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Hello, friend. "Hello, friend?" That's lame... maybe I should give you a name. But that's a slippery slope. You're only in my head, we have to remember that.  WHAT IS IT? Mr. Robot is a new show from USA, the network that brought you shows like Suits, White Collar, Burn Notice, and Covert Affairs. In keeping with lighthearted, fun-centric USA tradition, Mr. Robot is a psychological thriller about an anti-social anarchist hacker vigilante who uses his skills to protect people he can't possibly connect with while wrestling with mental illness, depression, and his own fragile sense of reality. Fun fun fun! The show premieres June 24th, but the pilot is already available for free on Youtube. You can watch it here. EDIT: Not anymore, apparently.  WHO'S IN IT?  RAMI MALEK as ELLIOT Elliot lives a double life. During the day, he is a cybersecurity engineer for a huge global conglomerate he loving despises. At night, he is a hacker vigilante who exposes creeps, cheaters, and pedophiles through anonymous tips over the internet (and sometimes in person). He sucks at talking to people, has severe social anxiety, and is so loving lonely that he literally starts talking to an imaginary friend (us!) to keep himself sane. We see the pilot through Elliot's eyes, and his mind is a messed-up place to be.  CHRISTIAN SLATER as RANDOM HOBO/MR. ROBOT A weird hobo who takes interest in Elliot and won't stop following him around. Elliot isn't even entirely sure he's real. He is actually the leader of an anarchist hacker group known as F Society. He wants Elliot's help in taking down a global conglomerate and changing the world for the better, and it just so happens he's targeting the conglomerate that Elliot is paid to protect. Other, less important people include Portia Doubleday as Angela, Elliot's childhood friend and co-worker, Ben Rapaport as Ollie, Angela's douchebag boyfriend, Carly Chaikin as Darlene, a fellow hacker, Michael Gill as Gideon, Angela and Elliot's boss, and Martin Wallström as Tyrell Wellick, Senior Vice President of Technologies for Evil Corp. WHY SHOULD I WATCH IT? I'm glad you asked! There are several reasons, actually. Let's list them out... 1. IT'S PRETTY loving GOOD. The pilot's getting rave reviews all around, with stuff like 'drat near perfect' and 'on track to be a modern classic' being thrown around when discussing it. As of right now it's got a 9.4 rating from over 8,000 users on IMDB. In addition, it won the audience award at SXSW, and was an official selection at the Tribeca Film Festival (which is apparently pretty rare for a TV show). The pilot was directed by Niels Arden Oplev, the guy who directed the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so it's cinematic as hell to boot. Only time will tell if the rest of the series lives up to the pilot, but for now, the pilot is all we have, and the pilot is great. 2. HACKING THAT ISN'T STUPID. Most of what Hollywood considers 'hacking' is actually just using computers to do magic, and makes anyone with actual IT knowledge either want to bash their head into the wall or laugh themselves into a coma. Fortunately, Mr. Robot isn't like that. Creator Sam Esmail is a techie, and he portrays the hacking realistically and lets the IT stuff stand on its own without too much explanation. Elliot doesn't use computer-magic to get people's personal information; he gets it through clever social engineering. The more realistic hacking actually makes Elliot cooler than most TV hackers, because he can't hide behind a computer the whole time; he's got to go out into the world and pull some pretty ballsy stuff to get the information he needs. 3. IT'S BASICALLY ABOUT A GOON. Elliot is a loving trainwreck of a human being. He thinks men in black are following him everywhere, he creeps on everyone he knows because he's more comfortable hacking them than having an actual conversation. He hates being touched and has no idea how to respond to social situations. He concocts eloquent, impassioned speeches in his head but is too nervous to actually say them out loud so he usually just winds up staring off into space like a moron. He does drugs and makes bad decisions while high, and occasionally just cries alone in his room because of how desperately loving lonely he is. He's just like us!  Seriously though, Elliot is a great character. He's got most of the negative qualities associated with being a nerd, but he still comes across as someone you root for. He's definitely somewhere on  The Spectrum, but he's not insufferably smug or the butt of a joke, nor does he use it as an excuse to be an rear end in a top hat. He's basically the best person he knows how to be. Sure, he's an isolated, introverted, paranoid, obsessive creep, but at least he uses his creep powers to do good. He's a justice creep.  SPOILER RULES: Like I said, the show technically premieres on June 24th, but USA posted the pilot on Youtube for free, so you can watch it there, or find it in any of the usual places if you're geoblocked. I've tried to avoid too many spoilers in the first post, but beyond that, everything in the pilot is fair game, so I suggest you watch it before you scroll any further (if spoilers are something you care about). A FINAL WORD: This show suffers from aggressively bad marketing that's trying way too hard to be edgy. The actual show does have some political commentary, but it's not nearly as bad as the promos make it out to be, and is mostly due to the fact that we are seeing the world through Elliot's eyes, and Elliot might just be loving crazy. So if you were put off by the ads, I can't really blame you, but I encourage you to give the pilot a chance and see what you think. That's all for now. Watch the pilot. Post your thoughts. Join the movement. F___Society. Please tell me you're seeing this too. Spergatory fucked around with this message at 13:51 on Jun 28, 2015 |
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Jun 9, 2015 16:42
