Mr. Robot: “eps1.9_zer0-day.avi” (Episode 1.10)

And so he reconciles himself to their presence by the end, and that stability returns—he watches the revolution he’s created with something like satisfaction. It also returns stability to the viewer, because at times in this finale, Esmail and his writers flirted with the idea that reality itself was a type of simulation. When the crowds disappeared in Times Square, leaving Elliot alone in the neon metropolis, we had to wonder whether the rug was really about to be pulled from under our feet. Would the revelation be a cheap equivalent of a season-long dream sequence, or something more profound, assailing the very nature of our existence? Instead, we got the answer we were expecting, and that I believe makes the most sense: Everything is real except Mr. Robot and the family. Elliot’s hacking is real, the other hackers are real, the Dark Army is real, the revolution is real.

Also real, unfortunately, is Angela, who continues to behave as if she learned about human emotions in a confusing pamphlet where the instructions were translated, poorly, from Japanese. She took a job with Evil Corp—why? She’s cozying up with the CEO—why? She abuses a shoe salesman when he calls her out on her employment—why? Bottom line: I don’t understand this character, I have never understood this character, and I don’t like this character. The acting, the writing, and the motivations behind Angela have been poorly executed from the start, and the only silver lining to her appearance last night was the absence of her boyfriend Ollie, who is somehow worse.

She’s present for the scene that led to the finale being delayed a week—a man committing suicide on camera, which was too close to the Roanoake shootings of last Tuesday for comfort—but the symbolism of the blood on her shoes, which may as well be on her hands at this point, wasn’t enough to make me care.

Aside from that quibble, the non-Elliot portion of the plot came off quite compelling, and there are clearly some traps being laid for season two. For one thing, we saw his therapist defend him in an encounter with the serial adulterer who wants to pursue some kind of legal or mercenary action against Elliot (and who, hilariously, was exposed in the Ashley Madison leaks anyway after capitulating to Elliot’s demands). Then there’s the creepy CEO of Evil Corp, Phillip Price, played with disturbing relish by Michael Cristofer, who seems to know who hacked his company, and maintains an eerie calm—Nero fiddling while Rome burns, as a mysterious character points out at the final moment.

That character, of course, is White Rose of the Dark Army, who met with Elliot in episode eight and played a critical role in helping him destroy Evil Corp. The fact that he’s now consorting with Price means that this is not some isolated Chinese hacker, but a player on an international stage with a good amount of influence, and a reason—one we don’t yet know—for wanting to stage an international revolution. The most we know is that he has a concern with mines in the Congo, a vague indication of what’s to come.

I didn’t think anything could top the moving conclusion of episode nine, when Tyrell and Elliot stood together in the arcade, on the verge of destroying much of the world’s wealth, but this scene came close: White Rose subtly pushing Price for information, wanting to know whether he truly understands who crossed him, and Price giving very little away—does he really have the culprit in his crosshairs, and does he know the conspiracy extends to White Rose, or this is more confident blustering with nothing beneath it?

The elegant room, and the music of the harp, introduce the kind of world we haven’t yet seen in the gritty New York environs that dominated the first season of Mr. Robot. It hints at the expansion of the universe we’ll see in season two, and it was compelling in the truest sense of the word—it compels you forward, building anticipation, even as it brings an excellent first season to a close.