407 Proxy Authentication Required: A (very) detailed analysis
First of all, I’ve already watched the show once, I just decided to rewatch this single episode (even though I do want to rewatch the best show in history at some point in the future).
The structure of the episode is perfect. It plays out like a Shakespearean tragedy. To be fair, the episode has a 4-act structure where an extra act of tragedy is inserted (in a Shakespearean tragedy we would have 3 acts, with two more leading to the tragedy), this is due to the fact that the climax is in the fourth act, and not in the third, as is usual. By framing the episode as a Shakespearean tragedy, the way the episode is filmed makes much more sense, since it is executed like a theater play.
The title 407 Proxy Authentication Required is incredible (given the progression up to that point in the season) and brings a bit of optimism to the episode. Because this error happens when the user tries to access a website and the system realizes they do not have an account. What happens after this 407 proxy? The user manages to enter the system. Which implies that by remembering all the abuse Elliot suffered, he finally manages to find his identity, to know who he is and why he is.
ACT I: DENIAL
The episode begins with Elliot inside the trunk where he was kidnapped. It already establishes the claustrophobia of the episode in a completely non-intrusive way.
Once at Krista's house, Fernando presents the situation to Elliot, explaining why he came back to New York. He talks about a shaman, and his dissatisfaction with what he had achieved. Of course, Fernando does not say it in so many words, but I can perceive how he describes a sense of grief in his life. First, the denial of not accepting that he wanted more. Anger is not a described stage, but we can see how angry he is. Bargaining happens with him trying to deny it in the conversation with the shaman. Depression is (brilliantly) represented by him shitting and vomiting for several days. This is all a prelude to the structure of the episode.
Speaking about denial itself, Mr Robot represents it. Just like in the first two acts, Mr Robot acts according to the stages of grief. In my view, this is due to the fact that before Elliot knew about the abuse, the one who always suffered from it was Mr Robot, and only close to the moment he finds out the truth, Elliot begins to experience the stages of grief.
Also, the episode is excellent at creating tension, especially at the moment when Fernando keeps talking and talking, and (fixing the editing just like a theater) the camera goes up and we change rooms, seeing Krista tied up.
ACT II: ANGER
It is very symbolic for Mr Robot to participate in this act for the most part. After all, we discover that he is the one who protects Elliot from the anger of the abuse all this time.
SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH:
Elliot's small participation in this act is very symbolic. Especially because he talks about how he is going to take the money from the super-rich. It is a direct allusion to the Mastermind, as he only expresses Elliot's anger against the system (this is confirmed in 4x12), after all, Mastermind here seems to do his absolute best to try to save Krista. This aspect of the Mastermind fits perfectly into the overall vision of the show, but I will leave that for the review of Hello, Elliot.
END OF SPOILER
Furthermore, I notice that after Elliot returns, Vera says that Elliot does not need Mr Robot anymore. It is a clear sign of how Vera understands Elliot, right from the start.
ACT III: BARGAINING
Now things start to get more intense. The execution of this act is perfect. From the moment Elliot sees the gun in the backpack (a sound effect plays that is very similar to the Time Travel in Back to the Future), until the end of the act.
Speaking of the gun, we begin to see the signs of grief moving from Mr Robot to Elliot, since he is the one who points the gun at Fernando.
I honestly do not know if this is a detail, but when Fernando sees Elliot's laptop, he says: "so many zeros". Taking 1x2, 0 is brought up as an analogy for omitting oneself before the system. I imagine the moral here is how by giving this money to Vera, even if it is to save Krista, he is omitting himself from his fight against the system, because he creates another billionaire, who will act just like all the others.
The end of this act is the synthesis of the discomfort of this episode. In general, the situation of someone kidnapping your therapist to threaten you is very uncomfortable, but for Elliot, it is even worse. As someone with social anxiety, Krista is his only point of safety since the first episode of the series, and the breaking point of this relationship is in his scream: "CAUSE I NEED HER". In fact, besides being an emotional pillar for him, she is the only emotional pillar he has left (excluding his father). That is why he accepts, and goes to the therapy session.
