Eps2.9 pyth0n-pt1.p7z

Last updated
"eps2.9_pyth0n-pt1.p7z"
Mr. Robot episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 11
Directed by Sam Esmail
Written bySam Esmail
Produced by Christian Slater
Cinematography byTod Campbell
Editing byFranklin Peterson
Original release dateSeptember 14, 2016 (2016-09-14)
Running time47 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"eps2.8_h1dden-pr0cess.axx"
Next 
"eps2.9_pyth0n-pt2.p7z"
List of episodes

"eps2.9_pyth0n-pt1.p7z" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot . It is the 21st overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on September 14, 2016.

Contents

The series follows Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker with social anxiety disorder, who is recruited by an insurrectionary anarchist known as "Mr. Robot" to join a group of hacktivists called "fsociety". In the episode, Elliot tries to find more about Mr. Robot's methods, while Angela is taken to a house for questioning.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.686 million household viewers and gained a 0.3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received positive reviews from critics, praising the episode's ambition and style, although some criticized the episode's lack of answers and pacing.

Plot

In the aftermath of the shootout, Dominique (Grace Gummer) is informed by Santiago (Omar Metwally) that she will be removed from the case. She wants to declare the attack as an act of war by the Dark Army, but finds that the government will not upset China after they just gave the U.S. a $2 trillion loan. Price (Michael Cristofer) uses the bailout money to strengthen Ecoin, forcing the government to support him to keep pace with China and rebuilding the banking sector.

Angela (Portia Doubleday) is taken by the two figures, and is led to a house. There, she is questioned by an apparently tortured young girl on many strange scenarios, who tells her that she will be punished if Angela refuses to answer. After the interview is over, the girl walks out of the room. Whiterose (BD Wong) appears, revealed to be Angela's captor. Whiterose reveals that the girl is actually using make-up, and that it was a test for Angela, as she should have died on the 5/9 hack. Whiterose also reveals that they have plans for her and Elliot (Rami Malek), telling her that the deaths of her mother and Elliot's father were necessary. After leaving, Angela informs Antara (Sakina Jaffrey) that she won't pursue any action and drops off as her client.

Elliot decides to use a lucid dream technique, allowing him to see Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) decode a message. He discovers a phone number, which leads him to an address where a taxi awaits him. After he enters, he is joined by Tyrell (Martin Wallström), alive and well. When Elliot questions the driver, they are kicked out of the taxi. Seeing that Elliot can't recall the events, Tyrell tells him that the Dark Army's Stage 2 is ready and that Elliot will be pleased with the results.

Production

Development

In September 2016, USA Network announced that the eleventh episode of the season would be titled "eps2.9_pyth0n-pt1.p7z". The episode was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. This was Esmail's eleventh writing credit, and fourteenth directing credit. [1]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "eps2.9_pyth0n-pt1.p7z" was seen by an estimated 0.686 million household viewers with a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 0.3 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. [2] This was a 11% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by an estimated 0.765 million household viewers with a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographics. [3]

Critical reviews

"eps2.9_pyth0n-pt1.p7z" received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 83% approval rating for the episode, based on 18 reviews. The site's consensus states: "The most brilliantly weird installment to date, 'Pyth0n-pt1.p7z' is a lucid odyssey full of riddles and clues and the astounding return of a key character." [4]

Matt Fowler of IGN wrote, "The second half of Season 2, which has focused more on fsociety realizing that they're in way over their heads and were probably used as pawns (by Elliot's subconscious mind), has been a much better ride than the first half. But I still wish it had paced out its reveals a little better so that the upcoming season finale didn't have the extra burden of having to, pretty much, satisfy on all fronts." [5]

Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "'Pyth0n-pt1.p7z' begins the process of pushing Mr. Robot into bold new territory, and that transition might be too much to accept for those who thought the show took place in our world, or at least a practical extension of ours. Much like the confusing whirlwind of events surrounding Angela Moss, the show is lurching out of the accepted reality that has anchored it to a universe recognizably our own." [6]

Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx wrote, "This season, particularly in its second half, has pushed so much beyond that story, and emphasized its various mysteries over and over, that it will feel frustrating if we don't get at least some explanations next week – and ones that justify the amount of time Esmail has strung us along on them, even if he's done so with such great storytelling flair." [7] Kyle Fowle of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "'eps2.9pyth0n-pt1.p7z' is perhaps, for lack of a better word, the trippiest episode of season 2. After last week's gut-punch of a thriller, tonight's episode is more muted in its delivery, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have teeth. In fact, this one might hit just as hard, but the shot goes for the brain instead of the gut." [8]

Jay Bushman of IndieWire gave the episode an "A+" grade and wrote, "The episode opens will Elliot attempting to induce a lucid dreaming state so he can switch places with Mr. Robot and discovers what he's planning. This dream-like quality extends to the rest of the hour, a brief, fitful pause between the high-action end of last week and next week's season finale." [9] Vikram Murthi of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "While the tone of 'eps2.9_pyth0n-pt1.p7z' kept me on edge, and certain scenes had spark, it mostly felt like a Zen koan without any of the promised enlightenment. Here's hoping that Elliot and Tyrell's beautiful friendship leads somewhere in the finale." [10]

Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "I almost never believe that shows can stick the landing when it comes to finales. It's such a difficult feat to rationally conclude a season of 12-24 episodes. But Mr. Robot by becoming more inscrutable every week has paradoxically made it clearer and clearer that the end will somehow satisfy. Because how could it not? Just even to gain a semblance of clarity. in some ways, however, I hope they don't. This feeling of the apocalyptic schizophrenia is hard to top." [11] Caralynn Lippo of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "As is now the usual for Mr. Robot, 'Python' was an artistic dream, but it was super, super slow – especially after the tense cliffhanger we left off on and especially since this is part one of the two-part season finale." [12]

Related Research Articles

"eps1.6_v1ew-s0urce.flv" is the seventh episode of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. The episode was written by Kate Erickson and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on August 5, 2015.

"eps1.7_wh1ter0se.m4v" is the eighth episode of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. The episode was written by Randolph Leon and directed by Christoph Schrewe. It originally aired on USA Network on August 12, 2015.

"eps2.0_unm4sk-pt1.tc" is the first episode of the second season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the eleventh overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on July 13, 2016, airing back-to-back with the follow-up episode, "eps2.0_unm4sk-pt2.tc".

"eps2.0_unm4sk-pt2.tc" is the second episode of the second season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the twelfth overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on July 13, 2016, airing back-to-back with the previous episode, "eps2.0_unm4sk-pt1.tc".

"eps2.3_logic-b0mb.hc" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the fifteenth overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Kyle Bradstreet and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on August 3, 2016.

"eps2.2_init_1.asec" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the fourteenth overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on July 27, 2016.

"eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the sixteenth overall episode of the series and was written by co-producer Adam Penn and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on August 10, 2016.

"eps2.5_h4ndshake.sme" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the seventeenth overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on August 17, 2016.

"eps2.6_succ3ss0r.p12" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the eighteenth overall episode of the series and was written by Courtney Looney and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on August 24, 2016.

"eps2.7_init_5.fve" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the nineteenth overall episode of the series and was written by Kyle Bradstreet and Lucy Teitler, and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on August 31, 2016.

"eps2.8_h1dden-pr0cess.axx" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 20th overall episode of the series and was written by Kor Adana and Randolph Leon, and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on September 7, 2016.

"eps2.9_pyth0n-pt2.p7z" is the twelfth episode and season finale of the second season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 22nd overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on September 21, 2016.

"eps3.0_power-saver-mode.h" is the first episode of the third season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 23rd overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on October 11, 2017.

"eps3.2_legacy.so" is the third episode of the third season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 25th overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on October 25, 2017.

"eps3.3_metadata.par2" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 26th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Kyle Bradstreet and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on November 1, 2017.

"eps3.5_kill-process.inc" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 28th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Kyle Bradstreet and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on November 15, 2017.

"eps3.6_fredrick+tanya.chk" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 29th overall episode of the series and was written by Adam Penn and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on November 22, 2017.

"eps3.8_stage3.torrent" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 31st overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Kyle Bradstreet and Courtney Looney, and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on December 6, 2017.

"401 Unauthorized" is the first episode of the fourth season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 33rd overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on October 6, 2019.

"402 Payment Required" is the second episode of the fourth season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 34th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Kyle Bradstreet and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on October 13, 2019.

References

  1. "(#211) "eps2.9_pyth0n-pt1.p7z"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  2. Metcalf, Mitch (September 15, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.14.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  3. Metcalf, Mitch (September 8, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.7.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  4. "Mr. Robot: Season 2, Episode 11". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  5. Fowler, Matt (September 14, 2016). "Mr. Robot Needs to Stop Holding Back Answers". IGN . Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  6. McLevy, Alex (September 14, 2016). "Reality itself is up for debate on the strangest Mr. Robot yet". The A.V. Club . Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  7. Sepinwall, Alan (September 14, 2016). "Review: 'Mr. Robot' leaves lots of mysteries to be resolved in next week's finale". Uproxx . Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  8. Fowle, Kyle (September 15, 2016). "Mr. Robot recap: Season 2, Episode 11". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  9. Bushman, Jay (September 14, 2016). "Review: 'Mr. Robot' Season 2 Goes Full David Lynch As We Prepare for the End". IndieWire . Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  10. Murthi, Vikram (September 14, 2016). "Mr. Robot Recap: Mind Awake, Body Asleep". Vulture . Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  11. Bojalad, Alec (September 15, 2016). "Mr Robot: Python Pt. 1 Review". Den of Geek . Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  12. Lippo, Caralynn (September 15, 2016). "Mr. Robot Season 2 Episode 11 Review: Angela vs. Whiterose!". TV Fanatic. Retrieved September 12, 2023.