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» » Mr. Robot eps2.1_k3rnel-pan1c.ksd (2015– )

Short summary

Elliot vows to beat Mr. Robot; Angela gets a glimpse behind the curtain at E Corp; and fsociety stirs up trouble.

FBI agent Dominique DiPierro (Grace Gummer) exchanges IRC messages with HappyHardonHenry806, a likely reference to Christian Slater alias Happy Harry Hardon in Прибавьте громкость (1990).

At around 19 minutes the piece of music "Opening (Mishma)" begins to play over the scene, this is also used at the ending of Шоу Трумана (1998). A film that shares the theme of questioning the nature one's reality in order to know the truth.

Deleted Scenes: At Fidelio's, after they toast, a man and woman dressed well in fsociety masks enter and sit at a nearby table. They pretend to eat food from McDonalds, causing visible irritation at the E Corp table. The concierge returns and threatens to call the police again. The man puts a bag with a giant dollar bill sign on the table. The concierge reiterates that they need to leave and they do with mock annoyance. She apologises to Price (Michael Cristofer), who asks for the fries and get a laugh from the table.

Dom (Grace Gummer) talks to Alexa, developed by Amazon for its Echo device. This accompanies Amazon's exclusive streaming rights for Season 1 of Mr. Robot.

Elliot (Rami Malek) takes adderall to get rid of Mr. Robot (Christian Slater). Adderall is a stimulant generally prescribed to treat ADHD. It improves attention and wakefulness, but in larger doses, side effects include euphoria, insomnia, hallucinations and paranoia. Elliot takes up to 200mg; the maximum therapeutic dose for adults is 40mg.

Romero (Ron Cephas Jones)'s PC was likely ignited by thermite trap that triggered when FBI agents tried to access his computer. Thermite is a pyrotechnic that burns at high temperatures to melt the metal plates or silicon chips in hard drives.

In the flashback, Mobley (Azhar Khan) tried to recruit Romero (Ron Cephas Jones) due to his skills in phreaking. Phreaking was the skill of emulating audio frequencies to access and manipulate telephone systems before phones became digital.

Angela (Portia Doubleday) and Phillip (Michael Cristofer) dine at the Italian restaurant with two other ill-fated employees, and the scene was shot in Manhattan at the restaurant Zio, at 17 W. 19th St., with some matching photos on Zio's website, displaying the same decor not altered for the shoot.

At around 38 minutes Elliot (Rami Malek) hallucinates seeing three girls in dresses wearing fsociety masks, the way they are dressed and how they are standing is quite similar to the infamous twins at the Overlook Hotel in Сияние (1980).

Music:

  • "Holly, Jolly Christmas". Recorded by Burl Ives (1964). Plays as Romero (Ron Cephas Jones) take Mobley (Azhar Khan) to see the Fun Society arcade for the first time.
  • "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me". Recorded by Dusty Springfield (1966). Plays as Romero locks up the arcade after being recruited by Mobley.
  • "Opening", from the soundtrack of Mishima. Composed by Philip Glass, performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble (1985). Plays when Elliot (Rami Malek) imagines himself being kidnapped and forced to drink fluid concrete.
  • "The Highwayman". Recorded by The Highwaymen (Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, 1985). Plays as Agent DiPierro (Grace Gummer) gets ready for work.
  • "Lovely Allen". Recorded by Holy Fuck (2007). Plays in the montage where Elliot realises the adderall has worked and Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) is gone.
  • "Just Say the Word". Recorded by Jerry Townes (2011). Plays as Angela (Portia Doubleday) arrives for her dinner with Phillip Price (Michael Cristofer).

Based on Romero (Ron Cephas Jones)'s criminal record, the conversation with Mobley (Azhar Khan) where he was recruited takes place at Christmas, 2014.

