entire show revolves almost entirely around Elliot's drug use, or in this case,

is withdrawal symptoms after breaking his own rule of limiting himself to 30 milligrams of morphine per day and running out of suboxone to fight the withdrawal symptoms Eliot decides to do one last line as he is burdened by the pressures of his own existence I chose

this I chose all of this in the fantastic opening shot the camera focuses on this very last line of morphine an unorthodox introduction but an adequate one that shows us what the focus of the entire episode will be and now I promise my last nine my what was

Mr. Robot taught how do I go back to work after that I sunk this low paranoia the first noticeable effect of Elliott's symptoms he starts to freak out as he believes he's being followed what do you want the main theme of the episode is

introduced early on as the symptoms start to intensify and which is also the name of the episode Elliott goes on to explain that they're essentially programs that function within an operating system that perform tasks on their own without any direct interaction with the user like a program running in

the background silently but we're busy doing other things primal urges repressed memories unconscious habits they're always they're always active his intentions are element adopted I was gaymans do and me I've got more than most as the

withdrawal symptoms start to intensify Elliot's fragile state leads us to believe that everything that's happening is real and I sunk this low I made a hit I'll be better unless you think of me can't control thoughts at this point Elliot's demons have taken complete

control of his life, taking heroin and getting killed, represents his anxiety about what his possible future might look like if he allows his demons to take over his life. As he's shot in the drug den and laying on the ground, an F Society announcement starts playing on

TV where it is promised that they will. And this is essentially what Elias' delirious state leads him to do throughout the episode. Elliott suddenly appears in the broadcast and is handed a key in an F Society mask, which is symbolic of Elliott having to face that

Mr. Robot in him are just two sides of the same coin. I told him before the key to the whole thing. Elliott's visions revolve entirely around Elliott's past and possible futures, his traumas but also his deepest fears and insecurities. You're not gonna do it, are you? Change

the world since so much of Elias' problems revolve around him not being able to overcome the trauma of his father's death. The only person he could really talk to, this is the foundation of the very first stop we visited this strange trip. His father worked for a

Corp, which is emphasized by the E Corp commercial that is shown right after the F Society broadcast. If you see our logo, that means you can rest assured. And for this first place is Elliot's image of the neighborhood he grew up in, but as he arrives at his old house, it's no longer

to be found, stressing the fact that he's suppressing his own traumatic memories of the past. The house number is 404, which is also code for one of the most recognizable errors on the Internet, meaning that the user is attempting to follow a dead link and the server could not find what was

requested a little girl who after finishing season one we can identify as Darlene rolls around and asks him what's your monster. No, it has handed the key and she then rolls away. We now go to Elliot's apartment where Tyrell now holds the key, a manifestation of

Elliot's subconscious knowledge that he will be an important key to unlocking his future plans. Bertie, Elliot's pet fish, suddenly starts talking. "When you live in a fish pool, ain't no such thing as change." This is a representation of Elliot's own view of

himself, isolated from the world in his own invisible fishbowl, one he cannot escape from. Next, we find ourselves at a fancy restaurant, which is actually Elliot's workplace. Angela is sitting right across from him and the waiter gives Elliot a slice of Pop's famous

raspberry pie. The key isn't the pie just as Elliot perceives it to be in real life. What Elliot experiences here as far as Angela's reaction goes is what he sees as a possible future where Angela becomes his wife in the final stages of

these visions. Elliot goes back to the arcade. "You're not gonna do it, are you? Change the world again." This represents Elliot's own insecurities. Angela tells him that the key doesn't fit, so the question remains. The key acts as a symbol to unlocking an important part of

Elliot's past, a part he doesn't have access to yet. "You're not Elliot." Am I still alone? Elliot finally finds the face of his own monster. F-Society masks the face of Mr. Robot and of himself. He puts on the mask and then wakes up. He

realizes in the end that he is the key to unlocking his own monster: his fear of the past, his crippling loneliness, and the anxiety of living a life trapped by his insecurities. As Mr. Robot, the ultimate demon emerges from the shadows, he says, "Oh, you're not... I'm not going anywhere."

Kiddo, we're in this to the end. Like the Damon's episode, there are quite a few others that act as a metaphor for whatever Elliot's mind is going through at that particular moment. There's episode 6 of season 2 in which he becomes a character in a sitcom

version of his own life. This episode is all about exposing Elliot's thoughts about the people surrounding him. The way they are depicted in this imaginary world reveals his own opinions about them. For example, Angela is working at an evil Corp supermarket and is shown as a

sellout. When in real life, she's also working for them. Elliot's mom is shown as abusive, and Darlene as an uncaring teenager. This is how Elliot views them in his everyday life. Even the lyrics of the episode's opening credits, which were made specifically for this episode by the way,

give us insight about the boundary-breaking qualities of the show. And this alternate reality goes on for a while. The show's creators make the intelligent choice of stretching this out for as long as possible so the audience feels trapped in this world just as Elliot does. Now to get out

of here, in this case, Mr. Robot shuts down Elliot so he doesn't have to experience the pain of being tortured by his raised men. On a deeper note, the sitcom shows us how Elliot used to cope with the physical and mental abuse he suffered as a child through watching television.

