9. Confessing To Krista
Some of the most intriguing scenes in Mr. Robot's early episodes involved Elliot talking to his psychiatrist, Krista. From the beginning it is apparent that Elliot is mentally unstable, and that he hallucinates and disappears into his own world on a regular basis (making constant references to his imaginary friend, the viewer). As such, any opportunity to learn more about his thoughts is absolutely welcome. One thing that also emerges from these encounters is that Elliot secretly hacks Krista in order to find out about her life, as he does with everyone he meets. He claims to do it because he cares, wanting to find out about her problems and help to fix them. In episode seven, in an incredibly heart-stopping scene, he finally confesses this to her. It's the only scene in which the hacker really attempts to take responsibility for the repercussions and invasion of privacy that are the side-effects of his attempts to help his friends. The entire sequence is totally tense. Krista, who has tried unsuccessfully to learn about what makes her client tick for a long time, suddenly discovers that he knows more about her than she could ever understand about him. He tells her that he has spied on everything from her familial relationships, to her failing attempts at dating, to her favourite types of porn. He knows her weaknesses, her darkest secrets. She sits there in stunned silence, tears welling up in her eyes, as Elliot explains that hacking others is his only escape from feeling alone. It's a devastating piece of television.