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Parasara posted:If you pause and read the articles linked to Fun Society it appears that quite a few murders happened in the amusement park around when the last owner died, including at least one other also targeting a local business owner. I wonder if that's just flavor text or if it will pop back up. As for the ending (Elliot sanity/ending speculation) When Elliot enters Evil Bad Guy place it's raining outside and quite gray but when he reaches the top floor it's barely overcast. It's grasping at straws that will probably mean nothing but the drastic weather change might indicate one or the other is an Elliot delusion This reminds me: Read the text of the article that pops up on Angela's screen during the DDoS attack. There's some weird, off-kilter mention of knuckle-dragging cavemen evolving or some poo poo. It's just weird enough not to seem like flavor text to me, but it doesn't seem at all related to the plot. Parasara posted:(Elliot sanity/ending speculation) When Elliot enters Evil Bad Guy place it's raining outside and quite gray but when he reaches the top floor it's barely overcast. It's grasping at straws that will probably mean nothing but the drastic weather change might indicate one or the other is an Elliot delusion It could also just mean the building is really, really tall.  I'm tempted to start taking bets on whether or not Elliot is Tyler-Durdening himself, and to what extent. Is Elliot Mr. Robot? Is Elliot everyone in F Society? Is Elliot Flipper?  It might be easier just to take every scene and sort into Real or Not Real. I don't know if he's full schizo, but there are definite implications that Elliot has had delusions before.
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Jun 10, 2015 11:56
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Waynebo posted:this show is incredible but christian slater is in it so it will somehow get canceled You shut your mouth. This is going to be Rami Malek's big break. I've been a fan of his ever since he was literally the only good or interesting thing about The War at Home. Does anyone else even remember that show?
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Jun 11, 2015 03:16
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adrenaline_junket posted:My favourite part was him burning the coffee shop owner at the start with his TOR takeover explanation. That whole scene is great. It's also hilarious when you think about it from the other guy's standpoint. This  -eyed little fucker comes out of nowhere and just goes "Hey, you've never seen or spoken to me before but I know literally everything about you and I'm about to burn you to the ground.  "
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Jun 12, 2015 00:17
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He's not saying the show's badly written or whatever, just that he hates Elliot, and since Elliot pretty much carries the whole show on his shoulders, yeah, he's probably not gonna like the show that follows. Which seems like a fair assessment to me. Interesting implication I just noticed: Elliot says he was forced to see his current therapist. I'm guessing 'forced' is a shorter way of saying 'court-ordered,' which means he's been in trouble with the law before, but I don't think it had anything to do with his hacking (which is also super-illegal, in case you were wondering, and would probably have resulted in the confiscation of all his nice toys). So what'd he do that landed him in court-ordered therapy?
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Jun 13, 2015 03:35
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Opposing Farce posted:The pilot is really well crafted and manages to find a balance between Elliot's mental illness, his attempts to cope, his good intentions, and the "oh society is so terrible" stuff that makes him engaging and not nearly as grating as the whole "vigilante hacker" thing could have been. I'm on board for the rest of the season, though I'm worried the show might end up launching itself off the rails really fast if they can't keep up this level of quality; it'd be way too easy to go too far with all the edgy antisocial hacker stuff or to horribly botch the portrayal of Elliot's mental health problems and I hope they can keep dodging those pitfalls. It's definitely a wild card, and it doesn't help that the show's creator has done like nothing else. He made a movie called Comet last year and directed a short film called Deep Down in Florida in 2004, and that's basically it according to his IMDB page. But he's said in interviews and such that he started writing this as a movie and realized on page 90 that it needed to be either A. a ridiculously long movie that would never be made, or B. a TV show. He's also said he's got plans for four or five seasons worth of stuff, and that he knows how he wants it to end. He's got the journey mapped out in his head, at least, so that gives me some comfort. The easiest way for a show to get lost is for it to have no loving clue where it even wants to go.
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Jun 14, 2015 13:59
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Postal Parcel posted:1) What is the accent of the vice president? Because if that bonsoir was supposed to be French, either I don't know French accents(possible) or that is one lovely accent. Martin Wallström is Swedish. He's apparently one of the most popular actors in Sweden.
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Jun 21, 2015 13:05
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 Premiere tonight! It's the same episode most of us have already seen. But it's on TV this time!
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Jun 24, 2015 13:09
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All you people worrying about the Christian Slater Cancellation Curse can breathe easy for a moment: according to Rami Malek's Twitter, the show just got picked up for a second season already.