Origin of the Title:

  • A "kernel panic" occurs when a UNIX operating system detects a fatal error from which it cannot recover. It is roughly the same as a "blue screen of death" (stop error) in Windows. The panic sends highly technical information to administrators and developers designed to help the identify the problem.
  • The extension: The .ksd extension denotes a file encoded by Keep Safe, an app providing military-grade encryption of devices and back-ups for video and photos.

In Dom (Grace Gummer)'s apartment, a digital clock can be seen blinking at 12:00 indicating that it has suffered power outage. This is a reference to the frequent blackouts which plague the world of the show.

Ray (Craig Robinson) and his associates use Bitcoin for their unspecified business. Bitcoin is an open-source cryptocurrency using an open ledger with public and private keys. Transactions in it are anonymous to others with access to the network, so it has become popular with criminals.

Romero (Ron Cephas Jones)'s first name is Leslie.

The print on Phillip Price (Michael Cristofer)'s wall is the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by a Yugoslav nationalist at Sarajevo, which triggered World War I.

Deleted Scenes: Dom (Grace Gummer) is seen arriving at the FBI office when a coworker, Jesse, approaches her and complains that he has lost his vacation. He also complains about a timeshare presentation he and his wife endured in Mexico.

One of the notes "writing in Gibberish" in Elliot (Rami Malek)'s notebook says "RIP", probably referencing the death of his former boss Gideon Goddard (Michel Gill).

This episode marks the final appearance of Romero, played by Ron Cephas Jones. He appeared in 9 episodes in total.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Wenes
    I'll admit, I was lukewarm on the two-part premiere. It had some great stuff, but it also a little clunky at times. In a way, it feels like that was a prologue and this is the real premiere. Everything in this episode was top-notch, but I give particular props to the directing. The episode juxtaposed smooth, cinematic sequences with scenes straight out of a David Lynch film. Much of it is disturbing in a way that makes you laugh nervously. I'm curious to see if the out-there nature of this episode is going to alienate people. Some of the people disappointed with the last episode called it "bland". That's one thing this episode could certainly never be accused of being.

    The episode opens with a flashback to Romero showing Mobly the arcade for the first time. This re-introduces the arcade, re-introduces Romero, adds some poignant backstory, and creates a parallel with the end of the episode. Then there are some stunning New York helicopter shots.

    The real standout of the episode is the scenes with Elliot. Rami Malek's performance is, as always, a highlight. He goes completely off the rails in this one, providing some really disturbing Lynchian imagery. His scenes left me uncomfortable yet exhilarated. There is a torture scene, an Adderol montage, a deranged rant in the church, and a striking conversation with Ray. His relationship with Ray is increasingly mysterious. There is a scene in this episode involving Ray that I do not understand at all.

    Some interesting events play out around Romero, getting all the F Society characters involved. When I initially saw it, I thought it was a twist on a scene in the first season, but then I realized why it couldn't be that. Whatever the case, it seems as though it will be at the centre of the driving action of the story this season.

    I thought DiPierro's introduction in the last episode was really awkward and confusing. I did not understand what was going on between her and the man at the counter of the store. This episode does a much better job of providing insight into her character. We learn that she is abrasive, anti-social, and lonely. She also gets a significant purpose in the story (something which was notably absent from last episode).

    Even when scenes didn't involve crazy Lynchian imagery, the directing was still totally on point. For example, there is a scene in Pryce's office with Angela. The long pauses and constant wide angle made it wonderfully uncomfortable. In a later scene, Pryce makes Angela an interesting offer.

    Going back over it in my mind, I can't believe how much they crammed into this one episode. It really is incredible, in a wonderfully mad fashion.
  • comment
    • Author: Ygglune
    This is one of my favourite episodes in any tv shows at any time. Elliot on speed is so well acted or hes speech in churchgroup: that is one of the greatest speeches ever. Third time to watch this and I never get enough of this.
  • comment
    • Author: Tetaian
    Sam Esmail has written and directed the perfect television episode, which is an unrelenting, beautiful, intense, masterpiece.

