Member-only story
TV REVIEW
The Greatest TV Show Ever Made
Why Mr. Robot is the TV show of a generation
When Mr. Robot arrived on the scene in 2015, it was a revelation. I knew by the conclusion of its opening episode that I’d never seen anything like it. I’d never seen a show that felt so rooted in the real world.
In that way, it’s a show that delves head first into a lot of uncomfortable truths. From loneliness and inequality to the most crushing elements of our digital lives, Mr. Robot explores it all to often disturbing lengths. At its most intense moments, it was one of the hardest to watch shows that I’ve ever seen. But that those most gnawing scenes were accompanied by some of the most spellbinding shots I’ve ever seen made Mr. Robot stick with me in a way no show ever had.
Throughout its four season runtime, there was simply no scene that didn’t feature this masterful attention to cinematography. From its opening monologue, I knew almost instantly that I was in for a ride like no other. Rami Malek’s acting grips viewers from the very start with his unnerving genius and spectacular range of emotion — spanning from monotonous detachment to manic obsession to absolute rage.
Mr. Robot employs the use of the “unreliable narrator” technique in a way I’d never seen applied so effectively. Non-linear…
