Mr. Robot Episode 3.03 eps3.2_legacy.so

An anti-social young computer security tech is recruited by an underground anarchist hacker group to help destroy corporate America.

"Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid"

We return to the fsociety arcade on the night of the Five/Nine Hack, Tyrell watching in awe as Elliot's code works its magic on Evil Corp. Elliot retrieves the gun out of the now-famous popcorn machine and trains it on Tyrell, but who pulls the trigger? Mr. Robot, just as he said he did. But -- and this is a big but -- the gun malfunctions...or does it? Tyrell takes this as proof that they are both gods who have an "uncanny bond," almost using the L-word (!). Mr. Robot isn't as convinced of the meant-to-be-ness of it all, until he realizes that Tyrell is the "perfect kind of crazy who can protect me from me" and by doing so, allow them to finish off Evil Corp, together. Aw. Bromance.

"A Manhunt to Rival Bin Laden's"

Why did Tyrell suddenly become the most wanted man in the world? Being suspected of killing your new boss's wife doesn't get you there. The real reason: An E Corp IT guy, James, who completed the honey pot request, ratted out Tyrell to Gideon Goddard, who in turn called the FBI. So back in the arcade, none other than our new favorite fixer, Irving, arrives at the behest of their "mutual friend," flanked by two masked Dark Army heavies, to clean up the mess. Irving instructs Elliot to drive Tyrell's SUV to a parking lot and then go home and lie low while Tyrell goes into hiding.

Down on the Farm

Irving takes Tyrell to a remote farmhouse in New Jersey, that's tricked out with a serious security system and tons of acreage, but not much else, and leaves him there alone, phoneless and computerless, to await further instructions. One night, Tyrell is awoken by visitors: two Dark Army operatives as well as the seemingly unassuming Mr. Williams who offers tea but not a lot of sympathy. Fueled by the powdery white substance he continuously snorts, Mr. Williams begins a relentless interrogation of Tyrell, not as puzzle-y and confusing as Angela's quiz, but equally as intense and repetitive, until Tyrell cracks, reversing all of his previous answers. The big confessions: Yes, he killed Sharon Knowles and no, he won't be loyal to "me" (Whiterose). However, he says, he will always be loyal to Elliot. That seems to be the magic answer.

After Mr. Williams gets the nod from Whiterose's assistant, who has been lurking in another room, he tells Tyrell he can now get started on "Red Wheelbarrow," which they're calling Stage 2 at "Mr. Alderson's request" (which Mr. Alderson would that be?) at the farmhouse until they can establish a more permanent headquarters. He also finally tells Tyrell where Elliot is. When they give Tyrell a new phone, he gets a call from the prison. Bonsoir, Elliot. But life on the farm isn't all bucolic and relaxing. While Tyrell preps Stage 2, he obsesses about his baby and his wife. To blow off steam, Irving turns him onto chopping wood.

Off the (Google) Map

At the same time this is going on, on Zhang's private island, his assistant reports that Elliot immediately pleaded guilty and was sentenced for 8 months, which happened too quickly for them to intercept the proceedings. Zhang instructs his assistant to have their operative inside the prison greet Elliot and also take a look at which officials are on their payroll to help with an early release plan. Zhang's next appointment is none other than Frank Cody, the conspiracy theorist and host of "Let's Be Frank." Who isn't on the Dark Army payroll? (Wait for it....) Zhang gives Frank three assignments: 1) to start an "image rehabilitation" on Tyrell since he's going to be blamed for the Five/Nine Hack; 2) to put fsociety's origin on Iranian soil; and 3) to back Trump as the presidential candidate.

We Missed Ya, Cisco

We get a brief glimpse of Cisco in this flashback episode, showing when Darlene gave him the femtocell. Who did he bring it to? Xun, his Dark Army conduit. But whose car was Xun sitting in? Irving's. Irving then tells Cisco what we now know to be true: if anything gets messed up, Darlene's protected but Cisco's not. Poor Cisco. All he wanted to do was go to Budapest on a vacay with Darlene.

The Not-So-Great Escape

As Tyrell's hair and beard grow longer and more uncharacteristically unkempt, cleverly showing us the passage of time, he notices additional Android malware code that doesn't have to do with their plan and gets suspicious. Fed up, he packs his devices and hightails it through the woods. But a local cop spots Tyrell and after a short chase, catches him and throws him in the back of his cop car, handcuffed, while the cop fantasizes about the rewards he's about to reap for catching The Most Wanted Man in the World. While the cop and Tyrell await the arrival of the feds in an empty field, Tyrell tries to dislocate his finger to shimmy his hand out of the cuffs. An SUV pulls up and the driver shoots the cop in the head. When the shooter points the gun on a shaken Tyrell cowering in the back seat, we learn that it's... Santiago! (Ever wonder why Santiago wasn't shot in China?) With Tyrell delivered unharmed back to the farmhouse, Santiago tells Irving that he's pissed that he was put in the position of killing a cop to clean up Irving's mess since he's already feeling vulnerable about his cover with the FBI. After Santiago leaves, Irving faux-relates to Tyrell to get him back on the Stage 2 Train.

Enjoy Your Stay!

After checking the status of Elliot's release with Leon in prison, Irving shares the good news with Tyrell. They head back into the city so Tyrell can confirm that Confictura HQ has been created to his specifications. Irving takes him to a Dark Army hotel to shave all that facial hair and await his instructions to rendezvous with Elliot. Oh, and by the way, Irving tells Tyrell that his popcorn gun really was broken, that's why the shot Elliot/Mr. Robot took didn't kill him. So much for being gods!

Here's Looking at You, Kid

To finish our "Where in the Heck in the World Was Tyrell Wellick?" episode, we cut to the aftermath of Tyrell having shot Elliot at Confictura. While Elliot's being operated on by Dark Army surgeons, Angela comforts Tyrell, who is upset because when they finally reunited, it didn't feel so good. Why didn't Elliot believe Tyrell was real? Why did he seem like a different person? Angela sighs and explains the answer to that riddle. After the surgery is over, the person in the hospital bed staring at Tyrell is not Elliot: it's Mr. Robot.