By a fellow glitch in the system
You know how some shows just hit you? Not like a jump scare or a cheap thrill. I mean hit you quietly, steadily like a weight settling on your chest, whispering, “Yeah, it’s messed up out there… and you’re not crazy for noticing.”
That’s Mr. Robot.
Rami Malek’s haunting portrayal of Elliot Alderson, the hoodie-clad, insomnia-wrecked cyber vigilante, isn’t just a role, it’s a reflection. A mirror held up to the world, but more painfully, to ourselves. And no, I’m not some hardcore hacker or an anarchist. I’m just someone who watched the show and found it speaking to places I didn’t even know had a voice.
So this isn’t going to be some polished analysis. No think-piece. Just a real person talking to you like we’re sitting on a rooftop, watching the city lights flicker while the system quietly burns beneath us.
1. “Control Is an Illusion” – And That’s Liberating
One of Elliot’s recurring lines is: “What if you’re not in control?”
At first, it scared the hell out of me. Who wants to think that? We like to believe we’re steering our own lives. That we’re the captains of our fate. But Mr. Robot peels that illusion away, one episode at a time.
Takeaway:
- We’re conditioned by media, money, marketing to play roles.
- The system wants us distracted, addicted, numb.
- But realising you’re not in control? It’s step one to taking some of it back.
Honestly, once I admitted that I’m not as in control as I thought… weirdly, I felt lighter. Like, okay, now I can stop pretending and start rebuilding.
2. Mental Health Isn’t a Side Plot – It’s the Core
Elliot doesn’t just have anxiety or depression in passing; his entire story is mental illness. Disassociation, identity fractures, addiction. And it’s not glamorized. It’s raw. It’s confusing. It’s painful.
What it taught me:
- You can be brilliant and broken at the same time.
- Asking for help doesn’t make you weak, it makes you human.
- Sometimes, survival is the win. No big speeches, just getting through the day.
There were episodes where I didn’t “get” the plot but understood the emotion. That fog. That internal war. That split between what you feel and what you show.
And you know what? Just watching that be represented on screen made me feel a little less alone.
3. Society Is a Lie We All Agreed To
This show takes shots at everything, corporate greed, capitalism, surveillance, media manipulation. And yeah, it’s a little dark, a little cynical. But also… painfully accurate?
“We’re all living in each other’s paranoia.”
Mr. Robot doesn’t just entertain, it interrogates. Why do we work jobs we hate? Why are we okay with being watched 24/7? Why do a handful of people get to control the world?
Messages that stuck:
- The system benefits from your silence.
- Consumerism is modern hypnosis.
- It’s okay to question everything, even yourself.
And I think that’s what a lot of us needed. Not answers, Just permission to question.
4. Loneliness Is a Language
Some shows try to hide loneliness behind romance or humour. Mr. Robot lets it sit in the room with you.
Elliot’s isolation despite being surrounded by people hits differently. He writes emails to his dead dad. He’s more honest with an imaginary friend (spoiler?) than with himself.
And it reminds me:
- You can feel alone even when you’re not physically alone.
- Connection requires vulnerability, not just proximity.
- Sometimes, the person you’re trying to save is yourself.
5. Change Starts With You Not Some Grand Revolution
Yeah, the show’s all about Fsociety trying to take down the big, evil E Corp and blow up the system. But the more you watch, the more you realise the real battle isn’t out there. It’s inside Elliot.
That whole revolution stuff? Honestly, it’s just a metaphor. The real fight is with his past. His trauma. The stuff he’s buried so deep he forgot it was even there.
And I think that’s the part that quietly slapped me in the face.
Because most of us aren’t gonna go hack a corporation. We’re not living double lives or plotting digital coups. But…
- We are fighting our own mess.
- We’re trying to unlearn what broke us.
- We’re figuring out who we are when no one’s watching.
It’s not loud or dramatic. It’s not fireworks or headlines. It’s more like… closing 15 open tabs in your brain just to get out of bed.
And that matters.
Because before you save the world, you’ve gotta face yourself. And that might just be the harder job.
Final Thoughts (because even rants need to end)
Mr. Robot doesn’t offer hope in the traditional sense. It doesn’t wrap things in a bow. But it does validate your anger, your confusion, your exhaustion. And sometimes, that’s more powerful than a happy ending.
So if you’ve ever felt like a glitch in the system…
If you’ve ever stared at a screen and wondered, “What’s the point?”…
If you’ve ever wanted to just scream into the void…
Watch Mr. Robot. Not because it has the answers.
But because it dares to ask the questions most of us are too afraid to say out loud.
Thanks for reading. Stay human.
“Hello, friend.” – That’s lame. Maybe I should give you a name… But that’s a different story.”
