Line #21 Recap/MrRobotRedWheelbarrow


1	-> ''If you've found this, I hope you're qualified to read the intimate thoughts of one of the most interesting people you will ever encounter. Not everyone will be able to [[NotEvilJustMisunderstood understand him]], but everyone should know him. [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold Everyone should know about the person who has changed the world forever]].''
2	-->-- '''Hot Carla'''
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4	''Mr. Robot: Red Wheelbarrow'' (stylized as ''eps1.9_redwheelbarr0w.txt'') is a book tie-in for the USA Network drama-thriller series ''Mr. Robot'' written by Sam Esmail and Courtney Looney. An [[EpistolaryNovel epistolary novel]], ''Red Wheelbarrow'' is the journal of Elliot Alderson which he kept during most of season two. Serving as a direct sequel to season one, ''Red Wheelbarrow'' details Elliot's misadventures and quest of self-discovery following the 5/9 hack.
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6	----
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8	'''This page assumes you have watched the first two seasons of ''Mr. Robot''. As such, spoilers relating to the aforementioned seasons will be left unmarked. [[Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned Consider this your first and only warning]].'''
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10	!!"I need answers, but until I get some out of HIM, HE'LL just have to suffer the tropes."
11	* AChatWithSatan: Mr. Robot regularly attempts this to coax Elliot out of his routine.
12	* AchillesHeel: Santos is a germophobe, a fact which Elliot exploits to keep him from assaulting Hot Carla.
13	* AllForNothing: Elliot reaches this conclusion by the end of the book, and is motivated to burn it as a result.
14	* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: Hot Carla more or less fills in as our main character once Elliot starts to become more ensnared by Mr. Robot's mind games and later Ray's antics. She's also the reason why we're even able to read this book in the first place.
15	* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: The entire book is one long, protracted battle of attrition between Elliot and Mr. Robot for psychological control. This, in turn, is the sole reason for the book's existence.
16	* BigBad: Mr. Robot. Santos comes in at a close second, although he severely pales in comparison and is merely a pest in the long run. As for Ray, [[ForegoneConclusion we all know what happened there]].
17	* BizarrePuzzleGame: The entire book is one giant puzzle if you are paying attention. The innocuous trinkets that Elliot kept within the journal? [[spoiler: They contain hidden messages from the Dark Army concerning the advancement of stage two.]] The multiplication table scribbled on the book binder? [[spoiler: One of the ciphers needed to parse out one of the hidden messages.]]
18	* TheCameo: Elliot mentions his curiosity over Leon having a Chinese woman as a visitor one day. Considering the later revelation that Leon works for the Dark Army, the Chinese woman here is clearly supposed to be Whiterose.
19	* ContinuityLockOut: The book is meant to be read once you finish season two. Otherwise, the plot detail about Elliot being in prison for the duration of it has no explanation.
20	* {{Defictionalization}}: Easily one of the most notable examples of this trope in recent memory. Not only is the book written in-character, but its physical presentation is remarkable: the book is charred with warped pages and contains several artifacts that Elliot came into possession of during his time in prison. Even further, the only indication that this is a fictional work is a small cover sleeve.
21	* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: Elliot, [[SarcasmMode in all of his infinite wisdom,]] intentionally starts a rumor that Hot Carla has a sexually transmitted disease in order for the other inmates (more specifically germaphobe Santos) to stop assaulting her. As Hot Carla points out, this action only made her even more of a pariah in prison. Despite this, she notes that Elliot ''did'' do it to try and save her from further abuse, even though that ultimately failed.
22	* EasterEgg: The artifacts in the book contain hidden messages that, when decoded, reveal that [[spoiler: Mr. Robot had been communicating with the Dark Army the whole time while Elliot was fighting his influence. When put together, the messages reveal the progress of stage two.]] That's not even including the QR code that Elliot drew or the nonsense during his overdose and sleep deprivation.
23	* GuideDangIt: Those accustomed to ''Mr. Robot's'' shenanigans will automatically put on their detective monocles going into the book, but it is quite easy to be fooled by the peculiar mementos scattered throughout, thinking that they are just that. The book only makes one conscious effort to suggest that there is something else going on that requires a deeper look. Then again, [[EnforcedTrope that's the point.]]
24	* ImaginaryEnemy: Mr. Robot, natch.
25	* ImmediateSequel and {{Interquel}}: Okay, kids. Strap in. The book takes place after season one while also covering the gap between it and season two, which it also takes place during. The book is also theoretically a sequel ''[[MindScrew to itself]]'' as the foreword and addendums by Hot Carla suggest that she has leaked the contents of Elliot's journal after having been released from prison and, to make this even juicier (read: confusing), the series itself.
26	* LemonyNarrator: Hot Carla's annotations are dripping with sarcasm and irony most of the time. Elliot is prone to this as well.
27	* NightmareFuel:
28	** The conceit of the book is that we are looking at Elliot's most candid thoughts, and boy, is it far from pleasant. Elliot's writing style alone doesn't lend much to the experience of a light read, but the added chaos of the journal entries being hijacked by Mr. Robot on top of the myriad drawings of Elliot's arm bruised and broken, his dead body in a wheelbarrow, and other deranged subjects really send home the idea that you're reading from the perspective of a man who is absolutely ''fucking'' '''''bonkers'''''.
29	** The artifacts that come with the book. They are interspersed throughout, hidden within the pages. The sense of realism this adds to the experience is more than a little unsettling, but taking the time to examine them actually yields a hidden plot twist that is quite [[FridgeHorror horrifying]] in context: [[spoiler: they are all secret communiques from the Dark Army, and based on an entry concerning one of the code ciphers found in the book's binder, Mr. Robot has been responding right under Elliot's nose.]]
30	*** Said entry is pretty creepy on its own: Elliot wakes up in the middle of the night to find Mr. Robot sitting in the dark, [[NothingIsScarier reciting seemingly random strings of numbers.]] Elliot even goes out of his way to mention that it spooked him more than usual, and in hindsight, he had every right to be.
31	* NoodleIncident: Elliot mentions one of Mr. Robot's attacks on him, but states that he doesn't want to give him the satisfaction by explaining it.
32	* NoEnding: A given, considering that the book is supposed to be a journal without any narrative structure.
33	* NoFourthWall: Elliot, Mr. Robot, and Hot Carla all address the reader at certain points.
34	* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Mr. Robot starts off just taunting Elliot with his own thoughts and crude doodles but slowly becomes more malicious and violent, provoking fights with rival inmates, and full-on ''attacking'' Elliot.
35	* SplitPersonality: While the book emphasizes just how terrifying it would be to suffer from dissociative identity disorder, the idea of being locked up in a prison where you are public enemy number one is even worse and serves as a constant thread of tension throughout.
36	* {{Tearjerker}}:
37	** Hot Carla's story is just so heartbreaking that you want to hug her.
38	** The entry on the Providence cigarette pack artifact.
39	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Once the book ends, Hot Carla as a character goes AWOL from the rest of the series. Her foreword as well as the book's mere existence heavily imply that [[EarnYourHappyEnding she at least managed to get out of prison, though.]]

Context Recap / MrRobotRedWheelbarrow