[Music] Elliot is burdened by his loneliness and clearly wishes to be more connected to people, but at the same time he despises society and consumer culture. A clear example of this can be found in his relationship with Angela, his childhood

friend and co-worker in season 1. It's made abundantly clear that Elliot exhibits some feelings for her, but he is burdened with the fact that they both lead extremely different lifestyles. Angela has the normal life; she lives in a nice apartment with her boyfriend,

tries to move up the corporate ladder, hosting parties and enjoys having occasional drinks with other people. Regarding social behaviors, it's safe to say that Angela's Elliot's polar opposite at the beginning of the show. And while it's true that Elliot could

really use more friends or at least a more stable relationship to ground him in reality, the fact that he's completely disgusted with the behaviors of the people around him doesn't really help his situation. The most normal relationship he's had on the show was

the one he had with his drug dealer neighbor and occasional lover, Shayla. This is the relationship that felt the most natural, Tim, where he could essentially be himself and take off all the masks he is forced to wear in front of the rest of the world, which we

already knew each other, make this feel less awkward. The timing in which Shayla arrives in Elliot's life is also masterfully planned out by Sam Esmail and his team of writers. Through her eyes, we can explore Elliot's more emotional side that we otherwise wouldn't have been

able to see afterwards because where are you gonna fit that into the story if it's not right at the beginning? By any standards, Elliot becomes an extremely busy person after the first events of season 1, so attempting to fit in a love interest in those later stages of the

show would have been very forced, which is why Shayla was one of the best characters in Mr. Robot because she came at the perfect time and through her we could see a glimpse of Elliot's emotional side that he usually hides from the rest of society. It's because of

Shayla that we get to know and understand Elliot better and how his main problems are not with people but rather with the influence of culture on them. He sees Shayla as a free spirit or as a mostly uninhibited person. She's not

concerned about keeping up with the Joneses and in a way understands Elliot better than anyone else. Her eventual death is really important because she was a little bright light in Elliot's dark world, one he can't see anymore. There's a lot on second thought, there's

an even more intimate yet much stranger relationship in Elliot's life that has to be explored if we're talking about this show, and that is of course the relationship with himself. "Hello friend." These are the very first words of the show spoken even before any images other

than logos appear on screen and they perfectly set the tone for the rest of the show. "What I'm about to tell you is top secret. A conspiracy bigger than all of us." Elliot is talking to us, the audience, essentially breaking the fourth wall every time he decides to address us, but

since there is a metaphorical wall there and we don't ever talk back to him this means the conversations he's having are completely one-dimensional so he can safely say he's essentially talking to himself were you in on this the whole

time were you he even says that in the very same opening of the show it's actually happened I'm talking to an imaginary person this introduces us to Elliot's fragmented mind and how he's in constant communication with himself due to his

lack of contact with other people but then this is just a nice introduction to prepare us for the ultimate relationship of the show Mr. Robot Elliot's omnipresent companion on this journey all of us together taking on the world what could possibly go wrong an altered

version of his dead father Elliot's memories are altered to the point that he doesn't even identify him as such until it's revealed that this is actually only in Elliot's head okay what do you think you've been talking to he's blocked an entire part of his past and

recreated it by using a combination of his own memories and delusions Elliot mentioned that his father was the only person he could ever talk to when he was a kid in a strange way he still is Mr. Robot's existence is the main driver of

the central conflict of the show but he's not just an important part of the story but he's also crucial to the way it's told of course this isn't the first show or movie narrated by the protagonist but Mr. Robot is unique in the sense that

Elliot is completely unreliable as the narrator of the story. This is no longer a question of what I'm seeing. We know that's not reliable. We essentially see the world as Elliot sees it, but all this does is question the fundamental structure of his own reality. He is never

in full control of his life. Sometimes he isn't even in control at all. Every time he tells us something, we have to ask ourselves: Is that really what's going on here, or is that just in his head? And no, I didn't lie to you. All of this

really happened. This was just my way of coping with it. It's not really that Elliot decides to lie to us, but that he's constantly lying to himself. Therefore, if he's the one telling this story, it becomes completely unreliable because even he doesn't really know

what's going on most of the time. What do you want? This control you think you had? It's an illusion. I need to be alone. What did you hope to accomplish by doing all of this? I wanted to save the world. The entire reason Elliot's a hacker is

because he wanted to help other people and remain anonymous in the process. He finds a sense of purpose in this. He's making a difference one hack at a time. But since he lacks the ability to fix his own troubles, he needs help to make true change. As a consequence, he creates