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Jun 24, 2015 23:07
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That preview was pretty intense. EPISODE ONE MR ROBOT: Elliot, I need you to change an IP address in this .dat file. ELLIOT: Okay!  EPISODE TWO MR ROBOT: Elliot, I need you to KILL A GUY.  ELLIOT: 
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Jun 25, 2015 11:36
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PhantomZero posted:I loved the pilot and the small details like how you can see 4chan as an open window on his browser in some scenes. I think there are a lot of really good small things that flesh out the character. Like I said earlier, the creator at least seems to have a game plan given that he started writing this as a movie. He definitely knows how he wants it to end, which is all Breaking Bad needed. 
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Jun 27, 2015 15:59
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So can I change the thread title, or is that a mod thing? It could use an update since the pilot is no longer on youtube and the show already premiered. I'm thinking a 'line of the episode' thing, which means as far as I'm concerned, there is only one option right now. The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The TV IV > MR. ROBOT - "I'm okay with it being awkward between us." Or we could just say when the show airs and on what network. USA could use some advertising that isn't aggressive, vomit-down-your-throat garbage. Part of what makes Elliot endearing despite his many flaws is the fact that he doesn't aggressively shove his anti-society views down the throat of anyone within earshot, which is exactly what USA is doing. I mean, Jesus Christ, network. You're using social media to tell people who use social media that people who use social media are idiots. You, a pillar of society owned by a massive corporation, are trying to push anti-society rhetoric and claiming down with big business. Do you not see a problem here?
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Jun 28, 2015 14:09
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Perhaps I should've been clearer. The problem with the show's advertising at the moment is A. It paints the show as a ridiculously one-note political screed when it's actually a character-driven psychological thriller, and B. It necessarily comes off as weird and insincere, like when advertising companies attempt to co-opt memes in order to sell poo poo. They don't get the joke or why it's funny, they just sort of throw it at you and hope for the best. Elliot's political views work when they are a part of Elliot's subdued internal monologue, as a part of his character exemplifying his paranoia. They don't work so well when they are YELLING AT ME in ALL CAPS from a POSTER on the SUBWAY. I'm just saying, USA is spending an awful lot of money to make their show look kind of bad.
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Jun 28, 2015 15:24
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New episode tonight! EPS.1.1_ONES-AND-ZER0ES.MPEG Elliot is torn between accepting a job offer from Evil Corp and joining fsociety.
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Jul 2, 2015 01:40
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This is suffering pretty heavily from pilot-to-second-episode syndrome, not in terms of quality, but in terms of them obviously using different sets and everyone having different haircuts because this was filmed months later.
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Jul 2, 2015 03:18
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God, Elliot is a human disaster. I love it.
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Jul 2, 2015 03:24
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Elliot, Episode 1: I do no more than 30 mg of morphine per day, unlike some junkies.  Elliot, Episode 2: DO ALL THE MORPHINE. 
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Jul 2, 2015 03:46
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Jesus, Elliot's luck with parental figures is The Worst™.
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Jul 2, 2015 04:13
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ViggyNash posted:He's already lost his poo poo, as far as he can tell. Might as well snort the drugs to match reality. Ideal ending for the show: Elliot does some Hacking, pushes a button, and both FSociety and Evil Corp go through some version of this scene.
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Jul 2, 2015 04:23
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I just noticed the game Mr. Robot is playing in the Arcade is called "Mallard Murder," presumably to avoid copyright issues, but still uses genuine Duck Hunt sound effects and graphics. Even the font is the same.
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Jul 2, 2015 19:51
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Awesome Animals posted:I think Angela and boyfriend are just account managers. They are the "relationship", or the ones with the social skills to connect the awkward techs at the companies, and the awkward engineers at the security firm. So basically, they're the Jens. Now we just need to figure out whether Elliot is a Moss or a Roy. Spergatory fucked around with this message at 13:15 on Jul 3, 2015 |
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Jul 3, 2015 03:45
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RE: Mr. Robot's Relative Reality - there's a spoiler video floating around that shows POSSIBLE FINALE SPOILERS EDIT: and since spoiler tags are just TOO MUCH TEMPTATION for some weak willed babies, you can look it up yourself if you want to see what's in it. Spergatory fucked around with this message at 20:55 on Jul 3, 2015 |
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Jul 3, 2015 17:19
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Rocksicles posted:The fact you you posted any finale spoilers, potential or otherwise this early. Makes you a oval office.  It's hidden in tags, you don't have to read it. That's better than what I got: the stupid video just posted randomly with a full transcript below it in case I tried to scroll past without actually watching it. But hey, since the boards are apparently full of whiny manbabies with no self control, I'll edit them away so as not to tempt you.
