Mr. Robot Episode 3 Review
Unsupervised Learning19 Jul 2015

Mr. Robot Episode 3 Review



[ NOTE: There are spoilers below, not just for this episode but for the show in general. ]

Enough people have asked me to start doing reviews of Mr. Robot episodes that I’m going to have a go at it. The deciding factor was the fact that I had such a strong desire to write during the third episode.

I’m going to start here with thoughts on the show in general, not just on episode 3.

Mr. Robot in general

The character

The main protagonist is an interesting character. He is what the writer evidently wants to capture, or actually believes to be, the template for a true hacker, which is highly damaged.

I am quite struck with the focus that is placed on how truly messed up he is. He has major drama with the way his father was killed. He largely hates society. He has deep personal depression. And he’s a user of narcotics.

I’m left thinking along the lines of a Hemingway type of artist, where the best creativity (in this case hacking) comes from those wo are the most tortured internally. Painters, musicians, etc. We’re familiar with the template.

This redeeming qualities, which the writers take equal efforts to highlight, are the desire to protect people, his love for the blonde girl, and a general but understated willingness to fight back against the soul-crushing force of our modern, consumerist society.

I really enjoy how he is only actually going to see his psychiatrist because he’s trying to help her, and if she’s actually going to help him it’ll kind of be on accident.

He deeply analyzes people and sees if they’re good, or weak, or in need of help, and then if they are he kind of hates them less because of this. And he is willing to use his superpowers to help them as a result, like when he pushed that guy out of his psychiatrist’s life.

The tech

Before going into the various problems, it must be said that the information security writing has been exemplary. I’d say definitely the best we’ve seen in either movies or “television” (whatever that is).

That said, there are a number of missing links in the armor.

On one of the first episodes, possibly the first, I noticed an IP address with a final octet in the 300’s. That’s just an editing miss, but it did take me out of the fantasy.

In Episode 2, which I generally didn’t like, I was quite bothered by the destruction scene. Here’s what I think happened there. They wanted to do a destruction scene, they had it all rigged up, and they wrote the story so that he’d do a quick hack and then get spooked enough to do it.

Then they show the infosec writer(s) the story component and they’re like,


Um, no. There’s no way anyone of this skill level would be hacking from his actual IP address.


And they’re like,


Well, we need to do this scene. Most people will miss that, and the scene will be cool enough to make up for it.


So the writer stomps out of the room mumbling about how they shouldn’t have hired him for authenticity if they were going to make such obvious mistakes, and they go with it.

Who knows if that really happened, but that’s how I imagine it.

Comments on modern society

I also find the comments on modern society to be quite interesting. I think it’s a big part of the whole hacker feel.

Hackers have always had this component to their mystique. Being counter-culture. Being underground. Fighting against the man. So the idea that everything is a conspiracy with the rich exploiting the poor, the strong exploiting the weak, and everything being about selling advertising and the dominance o...

Become a Member: https://danielmiessler.com/upgrade

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episoder(532)

NO. 387 — Modern Parenting and Narcissism?, New Russian Hacking Unit, McKinsey AI Predictions, and more…

NO. 387 — Modern Parenting and Narcissism?, New Russian Hacking Unit, McKinsey AI Predictions, and more…

In this episode: 🧠 Is modern parenting creating narcissists?🔒 Top cybersecurity official warns of Chinese hackers🇷🇺 New Russian hacking unit identified🚀 NVIDIA's AI red team philosophy📈 McKinsey says AI will massively boost productivity💊 MDMA helps white supremacist move away from hate🔎 Google further soils the bedBecome a Member: https://danielmiessler.com/upgradeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 Jun 202324min

NO. 386 — DBIR 2023, Vision, Smol-Developer, and more…

NO. 386 — DBIR 2023, Vision, Smol-Developer, and more…

In this episode: 🔥 Human Immortality Using LLMs🤖 Generative AI Reshaping Enterprises🔒 Verizon DBIR 2023 Analysis🪳 Chrome Zero-Day Patched💰 Lazarus Atomic Wallet Link🚀 Tame Your Compliance Beast🪳 MOVEit Vulnerability Exploitation📰 North Korean Hackers Impersonate Journalists📱 Apple ID-sharing🌐 Apple Vision Announced🔑 Password Crackdown Success📈 AI-Driven Stock Surge📱 iOS17 Features Summary🔐 Apple Passkey SharingBecome a Member: https://danielmiessler.com/upgradeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 Jun 202326min

