Just as my brain started to stop spinning from Mr. Robot Season 2 episode 11, the finale promo raised even more questions. It does, however, drop a few hints about what exactly Tyrell, Elliott, and Mr. Robot are planning for Stage 2 of fscociety’s plan. Bear with me on this one, guys.
It was made clear last episode that Elliot still doesn’t remember what happened during the three nights following the 5/9 hack. Back in his apartment, Elliot receives a cryptic message. When Mr. Robot deciphers the hidden message, Elliot goes to meet a yellow cab at the corner of 25th and 8th. The cab driver asks for an address and Elliot has no idea what to say. That’s when Tyrell appears and tells the driver Chambers and Church. Elliot can’t believe his eyes, so he starts harassing the cab driver to confirm if Tyrell is physically present. The driver only speaks Arabic, so the two get into quite a heated altercation. The cab pulls over and Tyrell and Elliot exit.
“Enough of these games. Let’s go. We’re close,” Tyrell says. “To what?” Elliott responds. “Have you forgotten everything?” Tyrell asks.
Tyrell informs Elliot The Dark Army has completed Stage 2 of society's plan. “It worked, Elliot. It’s up to us now,” Tyrell says to a still very confused Elliot. Tyrell puts his arm around Elliot. As the two walk away, Sam Esmail drops a voiceover from the end of Casablanca that can't be a coincidence: “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
What a suspicious ending. Weren’t Elliot and Tyrell already friends? Well, except for the fact that up until now Elliot believed he killed Tyrell. But this last line suggests that was all part of the plan, even if Elliot doesn’t remember. Tyrell and Elliot have put their tulmultous past behind them at the expense of something bigger than just taking down E Corp. They’ve always been associates out of necessity, but now they’re on the same wavelength. Whatever Stage 2 is, they’re in this together until the end. The conditions of their relationship have changed. What’s at stake remains to be seen, but if it's anything like the end of Casablanca , this is a political move. Not against the Nazis, against E Corp. The new teaser certainly suggests so too.
Tyrell leads Elliott into an abandoned warehouse. The windows are covered in paper and there’s a single desktop computer set up in the middle of the room. Elliot still doesn’t remember. “The wait is over” appears in red bold letters across the screen and flashes into a shot of Tyrell standing by an easel with a map of the U.S., marked with red pins primarily placed on the East Coast. We see three E Corp mack trucks and men unloading boxes onto the street.
Stage 1 erased everyone’s E Corp debt, but the company is still alive and well even though the economy is spiraling. Especially now that E Corp has been loaned $2 trillion in zero interest loans from China to jump-start a new E coin program. With E Corp back on its feet, Stage 2 must be centered around destroying the financial system itself and knocking down the physical infrastructure. Why else would Tyrell have specific points marked on a map? Maybe Stage 2 is more than just a hack.
Elliot and Tyrell have to know that the Dark Army is part of the problem and that their working with E Corp and the Chinese government. After all, Washington Township is Whiterose’s program. Would Elliot knowling work with someone protecting the program that killed his and Darlene’s father, and Angela’s mother? That's why they all want revenge against E Corp to begin with.
Elliot may have a Stage 2 plan of his own that doesn’t involve the Dark Army. Tyrell and Elliot walking off into the distance talking about a ‘new friendship’ could mean they now face a common enemy: Whiterose. This could also explain why Cisco was murdered--he’s too close to both sides and his presence puts Darlene at risk. Maybe Whiterose has a hunch Elliot plans to betray her. That’s why she kept Angela alive. She’s manipulating her to use as leverage against Elliot and Tyrell’s secret plan.
What do you think will happen in Stage 2? Let us know in the comments below!
