Time to plan a counter-attack.
Elliot is beginning to initiate his plan to undo Five/Nine and strike back at the Dark Army. From his perspective, it appears to be going well. However, there are many conflicting factors that he is not privy to. Factors which could just make things more chaotic or, at the very least, seriously hurt him and the people he cares about.
For one thing, he doesn't know that Mr. Robot has resumed his alliance with Tyrell Wellick. Tyrell, newly released and ironically proclaimed a national hero, nearly kills Mr. Robot before that could even happen. In a surprise turn of events, it's Philip Price who manages to bring them together. Price drops in to inform Tyrell that he's finally received his coveted position of CTO, only to take the wind out of his sails by clarifying that it's now a meaningless title and his only role will be to serve.
What I found really interesting is that he looks down on Mr. Robot's revolution while, at the same time, seeming as if he's encouraging him to continue with it. I'm guessing this is one of Price's moves to get back at Whiterose, using fsociety to serve his purpose. Whether he intended it or not, that's what's happening. By presenting himself as a common enemy, Price mends the partnership between Mr. Robot and Tyrell. Now they both want to take down Price, Whiterose and the rest of the 1% of the 1%. Tyrell reveals that the Dark Army has a man inside the FBI.
Mr. Robot is able to convey this much to Elliot before losing control again, letting him know that the feds can't be trusted. There goes the long awaited Elliot/Darlene/Dominique DiPierro alliance I was hoping for.
Darlene puts that possibility even further off through her actions in this episode. After finding out the Dark Army owns the FBI, she takes it upon herself to break into Sentinel, the FBI's evidence storage network where Romero's key to undoing Five/Nine is being held. She attempts this by hacking Dom. When her tech fails to copy Dom's ID, Darlene goes a different route. She exploits her and Dom's connection, as well as the latter's feelings of loneliness, by getting her drunk and seducing her. Even though I kind of saw this coming, it left a bad taste in my mouth; Darlene basically used the same manipulative tactic Tyrell pulled with Price's male secretary in the first season. Not cool.
And anyway, it fails since she is caught by Dom and taken into federal custody once again. Darlene expresses her distrust, but ends up telling them about Romero's files. That a solution is already within their reach. Unfortunately, she tells Santiago as well as Dom. He takes Dom off of Darlene's case on account of their "relations," and then informs Irving of this new development. He waits for instruction. I'm guessing Irving's gonna order him to murder Darlene and destroy the files. Santiago's being so dumb. He could have just kept this to himself and let Darlene throw a wrench in their plans way before they even knew what was going on. Maybe if he'd known what Elliot was up to as well.
Elliot doesn't know that Darlene's in custody, which could really throw a wrench in his plans. That would be tragic, seeing as he just got one over on Whiterose and her lover boy. He lies about their being a Stage 3 to get a meeting with Whiterose, but is met by her number two man/lover instead. It doesn't matter, they put a drive into his laptop to see what he's up to, inadvertently giving Elliot access to their data. It looks like he's finally got them by the balls.
Unfortunately, Whiterose's man is a rather perceptive fellow. He doesn't know that he allowed Elliot to hack the Dark Army, but he has figured out Elliot and Darlene are gunning for them now. Whiterose has been expecting this, and gives her man permission to have Elliot killed.
Everyone's coming up with their endgame plots, despite being unaware of exactly what their enemies and allies are planning. It appears all of these gambits are about to pile up in a big way. Maybe a way that is self-defeating for all parties. This show's season finales are usually pretty stunning. But this whole season has been pretty damn stunning, so I'm guessing something especially crazy is about to happen. I would expect nothing less.
Ones and Zeroes:
* It was nice to see Gideon Goddard again, however briefly. He was such a nice guy. Unfortunately, it meant we also had to see Terry Colby as well, who is still one of the show's scummiest characters.
* I found it interesting that Price only decided to hire Allsafe after he saw Angela there during his meeting with Gideon. I'm hoping we finally discover what's driving his obsession with her in the season finale.
* Speaking of Angela, she appears to have gone batshit crazy. She takes news of Tyrell's appointment to CTO as proof that time is reversing or someting; although, she still refuses to explain what the hell she knows that no one else does, if anything. She's insanely paranoid, believing people are listening to her and that she can't trust anyone except Whiterose. And we discover that she's remodeled her apartment to resemble the house Whiterose brought her too: the "Hang in there, kitty" poster, walls lined with photos of people with faces covered in red stickers, plastic sheets over everything. She's even started talking to her fish, Qwerty, as if he were her only confidant. Angela heads to the train station, believing Whiterose will find her there, but is intercepted by men in a white van. I guess she assumes they are with the Dark Army, but I'm thinking it's actually Price's people.
* I love the newspaper headline about Tyrell: "From A-Hole to CTO." Nope, still an asshole.
* I'd been looking forward to a confrontation between Elliot and Price for quite awhile. Of course, when they finally do meet he's in the form of Mr. Robot. So Price technically still hasn't been formally introduced to "Mr. Alderson." Esmail, you teasing bastard.
* Watching the normally cool and controlled Whiterose flip out into hysterics over the delay in moving her operation to the Congo was satisfying. With any luck, her and her plans will be completely broken before this is over.
Quotes:
Mr. Robot: You're being added to a collection of puppets.
Tyrell: No puppet, no puppet! You're the puppet!
Mr. Robot: Wake up! You made a deal with a force that's bigger than you. When the time comes, they're gonna ask you to pay what they feel you owe them.
Tyrell: This is a childish conspiracy.
Mr. Robot: Childish? Who's the one who said we were gods? Huh? Time to grow up. There are no gods. Our closest deities are society, the richest most influential men in existence. Men who fuck over the rest of us for profit, for fun, and then leave us in the streets for dead! Just like your Joanna!
Tyrell: (retrieving his rubber gloves) ... You don't talk about my wife.
Mr. Robot: Wouldn't she want you to realize the truth and fight? Or would she want you to be their little bitch?
What an odd couple, these two.
Darlene: Even if we do this, do you really think it'll make a difference. I mean, the whole world has gone to shit.
Elliot: And we did that. All we can do now is rebuild. At least that's a start.
Darlene: (to Dom) What? You're not into fire-crotch? Hypocrite!
Ah, Darlene. She's a hoot.
Angela: You've been trying to listen to me, haven't you? Did you hear me? Did you hear what we were saying out there?
Leon: I just been sittin' here smokin' these trees, girl. I dunno what the fuck you're talkin' about.
That goes double for Leon.
Tyrell: I know what this is. You're embarrassed that you fired me. There's no shame in admitting the truth. You're out of moves, and your company needs me. E Corp needs my image, the face of a hero. That's why you're here.
Price: Oh, Wellick. Wellick. It's not that I'm "out of moves." It's that you're not worth one.
Mr. Robot: Whew.
LOL.
Price: World catastrophes like this? They aren't caused by lone wolves, like you. They occur because men like me allow them. You just happened to stumble onto one of them.
Mr. Robot: No, no, I ran the operation. I pushed the button. I am the one--
Price: There you go again. I, I, I. You're still thinking like a lone wolf.
Mr. Robot: Then why don't you tell me how I should be thinking.
Price: Like a leader!
Mr. Robot: I am a leader.
Price: Then where are your followers?
Mr. Robot: ...
Price: You can't force an agenda, Mr. Alderson. You have to inspire one.
Whiterose's Man: I don't think their target is E Corp anymore... I think it's us.
Elliot: (narrating) And now I own the Dark Army.
Yes!
Three out of four crazy lady grocery carts.
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