mr robot’s “runtime error” is the most impressive episode i have ever seen and this is why. [SPOILERS] “help me figure this out. do not leave me… stay focused.” it captures the audience from the first minute. elliot’s in an e-corp elevator. the camera is on him. a german businessman mutters to himself and the elevator screen talks about china annexing the congo. elliot’s phone buzzes. angela, next to him, has to tell him to answer the call. darlene says she need to speak to him. elliot hangs up and angela asks if everything is okay. “everything’s fine.” mr robot has been mysterious in communicating its direction before, but to downright open an episode, to set its tone with such an aimless and non-confrontational scene is very unconventional. it’s done this way for a few reasons. first off, this episode seeks to deeply immerse you in elliot’s (and eventually angela’s) situation, so methodically setting the scene and getting you in the character’s heads before any inciting event is important. second off, starting so calmly allows the viewer to feel the full spectrum of intensity: uneventful civilization to anarchic chaos. this gives the episode a textbook story structure (exposition, rising action, falling action, resolution), making it self-contained as a piece of art and therefore infinitely rewatch-able as its own story. an episode being able to stand separate from its context in the show is one of the most crucial attributes to rewatch ability. and lastly, it gives the viewer a moment to mentally collect themselves, to recall all the moving pieces at play before they collapse in on themselves. the dark army hides behind the tv screen’s report of china annexing the congo, darlene’s fbi situation rings through her phone call , angela reminds us of mr robot, and the german businessman signals the further forces at play that we are not yet aware of. this episode grasps you from that first meticulous scene and it does not let go: literally. the long-shot / long-take technique becomes “runtime error’s” main boast, and i think it absolutely deserves that credit for how well it suits the episode. i like to think about editing in general and this pacing strategy in terms of energy. cutting (as in cutting from one camera to another) releases the audience’s energy. it literally and figuratively gives us a new perspective on the scene, therefore allowing us to approach the scene with a different mindset and focus. cutting gives the audience room to breathe, to remind themselves that they are invincible and omnipresent in the characters’ universe. if the editing is done well (consistently), the audience’s understanding that they are simply looking through a director’s camera will fade away. you’re just there, simply observing. “runtime error” on the other hand, makes you an active participant. that forty five minute long shot traps you within elliot and angela’s situation, and to an extent involves you in their world. you are no longer just a void spectator who goes from place to place as you please, you are chained to the situation and setting by which the take began, certainly not a character in their world, but a far downgrade in power from your earlier status. there is vulnerability in this long-shot, and as you continue through the episode’s many scenes, gasping for any release of energy as things continue to escalate, “runtime error’s” grip on your neck becomes suffocating. but this episode’s brutal plot, (elliot’s scramble through a densely packed enemy building and angela’s rush to hack a computer amidst a full on riot) is merely supported by the long-shot. the flow of the plot itself is masterful, utilizing positives and negatives to constantly engage the audience. it’s here where i’m going to borrow from pete ellis, a game designer who worked on “the last of us: part ii.” here, he discusses a sequence where the player is washed into a sewer and has to find their way back to the surface. for context, the player sees a ladder right in front of them, but upon climbing and looking up, sees that it is broken and will not complete their objective. “the ladder acts as an immediate goal for the player, but being able to climb out is not going to be so easy. to keep levels interesting and engaging, we alternate between positive and negative values the player experiences. here, it’s a positive to have found the ladder, but then a negative to discover it’s not the solution… but then another positive to identify the next short-term goal of the doorway. by alternating between these opposing values, we give players what they expect, but not how they expect it.” - peter ellis, developer commentary for extra level “the sewer.” this technique of rotating between positive and negative reinforcement is used constantly this episode to create engaging and tense action. take the scene where, after fleeing from his desk, elliot has to find an open computer to check the dark army’s activity: he first gazes around the room and mentally panics when he realizes it’s the start of the work week, therefore monday morning attendance means everyone will be at their cubicle. NEGATIVE. realizing he has to coax someone from their work station, he finds a gullible-looking elderly woman, a susceptible target. POSITIVE. he approaches her and smoothly says he’s from information technology, asking to check her computer for security reasons. MORE POSITIVE. she begins to politely contest, rambling about how policy-safe her computer is, listing off the programs she uses. she’s clearly smarter than we thought, ruining elliot’s reasoning. NEGATIVE. but, she points to her nearby coworker, saying he is likely the rule-breaker elliot has her confused for. maybe not as we intended, but it gets us back on track. POSITIVE/NEUTRAL. outside of a few sequences of laser-tight focus, (limited to darlene’s midway confession, the e-corp building riot, and elliot confronting angela) virtually every scene this episode utilizes this push-pull dynamic with the audience. the constant scenes that bombard with positives and negatives give the episode a sense of instability and excitement, so when the episode regains its footing and focus in these few scenes, it is impossible to look away. it works perfectly both ways. /////////////// yeah, this is poetry through visual media. all of this episode’s qualities complete one and other to form this infinitely rewatch-able, violently thrilling, and downright masterful forty five minutes. as strict as i am with these now, “runtime error” is a 10/10.