7 Reasons You Should Watch Mr. Robot Right Now
5. It Doesn't Glorify Not Fitting In
We constantly celebrate individuality in popular culture. You know those people that don't follow the herd, don't get involved in trends. They're happier watching French New Wave films instead of the new Star Wars movie and even happier reading philosophical texts instead of The Hunger Games.
Okay, sure, this is oversimplifying the issue, but when the show goes to real extremes of not finding happiness from the things that bring many of us joy, to the point of not being able to connect with other people, not fitting in can actually be hellish. Mr. Robot shows us what it's really like to be different. Different to the point of causing intense loneliness, chronic confusion and morbid depression.
The benefits of fitting in are beautifully encapsulated by a montage sequence in the first series when the show's protagonist, Elliot, brilliantly portrayed by Rami Malek, decides to drink Starbucks and watch "those stupid Marvel movies". This is genuinely one of the very few moments where we see Elliot happy. This, again, further highlights how intelligent and original Mr. Robot is, and how strong its character development is.
Where other shows and films encourage us to be intentionally different, Mr. Robot offers a fresh perspective from the vast majority of pop culture - that individuality, to an extent, can be horrific to the point of causing severe unhappiness.