Review: Mr. Robot ‘402 Payment Required’

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Warning: Post contains spoilers

After an epic season opener in “Unauthorized,” USA hit series “Mr. Robot” continues with “402 Payment Required.” E Corp CEO Philip Price (Michael Cristofer) narrates a documentary-style intro with a backstory to the foundation of the Deus Group. “That was 1989,” Price warbles. “The world was up for grabs. All the money, power, natural resources. Hell, even borders were negotiable. Where some saw freedom, a young, imaginative Minister Zhang saw possibility.” This Minister Zhang happens to double as Chinese Dark Army mastermind Whiterose (BD Wong). As Price recalls, Zhang aka Whiterose formed investment group Deus with the goal of uniting the world’s wealthiest, most powerful men. However, Zhang seeks to take control of Deus, and ultimately succeeds.
Whiterose successfully built a billion-dollar machine under the Washington Township Nuclear plant. Of course, Whiterose plans to move this device to the Congo. “Consider yourself lucky, Mr. Alderson” Price chides ethical hacker Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), that I was the one alerted when you walked into that apartment. While attempting to gain further information on Cyprus National Bank, where the Dark Army receives its funds, Elliot was trapped in a physical honeypot, an abandoned apartment. Ironically, as Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) points out, Elliot now works with the enemy, Evil Corp CEO Philip Price himself. Though Price warns that Elliot’s hack won’t work, Alderson suggests that if Price collaborates with him, they can take down the Deus Group. Unfortunately, Price’s Cyprus National Bank contact was Susan Jacobs. Fsociety members, including Elliot’s sister Darlene (Carly Chaikin) murdered Jacobs. Price, encouraged by Elliot invoking an emotional call to action by reminding Philip that Whiterose had his biological daughter Angela Moss killed, announces a resignation as E Corp CEO. As such, all of the Deus Group must meet in-person to agree upon a successor, satisfying a component of Alderson’s plan. Once Darlene discovers that Elliot is gunning for Whiterose, she requests that he let her join his mission.

Darlene calls Elliot and informs him that their mother has passed away. The estranged children aren’t terribly emotionally affected. “Don’t you feel a little relieved?” Darlene wonders aloud. “I know I sound like a total dick, but you feel it, too, right?” Pausing, Elliot mumbles “I guess.”

Meanwhile, FBI Agent Dom (Grace Gummer) finally participates in an interview about ASAC Santiago. Previously, Dom’s superior Santiago, a double agent working for the Chinese Dark Army, was killed. Dom feeds her interviewer, Agent Horton, a cover story that Santiago was a double agent for the Trujillo drug cartel. Unfortunately, though Dom reassures Dark Army operative and stuff-of-nightmares taxidermy owner Janice (Ashlie Atkinson) that she’s 99.99% sure Horton bought the crock of BS, Janice arranges what appears to be a suicide for poor Horton.

Observations: 

During the intro, when price reveals the nefarious Deus group, there are some neat shots showing BD Wong fictionalized into video footage with the likes of Fidel Castro, Vladimir Putin, and even standing beside former United States President Barack Obama. I enjoyed this clever deepfake of sorts which presented Whiterose mingling with an assortment of powerful allies.

At the end of the episode, Darlene mentions telling Elliot that Vera, a ruthless drug dealer was back. However, Elliot doesn’t recall knowing that Vera was out of prison. Immediately, Elliot assumes that his alter ego and deceased pops Mr. Robot is to blame. Yet Mr. Robot reveals that he wasn’t the one Darlene told. Logically, this means there’s a third personality in Elliot. “Look at me! I am not the one Darlene talked to,” Mr. Robot pleads. Confused, Elliot questions, “If it wasn’t you, and it wasn’t me…Who was it?”

As the “Mr. Robot” S04E02 “402 Payment Required” concludes, there’s a scene of childhood Elliot spinning in chair. His mother enters, and reveals that they’re waiting on “the other one.” There’s Elliot, and Mr. Robot, so who is this third personality split? Chances are, we’ll find out and the identity of Elliot’s third personality is crucial in stopping Whiterose. Again, there’s a lot that transpires over the course of “402 Payment Required,” but it doesn’t feel too cluttered or busy. Rather, the hour simply goes by quickly.