Beyond Redemption: Mr. Robot warns Elliot of this if he goes through with his plan to drug Olivia as leverage. Elliot does not listen, and Mr. Robot briefly discusses this in his narration.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Darlene is initially slated for death by Janice, but because Dominique hesitates, Darlene is given enough time to format her phone and get rid of any GPS information leading to Elliot's location. This ends up saving Darlene's life for the time being.
Cliffhanger: Dominique and Darlene are once again in hot water with the Dark Army, and Elliot has been kidnapped by Vera's henchmen to join Krista in bondage, making for quite the reunion.
Cruel Mercy: Janice says that Dominique will live despite her failure to do away with Darlene, but it will come at an agonizing price.
Does This Remind You of Anything?: Just picture Elliot as a woman, Vera's "little bitch" story would come across as an incel playing the victim and blaming his victim for not being into him since he sees himself as "superior". His "little bitch" story is also eerily reminiscent of Elliot Rodger's "Retribution" speech before his mass killings in Isla Vista.
Driven to Suicide: Subverted. Olivia slices her wrists with a razor blade but Elliot saves her before she bleeds out. A couple of scenes later, Dominique tries to commit suicide by Darlene.
Fauxshadow: "The Reason You Suck" Speech that Olivia gives to Elliot for what he did and Mr.Robot's reaction to Elliot drugging her implies that Elliot might make a Face–Heel Turn. But after "Proxy Authentication Required", it's clear that he does nothing like that.
Foreshadowing: Olivia saying that Elliot is the worst kind of monster because he doesn't even know it. This is a painfully accurate assessment as, unbeknownst to her, she has been talking with the Mastermind, another alter of Elliot's who has forgotten who he really is.
Hostage Situation: The entire episode is a hostage situation, with Krista being held captive by Vera and his cronies and Darlene being held captive by Dominique. While Elliot keeps Olivia inside her apartment for an extended period of time, it is not inherently malicious, and he actually ends up saving her life when she attempts suicide.
I Cannot Self-Terminate: Dominique begs Darlene to end her life and spare her family from any further retribution by the Dark Army, admitting that she cannot do it herself despite trying for two months. Darlene abjectly refuses.]]
Jerkass Ball: Elliot, who is usually nice and has no ill will towards anyone else unless they are a villain or work for them, grips it way too tightly in this episode when he blackmails Olivia.
More Deadly Than the Male: Inverted between Elliot and Dom as Elliot proves himself to be more cold and cunning in a non-malicious way.
Retired Badass: Leon returns as an ally to Elliot, having been let go by the Dark Army to become a freelancer working for the "almighty paper" as he puts it.
What the Hell, Hero?: Even though Mr. Robot stays silent, his narration indicates that he is quite appalled by Elliot drugging Olivia.
To show how much of a jerk Elliot has become in this episode, he exploits Olivia's weakness remorselessly just to get access to the codes to Cyprus National Bank.
To show how much of a jerk Elliot has become in this episode, he exploits Olivia's weakness remorselessly just to get access to the codes to Cyprus National Bank.
