Pop Culture Punch

Mr. Robot: Season 4, Episode 11 “eXit”

December 18, 2019December 18, 2019admin

The penultimate episode of Mr. Robot aired, and once again, I am still so confused as to how this can end!!! “Exit” showed some seriously powerful monologues and a WTF ending that has me on the edge of my seat for next week’s two hour series finale.

We open a little backwards in time, with Darlene and Elliot’s sentimental hug goodbye. He also bids Mr. Robot an emotional farewell. Then he’s off to the power plant to shut Whiterose’s project for good. But of course, we left off with Whiterose seemingly going to meet her end with the FBI raiding her home, but you’re a fool if you think the Dark Army doesn’t have her back.

Back at the power plant, Elliot just finishes kicking off the job that should shut it down for good when some Dark Army cronies grab him and lead him through halls of bodies before depositing him in a dark lit room with two computers and a fish. It’s the exact same place where Whiterose spoke with Angela. Whiterose enters, seemingly thrilled to finally get Elliot face-to-face.

They both deliver some pretty powerful speeches, but BD Wong acted his pants off in this extended scene! Recognize the man! Elliot shares that he still has hope in humanity because there are people in this world who can give him what he can’t give himself: love. Whiterose tells him they can go back and make it all better before blowing her brains out. The power plant is about to meltdown, but Elliot finds a game that he’s sure can make it all stop.

Mr. Robot tries to save him, but Elliot is convinced this is it. As the screen fades to red, we are then introduced to parallel-universe Elliot who has his sh** together and is getting married to Angela, has a loving relationship with his father, and is CEO of Allsafe. He meets with F-Corp’s leader, Tyrell (!!!), who wants to know if Elliot is with him, to which he replys, “always.” Everything in this world seems dandy, except for frequent migraines that Elliot’s been getting, but it’s of no concern to him.

As Elliot heads home at the end of the day he’s met with his typical, hooded self at the computer, to which he’s asks, as he’s been asking all along, “Who are you?”

Well, I for one am beyond excited to see how this ends! We still don’t know who that other personality is, and where the heck is Darlene in this alternate universe?! WHAT WILL HAPPEN??? Only a few more days until we find out.

Mr. Robot, Season 4, Episode 10 “Gone”

December 9, 2019December 9, 2019admin

In the tenth episode of Mr. Robot‘s final season, we see another new take with a sort of rom-com feel. But before the feel-good vibes, we start off the hour with Dom recovering in the hospital, although not of her own volition. No sooner does she get out, then Darlene shows up begging her to escape with her and Elliot. It takes a lot of convincing, but Dom eventually gives in.

Since the the hack is complete, Darlene is done, but Elliot still has more he needs to do. They leave each other after a very sweet hug and some really nice words. We then see that Darlene and Dom will be accompanied by Leon, who has basically confirmed he’s just a gun for hire looking for the best payout. They take a back-roads road trip of sorts up to Boston, but make a pit stop along the way. There, Darlene shows Dom something she’s really proud of: the largest redistribution of wealth in history. Darlene is elated, and even Dom let’s go for a short bit.

Once the two make it to the airport, Dom runs into Irving in a gift shop trying to sell his new book. He tells her that the Dark Army don’t care about the two of them anymore. I don’t know about you, but Irving’s appearance in the episode seems a little misplaced, and I one hundred percent don’t believe him, but I guess we’ll see. Finally letting go of the anxiety about being caught by the Dark Army, she tells Darlene that she can’t go to Budapest. We learn two things from this emotional exchange. One is that Darlene is afraid of being by herself, and two is that Dom is afraid of trying something new.

Que the rom-com music and montage! We are treated to alternating scenes of Darlene getting ready to board the plane and Dom hesitating at the exit. Dom then decides to head back to the plane where we see Darlene run to the bathroom to fight off a panic attack at the exact same time. Although they don’t end up together, they still get a little bit of what they need. Dom is off to Budapest, trying something new and actually getting some sleep, while Darlene overcomes her panic attack and stating she can take care of herself.

This was a sweetly unique episode, and I don’t know what will come of these characters in the final hours of the show, but I’m ready to get back to Elliot next week (and Whiterose according to the teaser!).

Mr Robot Season 4, Episode 8 “Request Timeout”

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019admin

While this was another great episode in Mr. Robot‘s fourth season, it, like others, didn’t really seem to propel the story forward very much.

Friday Night Double Feature

November 23, 2019November 23, 2019admin

That’s right, I’m at it again, even though I just did the same thing last week! I saw back to back movies last night, and the outcome was significantly better! A large part of that has to do with the fact that I got to see Knives Out a week before its official release date! I’ll be as brief and non-spoily as I can with this review, so buckle up!

How to Get Away with Murder – Fall Finale

November 22, 2019November 22, 2019admin

Holy cow! How to Get Away with Murder just delivered an insane mid-season, fall finale! It was packed with a lot of answers and a lot of questions. Let’s unpack.

The Weekend Keeps on Going Movie Review

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019admin

I told you all there was more to come! In order to make up for my abysmal viewings in September, I felt I needed to step up my game this first weekend to make it count. So with that, I started off with and oldie, but a goodie, Disturbia.

Book Review: The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz

September 18, 2019September 18, 2019admin

September is turning out to be a lot busier than I anticipated! All I’ve really managed to do is read, which is good, because fall TV is gearing up next week! With that, I got my hands on the latest Girl With the Dragon Tattoo novel by David Lagercrantz, who took over for Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Lived Twice.

Book Review: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

September 3, 2019September 3, 2019admin

I’m sure I said this a few posts back, but I feel like I’ve been reading like a fiend these past couple months, and it continues with The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware! I was a huge fan of her first novel, In a Dark, Dark Wood, so I’m always excited to see what she’s got next. Earlier this year I read her latest installment, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, and that sucker stuck with me. Needless to say, I was very surprised when a new novel dropped just a few months after finishing that up – but it was a happy surprise!

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager – Book Review

August 26, 2019August 26, 2019admin

I feel like I’ve been ripping through books recently, and I’m not mad about it! Especially when my friend let me borrow newly released Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. After his prior two novels, Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied, I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this book! And let me tell you, it was worth the wait. Compared to his other two outings, this one sounded the least like the other two. Yes, it was told from a female’s perspective, but the tone and cadence reminded me more of Ruth Ware’s The Death of Mrs. Westaway.

Movie Review: Ready or Not

August 26, 2019August 26, 2019admin

A few months back when I saw the trailer for Ready or Not, I thought to myself, “have I seen this before?” And with a little bit of thought, two movies actually came to mind, You’re Next and The Invitation. Both movies focus on a night of survival from attackers, but while those two films were their own thing, so was Ready or Not, and I was definitely ready to see it!