And Vera saying: "she is your shaman" is just one more confirmation of the parallel between this episode and Vera's story. In my view, it is because he lived through this recent grief that Vera manages to sympathize at least a little bit with Elliot.
Mr Robot also gets confused by Elliot's appreciation for Krista. This final scene of Act III then starts in Mr Robot the fear of Elliot discovering the truth, and not needing him anymore.
Once again, in this whole scene, the direction and the soundtrack are perfect, splendid performances. And it is also in this act that everything begins to darken, in every sense.
ACT IV: DEPRESSION
The pinnacle of discomfort is perfectly executed.
Vera going through Krista's notes is one more component that causes fear and leaves the viewer uncomfortable to the maximum. Mr Robot also seems to share this discomfort, as he knows Elliot is going to discover the truth. I do not know to what extent this discomfort from Mr Robot is him trying to survive or trying to protect Elliot.
Either way, Elliot finally breaks free from the dependency on Mr Robot, and he realizes he is dependent on Mr Robot in the scene, so much so that he begins to comply with Vera's actions in trying to make the therapy session happen.
Rewatching it, from Krista's performance it is very clear how she knows exactly what happened to Elliot, so, with every second the scene becomes more claustrophobic (only framing Elliot and Krista in shots and counter-shots), until the lines between Krista and Elliot are so well written that we know her last question.
"Elliot, did your father sexually molest you?" Definitely the most heartbreaking moment in TV history so far. Rami Malek's performance is absurdly tragic and painful.
Another point that I like about the execution of this scene is Vera going to comfort Elliot, because even if the viewer has already collapsed, the phrase "Don't touch me" already exposes all the premonition that this plot twist had during all the seasons of the show.
But there is another premonition that I think is even smarter. In the first episode of the series, Elliot is raped by Shayla. I know she is a cool character, but Elliot was drugged while they had sex for the first time, so that was a rape. But Elliot, unconsciously, accepted it, because he was always taught that his body could belong to others too, and that it would not be a problem.
ACT V: ACCEPTANCE
The thunder scene is definitely one of my top 5 favorite shots on TV. Elliot's emotional peaks are accompanied by thunder since the beginning of the episode. And his scream is the biggest emotional peak. I did not remember him screaming for so long, there are 3 thunderclaps before he screams, enough to leave the viewer even more uncomfortable.
Now without a psychological base or support, Elliot finds himself desolated. When Vera embraces him. I do not know if his story about being abused in childhood is true, but it helps Elliot, so much so that he lets himself be touched. It also serves as a way to permanently establish an aspect of the script that I had already noticed before: Vera is a mirror for Elliot. This is because Vera feels more or less all the stages of grief while Elliot (or Mr Robot) feels them.
And at the end of the scene, when a comforted Elliot finally manages to get emotional support again, when he manages to look into someone's eyes, be touched by someone without thinking back to his abuse, once again, his support is destroyed, because Krista kills Vera. It is so incredible for Vera to be killed by the knife that killed Shayla, not only because it is cool, but because I feel it connects Vera's episodes.
But at the end of the day, I feel that Vera's death is something positive. Elliot finally manages to abandon all of this, and considering that during the whole episode Vera felt everything negative that Elliot (or Mr Robot) felt, it is like turning a page, it is like Elliot managing to abandon the grief, not only of his abuse, but of Shayla too.
CONCLUSION:
The end of this episode is emotionally so intense that it makes some people sympathize with Vera. Even after he kidnapped Elliot, harassed Krista, and raped Shayla.
But I honestly hate Vera. And I will go further, because I thought of a hypothesis for him in this episode. My theory is that Krista knew Elliot had been raped, right? And if Vera had her notes, he knew it too. So the whole therapy session at the end of the episode was his idea to break Elliot, and rebuild Elliot. That is right, Vera rebuilding Elliot. Knowing how needy and lonely Elliot is, Vera took advantage of the situation to generate a dependency, and it worked, until Krista acted.
#4 EPISODE OF ALL TIME