What kind of world will viewers find themselves immersed in when "Mr. Robot" returns for its second season?
That's been the main question on the minds of fans ever since the season one finale, in which Elliott (Rami Malek) and his hacker group fsociety successfully infiltrated Evil Corp and laid waste to the financial world in the universe of the hit USA Network drama-thriller.
Imagine what the response would be to such an act in the real world.
Though the first footage from season two doesn't overtly answer our question, it does crystallize the central theme from our protagonist. Elliott speaks of a world that has "never been less certain" and requests citizens to "take action" and "do something" in the wake of his massive shakeup.
While his mental state is most often compared to Edward Norton's in "Fight Club," his message of revolt against the powers that be has a very humanized "Matrix" element to it. The blending of genres and the deep exploration of the character's psyche is just one of the many enticing qualities "Mr. Robot" showed off during season one.
"The truth is, we have more power than they think. The power to take action, to choose to do something," his character says. "Together, we change the world, change our future, and there's nothing they can do to stop us."
It sounds as if Elliott will be trying to galvanize potential followers into further action. But while he and fsociety are doing battle with the forces that be, the fallout from Elliott's actions will come to the forefront in season two.
"Elliott committed a crime in the first season, and we're gonna see the ramifications of that in the second season, I think that drives a lot about what the second season's all about," creator and showrunner Sam Esmail said. "And that's why there's the introduction of law enforcement that was kind of intentionally not shown in the first season, so that opens a whole new dimension there. And really I think the second season is about [Elliott and Mr. Robot] - that internal struggle, what does that look like, and how are they going to reconcile it?"
"Mr. Robot" will return to USA Network for a second season this summer.