NO. 384 — World AI Coin, Russian Power Attacks, Guidance AI Workflow…

NO. 384 — World AI Coin, Russian Power Attacks, Guidance AI Workflow…

In this episode:👁️ Worldcoin, OpenAI, and eye scanning: A global ID and currency?⚡ Grid Threat: Russia-linked malware targets power grids🧠 Neuralink gets FDA approval for clinical trials🤖 Bing integrated into ChatGPT for enhanced AI chatbot experience🚗 Tesla Model Y becomes world's best-selling car🌈 LGBTQ searches soar 1,300% since 2004Become a Member: https://danielmiessler.com/upgradeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Jun 202321min

NO. 382 — AI Attack Surface Map, Digital Assistants, Dragos Nope, Rogue AI Girlfriend…

NO. 382 — AI Attack Surface Map, Digital Assistants, Dragos Nope, Rogue AI Girlfriend…

In this episode:🛡️ Support DEFCON's AI Village event🧠 Dive into AI attack surfaces🤖 Uncover digital assistants' future🔒 Investigate Dragos Incident & Snake takedown🎵 Experience Google's MusicLM magic🚀 Secure the cloud with a free guide👩‍💻 Witness an AI girlfriend gone rogueBecome a Member: https://danielmiessler.com/upgradeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 Mai 202317min

The Right Amount of Trauma

The Right Amount of Trauma

In this standalone episode I read my essay titled "The Right Amount of Trauma". https://danielmiessler.com/blog/the-right-amount-of-trauma/   Become a Member: https://danielmiessler.com/upgradeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 Mai 20237min

NO: 381 — Reviving Conference Strategies, Nurturing High-Performers, AI Business Takeover, Cyber Threats, and Diversifying Production 🧠🏢🦈📱🚗

NO: 381 — Reviving Conference Strategies, Nurturing High-Performers, AI Business Takeover, Cyber Threats, and Diversifying Production 🧠🏢🦈📱🚗

🧠 The Right Amount of Trauma: Nurturing high-performers🏢 Universal Business Components: AI's business takeover🦈 North Korean ReconShark: New global cyber threat📱 Apple's Brazil production: Diversifying from China🚗 NYPD's AirTag advice: Protect your car💵 US dollar losing reserve currency status🤖 IBM's hiring pause: AI and automation's impact🌐 World Economic Forum: Job disruption predictions 📺 YouTube views: Half on TV📞 GenZ's dumbphone trend: Reducing distractions🌿 A Post AI Future for Humans: Local community model💡 The Self-checkout Tipping Anti-Pattern: Dark pattern or generosity?Become a Member: https://danielmiessler.com/upgradeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

9 Mai 202311min

NO. 380 — LLM-Mind-Reading, Automated War, Rusty Sudo, Eliezer Bitterness Theory...

NO. 380 — LLM-Mind-Reading, Automated War, Rusty Sudo, Eliezer Bitterness Theory...

📚 Pre and Post-LLM Software: Adapt or be replaced🎙️ RSnake Show Appearance: AI-focused conversation🔐 RSA Live Podcast: Industry insights and advice🔮 Palantir AI: Automated war and terror🍏 New Apple Update Mechanism: Rapid Security Response🧠 LLM Mind-reading: Extracting text from brain activity🚫 Chatbanning: Samsung's response to data leak🔧 VMware & Zyxel Patches: Addressing vulnerabilities🔒 Google Security AI: Cloud Security AI Workbench🦀 Sudo Rust: Safer sudo and su in Rust🎥 Palo Alto Cameras: License plate tracking🏃‍♂️ Apple Coach: AI-powered health app🏦 First Republic Falls: FDIC intervention💡 Eliezer Bitterness Theory: AI doomsday predictions🤖🔥 Prompting Superpower: Advanced AI prompting techniques🛠️ ShadowClone & FigmaChain: Useful tools🐍 Recommendation: Learn Python and Langchain💬 Aphorism: Carl Jung on creativityBecome a Member: https://danielmiessler.com/upgradeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Mai 202318min

NO. 378 — AI Resilience Scale, Moloch The Demon, Ukraine Data Leak, and more...

NO. 378 — AI Resilience Scale, Moloch The Demon, Ukraine Data Leak, and more...

NO. 378—AI Resilience Scale, Moloch The Demon, Ukraine Data Leak, and more...Become a Member: https://danielmiessler.com/upgradeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

17 Apr 202325min

Populært innen Teknologi

romkapsel
rss-avskiltet
teknisk-sett
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
energi-og-klima
shifter
rss-impressions-2
nasjonal-sikkerhetsmyndighet-nsm
elektropodden
smart-forklart
rss-alt-som-gar-pa-strom
rss-snakk-om-sikkerhet
i-loopen
kunstig-intelligens-med-morten-goodwin
rss-bouvet-bobler
teknologi-og-mennesker
pedagogisk-intelligens
rss-digitaliseringspadden
rss-alt-vi-kan
rss-heis