Mr. Robot out of necessity so he can actually achieve what he really wants to do with his life. Mr. Robot has a no-bullshit attitude and a let's get it done approach to solving problems. The issue is that Mr. Robot doesn't follow

the same moral code as Elliot and often shows a complete disregard for other people, their lives are meaningless as long as the job is done. "We're gonna blow it up." They're blowing up a building. "This is war. People will die." Send them on as soon as Elliot comes to recognize the

existence of Mr. Robot as a creation of his own mind, he attempts to shut him down as much as he possibly can, but he eventually comes to realize that this is an exercise in futility since he's as much a part of him as he is

to himself. It seems that by the end of season 3, they both come to realize that they complement and actually need each other. It looks like Elliot and Mr. Robot will be able to coexist and work together in season 4, which could be focused on a

productive relationship between the two instead of attempting to keep the other in obscurity. Of course, we all want Elliot's journey to have a satisfying conclusion, and in the hands of Sam Esmail and his team, we were hopeful that the events of season 4 are a satisfying conclusion to the best

show on television. "Am I supposed to say something?" The best characters are always the ones we can relate to in our everyday lives. They're not perfect, they struggle, they fall, but hopefully, they can overcome their adversities and resist the darkest sides of their personality. In the case of

Elliot, we can relate to him because we've all felt lonely at some point in our lives. We understand that feeling of being trapped in a bubble as the world around us moves faster and faster every day. Loneliness is a dark room with feelings of eternal solitary suffering.

It is grieving without hope, a feeling of constant fear and anxiety, but it is not natural. We are social creatures, so it is our own responsibility, and no one else's, to run as far away from it as soon as we possibly can. Elliot's remaining journey is uncertain,

but hopefully he'll be able to overcome the tragedy of his own existence by realizing that loneliness doesn't have to be a permanent state of mind. If I do close my eyes, what is it that I picture years from now? Doesn't one need to understand that before they're ready

to fight for their existence? The future that's not so lonely, a world I've always wanted. This is comfortable, less stressful. In fact, I feel like I can see everything, and you know what? I would like very much to fight for it. Play it again. We want to give a very

special shout-out to our generous supporters on Patreon. You guys literally made this video a reality. Making this video was a part of our first Patreon goal, and we absolutely loved making it for you guys. Help us reach our second goal by visiting our Patreon page

because by the time we reach that goal, we'll make a video on our favorite TV show of all time. You'll bow into this [ __ ] you are would you. Oh, by the way, Rami Malek pulls off what is undoubtedly one of the best performances by any

actor in TV ever. It's really, really hard to deliver a solid performance in a 90-minute film, let alone in an entire TV show with over 30 hours of footage. Just by his appearance, he instantly looks the part: a skinny, anti-social hacker with bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. That

is able to portray the scariest elements of mental illness incredibly well. This show would not work without Rami Malek and in fact, I can't really think of anyone else that could play this role. So that's it for now guys, thanks for

watching. We'll see you next time. [Music] You

MR. ROBOT: A Fractured State of Mind

A Matter of Film

Questioning Perception and the Nature of Reality

The unreliability of senses as accurate portrayals of reality.

The concept that perceived reality is a mind's interpretation.

Solitude as a tool for self-development and internal growth.

Distinction between solitude and loneliness; loneliness as a destructive force.

Mr. Robot: Isolation and the Effects of Modern Society

Mr. Robot's exploration of isolation and the impact of social media and culture.

Elliot's hacking as a form of communication and connection.

Elliot's use of anonymity (hoodie) to connect with the world.

Isolation as the driving force behind Elliot's actions.

Influences of Taxi Driver on Mr. Robot's themes and narration.

Elliot's self-awareness of his misery but inability to act on it.

The meaning behind the name 'F Society' and Elliot's dislike of societal structures.

Elliot's desire to help people despite his negative view of society.

Elliot's criticism of American consumer culture and mass media.

Comparison of Mr. Robot to Fight Club in terms of shared themes.

Elliot's mental illnesses: depression, social anxiety, DID, paranoia.

Elliot's drug use as a coping mechanism for loneliness.

Specific details about Elliot's drug use (Molly, morphine, suboxone).

Episode focusing on Elliot's withdrawal symptoms.

The symbolic significance of the final line of morphine.

Metaphorical Episodes and Elliot's Coping Mechanisms

Sitcom episode as a metaphor for Elliot's thoughts on those around him.

Insight into Elliot's views on his family and Angela.

Elliot's feeling of being trapped, mirroring the audience's experience.

Elliot's childhood coping mechanism of watching television.

Elliot's Relationships and Disdain for Society

Elliot's complex relationship with Angela and their contrasting lifestyles.

Elliot's most natural relationship with his drug dealer, Shayla.

Shayla's role in revealing Elliot's emotional side.

Shayla's understanding of Elliot and her importance in his life.

Elliot's relationship with himself and the importance of self-understanding.

MR. ROBOT: A Fractured State of Mind

MR. ROBOT: A Fractured State of Mind

Scripts