How good is the USA Network "Mr. Robot"? So good it was renewed for second season even before the pilot last night. The psychological thriller drama opened its first episode to good reviews from critics.
New York Post wrote it "combines a certain earnestness with the dark that keeps this feeling raw. It feels street-level." As for AV Club, it commends "Mr. Robot" cast for how they perfectly portray their characters. It said "Malek is riveting, especially when Elliot's skills are giving him the upper hand" and "[Christian] Slater and Wellick fill out their roles with prickly personality."
Lost in the great performances of the main "Mr. Robot" cast is Portia Doubleday's Angela, Elliot's childhood friend and officemate. Many thought Angela is just another love interest for a main character, someone who will jeopardize Elliot's plans every step of the way. However, according to Malek himself, Angela plays a big role in Elliot's sanity.
"Angela and Elliot go way back to a world where Elliot was a happier child," the lead "Mr. Robot" cast said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"They've known each other for quite a bit and they've both gone through some tragic moments together in their lives as you'll come to find out. So there's a history there. This harkens back to a time where Elliot's life was a lot easier and he genuinely cares about her. Now he's entered a world where caring for people has become incredibly difficult thing for him to do. But in another sense, there's something about her. The love that he does have for her, no matter how hard it is, he has always got a special place for Angela because of their history with one another."
However, as Elliot immerses himself into the hacking world, their relationship will be strained.
"Elliot is so determined and focused on taking down the system and this corrupt society that we live that a lot of his relationships will fall by the wayside. As he gets more involved with fsociety and this plan that he and Mr. Robot and everyone at fsociety come up with, it definitely compromises his relationships that he's really striving to hold on to. That does get addressed down the line in future episodes. We really see the relationship be affected by his distance and a lot of moments on the show have that affect on him. He becomes so one-sided that he loses touch with the thing that I think he really wants the most, which is the human connectivity. The one person he really does have that with is Angela. ... He's not able to see that in the moment because of what he's after."
Other members of "Mr. Robot" cast are Carly Chaikin as Darlene and Gloria Reuben as Krista Gordon as Elliot's therapist.
