‘Mr. Robot’ takes a victory lap, plots season two

After completely upending the status quo in the final episodes of Season 1, “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail teases the focus of the Golden Globe-winning drama will remain on Elliot’s “emotional journey” as he tries to separate reality from fantasy.

Season 2 hasn’t started shooting yet, but the prospect of prepping for production, given all that Elliot is struggling with, is “already giving me anxiety”, said lead actor Malek. The new season will begin with that struggle. Even as the first season entertained viewers with several twists and turns, Esmail said he’s not interested in “gotcha moments …” It happens because Rami brilliantly plays Elliot. So you’re learning it with him. As long as that’s organic, as long as that feels real, then I think the twists will come from there, but it’s not my agenda to keep shocking you.

Esmail shared a couple of intriguing details about the forthcoming season 2, for which he will ambitiously direct each of the 10 episodes. When Harrison Ford kissed him at a post-Golden Globes party, he figured it couldn’t get any better and it was time to go home. Not 100% clearer because what’s the fun in that? “But a little clearer”. “Yeah, he said he adores me”, she deadpanned. “With this character, I have to prepare for anything at any given moment”. “I know you’re not going to believe me, but it actually makes it easier for me”. “When I think about that, it kind of haunts me as a human being having to deal with that. And that’s the place he finds himself in approaching this next season”.

In fact, the Mr. Robot panel was preceded by an ominous video from the show’s hacker collective, fsociety, welcoming critics… and warning them to update their passwords if they’re using the local Wi-Fi.

“I knew very early on”, Malek said.

Mr Robot Season 2 will debut this summer on USA.

“I don’t put anything in the show arbitrarily”.

Slater said he wasn’t aware of the twist when he read the first script but had his suspicions, which his agent dismissed. “… There’s so much strife and turmoil in (Elliot’s) head”. And we’re really going to go into the mind of a person who has just become aware of that, and what is the next step to that?

“It’s hard when you’re on set and you’re telling actors, just don’t look at him”, star Rami Malek explained.

Another “big question” in season two will surround Elliot’s childhood best friend and Evil Corp employee, Angela (Portia Doubleday), and his sister Darlene, and the stark contrast between them.

Esmail also talked about how he achieved the verisimilitude of the outsider computer culture when so many other films and television shows fail in that respect.

He largely resisted our efforts, but oferred a little bit. “And actually, in a weird way, you’re not going to believe this, but I think it’s actually going to be easier on me”.