Categorized largely under drama, crime, and the many derivatives of thriller (to be precise – techno thriller and psychological thriller, according to Wikipedia) – one would think that Mr. Robot is simply a no-frills, cynical series on techno-antiestablishmentarianism. And for the most part, that sentiment is extremely spot-on – it’s one of the darkest shows to ever hit our television screens in recent memory, and I’d even go as far as to say it’s on the upper-tier in terms of being the darkest of all time.
But that doesn’t mean Mr. Robot can’t try to be humorous every once in a while – or depending on your mileage – every so often. With its premise (a guy literally talking to himself) it’s a goldmine for comedy just waiting to be harvested. And it’s of the black humor variety too, which juxtaposes with the bleak tapestry that the show is known for.
Without further ado, here are the top “comedic” moments in Mr. Robot, in no particular order.
Elliot Adderall-son
Season 2, Episode 3: “eps2.1k3rnel-pan1c.ksd”
Elliot is no stranger to drug sequences, and neither are the viewers who get to see it all unfold from acquisition to absorption, the eventual effects, and even the crash and burn that ensue. In most cases, it’s ugly, and not a laughing matter at all. “Drugs are bad, mkay” as South Park’s Mr. Mackey would say. And how!
However, the third episode of Mr. Robot’s current season accomplished the seemingly improbable – make a drug sequence look really funny. In Elliot’s umpteenth (I mean who’s still counting?) attempt at extricating Mr. Robot from his consciousness, he decides to turn back to drugs – this time using the combination drug Adderall – to keep himself focused at all times and “flush out” Mr. Robot at the expense of insomnia and immense euphoria.
This then led to a series of vignettes showing Elliot hyper-actively reacting to the most mundane everyday moments that he normally treats with subdued weariness. At one point, he muses to himself while watching the usual basketball game at the park, “The ball goes into the hoop! Of course!” like he just discovered the vaccine for Zika.
But all good things must come to an end as he acknowledges the audience that no one’s buying that he got rid of Mr. Robot. Well, true – but no one really cares. This scene was (to borrow his terminology) immaculate.
A Bug-Free Life
Season 1, Episode 3: “eps1.2_d3bug.mkv”
It’s the third episode and involves the illusion of being free of Mr. Robot, I’m seeing a trend here. Nonetheless, it’s one of the first few times that Elliot tries to kick Christian Slater off his back (and “successfully”), and he celebrates by fantasizing a number of un-Elliot things – watching “stupid” Marvel movies, getting a gym membership, and “heart” pictures in Instagram set to a dissonantly sweet tune. But the clincher of all? Walking up to his boss’s office with a sincere smile, the revelation of a girlfriend, and a vanilla latte on hand. “Was he drinking Starbucks?” Yes, Gideon, we’re just as shocked as you are.
Ollie’s Interests
Season 1, Episode 1: “eps1.0_hellofriend.mov”
Everyone has that annoying coworker maybe two, probably even a dozen, in their office. And while there’s no accounting for tastes, we can’t help but question some of their tastes and preferences, be it with their choice of music, pastimes, and so on.
Ollie, however, strikes you as one that falls squarely under this archetype from day one – which is kind of surprising why Elliot needed to check the guy’s social media accounts for confirmation. But it’s still worth the scene alone to see Elliot dryly remark “Must I really justify myself any further?” as he lists just some of the few horrors he’s seen from Ollie’s Facebook account such as Josh Groban and Transformers 2: Revenge of The Fallen, capped off by guessing that Elliot is into Maroon 5.
Mr. Robot, The Racist
Season 1, Episode 2: “eps1.1_ones-and-zer0es.mpeg”
Christian Slater’s Mr. Robot could not be mistaken for anything that’s politically correct or subtle. Here’s a guy that would leer and shout openly at beautiful women in the office or pick fights with burly guys minding their own business on an internet café just to prove a point.
But all of this pales in comparison to just one line – yes, one line – that was delivered innocuously yet it’s sheer impact on the “I can’t believe he just said that” scale broke the needle. when it first aired. The quote in question was Mr. Robot complimenting the clearly Middle Eastern (Iranian to be precise) Trenton, who laid some of the groundwork for the upcoming Steel Mountain hack: “She may look innocent, but she’s got some Allahu Akbar in her!” – it’s wrong in so many levels but you can’t help stifle a laugh at just how bold and casual he uttered a very controversial and racist remark. But I guess it falls on the many “ism’s” he intends to unleash.