    From the outset (which had elements of Tarantino) to the framing and movement he brings from Tod Campbell, to the final act. There is not a single dropped frame that doesn't hold emotional, metaphorical, and literal meaning in eps2.1.

    Everyone does extremely well in this, but I had to pull out Michael Cristofer for what he does here. Reminding me a little of his character in Rubicon (they have very different make ups, of course) in just how much depth is built in to what is going on with every word he says. Doubleday also for similar reasons.

    This is just a ridiculously fantastic piece of film making. It's worth watching the whole series just to get to this point.
  • comment
    • Author: Maldarbaq
    I love the cinematography in Mr Robot, it's "dull" colours and the café in a weird pink gives me so much aesthetical pleasure (which would be enough for me to keep watching Mr Robot hah, if that was the case).

    I wasn't completely thrilled about this episode at the start, since I don't want Elliot to sink down the drug abusing-road. I hope that Elliot will find some peace, or a way to handle his mental situation – without drugs. It's honestly so pointless, it's been enough of that already. I want to see how Elliot handles things, not a junkie trying to handle things.

    But, I think that it develops (and I'm glad for that). I could identify a lot with his first "this is how it is now"-days on his drugs, since I tend to go up and down like that.

    The torture scene was extremely disturbing, and in my recurrent nightmares I get smothered. So, it was extremely horrific. I don't know if the scenes with the vomit was beautifully done, or just boring.

    Small sidenote; Darlenes' voice gets on my nerves. Really. Much. I enjoy the fact that the team has to get together, now when one of them have been murdered. I loved Romeros' mother, she was a beautiful lil' character. Dominique (FBI Agent) and Ray seems like two very "alive"-characters. They bright up and put more depth on the more stereotypical characters in the show. I love how we as viewers slowly get to know Dominique more and more, mostly by her nightly scenes. A woman masturbating with a screen next to her isn't seen that much in TV-series and is an extremely taboo-topic, so good job with that scene (I guess?).

    The scene where Elliot spoke about his views of religions was marvellous. I get Fight Club-vibes running down my spine. Angela and her boss (?) dinner was also a great scene, since it really showed how human some "monsters" can be. Everyone is capable of making shitty, unthoughtful decisions.

    The music in this episode wasn't as good as it's been before, but I can live with that. I hope it gets better in the coming episodes.

    There is a theory going around about Elliot actually is in a psychiatric ward or in a prison for the hack, and it feels like that theory is becoming more and more true. I hope that they reveal it soon if that's the case, since I can't stand one more "I AM MR ROBOT" scene when you knew it all along. If he isn't at a facility like that (and actually at his mum, which I found hard to believe) it's a great atmosphere they have set up, making his life feel as isolated as a hospital/prison. But why would he otherwise willingly go to bloody groups? And Basketball games?

    Looking forward for next weeks episode, and as a journal/diary- junkie, this was my favourite dialogue from this episode.

    "Why did you start writing a diary?

    I thought it was the answer

    For what?

    Controlling my life."
  • Episode cast overview, first billed only:
    Rami Malek Rami Malek - Elliot Alderson
    Carly Chaikin Carly Chaikin - Darlene
    Portia Doubleday Portia Doubleday - Angela Moss
    Michael Cristofer Michael Cristofer - Phillip Price
    Stephanie Corneliussen Stephanie Corneliussen - Joanna Wellick (credit only)
    Martin Wallström Martin Wallström - Tyrell Wellick (voice)
    Grace Gummer Grace Gummer - Dominique DiPierro
    Christian Slater Christian Slater - Mr. Robot
    Azhar Khan Azhar Khan - Mobley
    Sunita Mani Sunita Mani - Trenton
    Joey Bada$$ Joey Bada$$ - Leon
    Ron Cephas Jones Ron Cephas Jones - Romero
    Vaishnavi Sharma Vaishnavi Sharma - Elliot's Mother
    Michael Maize Michael Maize - Lone Star
    Dorothi Fox Dorothi Fox - Nell Romero
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