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MR. ROBOT Recap: Init 5

*Editor’s Note: This post contains spoilers for USA’s Mr. Robot. Proceed with caution. 

After last week’s Elliot-less episode of Mr. Robot, things returned to normal tonight, not only bringing a healthy dose of the protagonist, but a bunch of answers–which obviously opened the door to more questions. Thankfully, the timeline (which was complicated by the revelation that Elliot was really in jail) was cleared up, and we were able to move forward with both the FBI and the Dark Army’s respective agendas concerning fsociety and the 5/9 hack. We’ve got a lot to cover so let’s jump right in.

Mr. Robot - Season 2

The episode kicked off with something we’ve been waiting to find out since the last few minutes of the first season’s finale: the identity of the person who knocked at Elliot’s door. Despite keeping my fingers crossed all this time that it was actually Tyrell, and that he’s been alive all this time, it was actually the cops. But as we’d already figured (due to Dom’s investigation), Elliot wasn’t arrested because of the big hack. Rather, the cops were bringing him in for the hack (and pet theft) we saw in the show’s pilot episode.

Despite being given every opportunity to plead “not guilty”, Elliot admitted his hand in the crimes, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. As many had already guessed, Craig T. Robinson’s character, Ray, was the warden at the prison, and everyone else involved in that subplot belonged there in one way or another. While we know that the events regarding Ray’s website and eventual arrest did in fact happen, we’re not entirely sure how they translated to prison, but it isn’t that hard to imagine what it was. But that’s not important because Elliot was released at the beginning of the episode, due to the financial fallout from the hack.

Now that he’s finally free, it’s time for Elliot to return to normal (a.k.a. init 5, as he defined it in hacker terms)–or as close to it as he can get, considering his situation. After Darlene picked him up from prison, she brought him home to Cisco’s apartment, and it was quickly made apparent that something wasn’t right with Elliot. While Darlene and Cisco were arguing about the fact that Darlene beat him up with a bat last week, Elliot completely shut down and dissociated as Mr. Robot. It’s unclear what’s happening to Elliot, but Mr. Robot is concerned and told anyone who would listen that he didn’t feel well.

Mr. Robot - Season 2

This isn’t exactly the best time for Elliot to lose control, because he’s got to deal with Whiterose’s Dark Army. As their only direct contact to the group, Cisco was tasked with setting up a meeting between Elliot and one of his D.A. associates. Elliot and Darlene figure the only one to learn what their so-called phase two is, is to hack the contact’s phone, confront the group directly, and listen in to their private conversations to see if they divulge any information regarding the mysterious operation.

And divulge they did. Before realizing that they were probably being spied on, the Dark Army revealed that phase two is actually Elliot’s plan, and they were pretty confused about why he was asking. After the line is cut, Darlene heard a knock at the door, and opened it to find a mystery person. We saw a similar cliffhanger with Cisco, who during a trip to their old headquarters heard another mystery person breathing heavily.

As with the knock at Elliot’s door at the end of last season, whoever the pair saw could be a number of people. Is it Dom, who also paid a visit to Angela earlier during the episode? Or is it Trenton and Mobley, who’ve been missing since last episode? I have a sneaking suspicion whoever Cisco saw is one of the hackers, and the person at Darlene’s door is a Dark Army goon.

Mr. Robot - Season 2

Whoever it was, it wasn’t Elliot because he was busy walking to his own apartment. When he finally arrived, he noticed Tyrell’s van outside his place. Knowing full well that Tyrell is dead, Elliot is pretty confused about what it’s doing there and who is in it. Was he imagining that it was Tyrell? Thankfully, we don’t have to wait to find out because as soon as he approached the vehicle, the window rolled down to reveal Joanna, Tyrell’s wife. Before the credits rolled, she said: “Hello Ollie.”

Before you start theorizing that Ollie (Angela’s ex) is another one of Elliot’s alters, remember that the first time we saw the pair meet, Elliot told her that his name was Ollie. It’s still unclear how the two know each other, but we’re hoping the pieces fall together next week!

What do you think of Joanna’s appearance at the end of the episode? Who do you think Cisco and Darlene saw? Let us know in the comments below, join the conversation on Facebook, or start one with me on Twitter: @Samantha_Sofka.

Images: USA

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