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Jul 3, 2015 20:51
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Personally, I'm hoping for a Reverse Fight Club. Robot and fsociety know about Elliot's mental illness and they're conspiring to gaslight him into thinking he's losing it for real. Why? Who knows? Maybe they want him to take the fall for them after it's all said and done. If a bunch of people get hurt by fsociety, and Elliot thinks he is the entirety of fsociety, Elliot, being the weirdly moral person that he is, will probably turn himself in. It might not get them completely in the clear, but it'd probably buy them enough time to disappear and cover their tracks.
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Jul 6, 2015 12:40
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Scene from tomorrow night's episode: as hinted at by the previous episode, Tyrell Wellick is a loving weirdo.
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Jul 7, 2015 19:27
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hahahaha, holy poo poo. "That's it, fsociety is over. Time to turn up the color saturation and show blue skies. This is now a normal USA show. Tricked you, fuckers!"
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Jul 9, 2015 03:27
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Wow. They're actually going there. Like I jokingly thought Wellick was giving off some serious 50 Shades vibes towards Elliot last week, but turns out... that's actually what's happening. He actually wants to gently caress Elliot. "poo poo. I'm going to have to let him hug me."
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Jul 9, 2015 03:47
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That about sums it up. This show is a loving ride, y'all.
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Jul 9, 2015 04:07
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PunkBoy posted:I'm confused about the conversation between Tyrell and his wife at the end. I don't think there's any need for spoiler text given that the episode has already aired. I think Tyrell initially thought the wife was the candidate because he saw her at the office, so that's what he told his wife. After his successful bit of  Corporate Espionage, he learned that the real candidate was her husband, thus the clarification.
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Jul 9, 2015 04:50
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Elliot's 'Normal Life' montage is the funniest thing I've seen all week, and I've spent the past two days binge-watching Parks and Rec (which, to be clear, is also very funny). The color saturation, the slow motion, the loving slurping sounds when Elliot is drinking the latte, the fact that Gideon just seemed confused and slightly frightened by the sudden shift... it was just priceless.
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Jul 9, 2015 17:29
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Opposing Farce posted:That scene in the bar is the thickest dose of "yo mr. robot ain't real" we've had yet. To me, the main thing that sells it is the rest of fsociety's reaction to Elliot. Like, the first time he goes there, they're all just kind of side-eyeing him like they aren't sure who he is. The second time he pops in, they greet him with reverence. Not just like high-fives or "YEAH BRO" camaraderie, but like he's the most amazing loving thing they've ever seen. The kind of awe usually reserved for celebrities or cult leaders. It happened again this episode, when Elliot showed up and they just kind of automatically stopped what they were doing and went and cleared a space for him without even being asked. They ignore their actual leader but they treat Elliot like he's the loving second coming? Yeah, no, I'm not buying it. Elliot is their leader, and they reacted weird in the pilot because that was the first time they'd ever seen him in person and they had no loving clue who he was.
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Jul 9, 2015 19:40
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BrianWilly posted:But it's not just him, that whole little hacker group seems comprised solely of people who I would love to see on a rocket into the sun. I don't see how they could have possibly annoyed you this much. None of them counts as a character yet except Darlene. They've had all of four lines between them.
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Jul 10, 2015 13:12
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The entire sequence of Elliot losing his goddamn mind was golden. There was plenty of plot stuff that moved forward, Angela took drugs and became a real human who I actually kind of like now even though she probably just hosed up everything. Trenton totally has a lesbian crush on Darlene. And now I wonder if Elliot will move Qwerty to a window when he gets back home. 
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Jul 16, 2015 13:52
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There's a special kind of tension that comes from making your show about the most socially awkward person to ever exist. His every human encounter is an  moment.
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Jul 23, 2015 03:25
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Everything is always happening so much on this show.  Soundtrack is jammin tho.
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Jul 23, 2015 04:08
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The entirety of the scene after Elliot opened the trunk is some of the most incredible goddamn AAA-tier acting I have seen on television. Rami Malek deserves an award for that scene alone. EDIT: Also, this is a pretty cool article. Sam Esmail talks about the films and filmmakers that have influenced his vision for the show. If you were wondering whether or not the guy knows his poo poo: he does. Spergatory fucked around with this message at 19:25 on Jul 30, 2015 |
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Jul 30, 2015 19:20
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IMDB is exactly as trustworthy as Wikipedia.
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Aug 2, 2015 18:56
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This show is pure  from beginning to end.
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Aug 6, 2015 04:10
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Ghost Dad we totally called, but I don't think anybody predicted SisDarlene. Even knowing what it probably was in advance, that did nothing to change how loving boss the execution was. And you want to know the real mindfuck? We still don't know if Mr. Robot is real.
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Aug 13, 2015 04:13
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I saw a text post that sums things up pretty nicely: we thought it was fight club but it was actually star wars the whole loving time.
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Aug 13, 2015 04:35
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