Most of this episode feels like a road-trip buddy comedy, then towards the end it gets very melancholy and meditative, and then the final scene is just bizarre. I'm really not sure what to make of it. It's a pretty slow episode overall, but it's gorgeous to look at and has some fantastic character development.
In some ways the episode is very reminiscent of "Pine Barrens" from The Sopranos; the plots are quite similar and they both derail the main narrative for a grumpy buddy-adventure in the woods. However, where "Pine Barrens" is very much a comedic episode, "404 Not Found" is much more serious and introspective. While there's definitely a lot of comedy here, most of it arises almost unintentionally from the characters; we laugh, but then feel guilty and wonder if we were supposed to.
All in all, this is not one of my favourite episodes of Mr. Robot, but it's one that I'll remember; it's very different from the rest and it has an absolutely gorgeous aesthetic. I mean, Sam Esmail always directs the hell out of this show, but this one is particularly pretty.
In some ways the episode is very reminiscent of "Pine Barrens" from The Sopranos; the plots are quite similar and they both derail the main narrative for a grumpy buddy-adventure in the woods. However, where "Pine Barrens" is very much a comedic episode, "404 Not Found" is much more serious and introspective. While there's definitely a lot of comedy here, most of it arises almost unintentionally from the characters; we laugh, but then feel guilty and wonder if we were supposed to.
All in all, this is not one of my favourite episodes of Mr. Robot, but it's one that I'll remember; it's very different from the rest and it has an absolutely gorgeous aesthetic. I mean, Sam Esmail always directs the hell out of this show, but this one is particularly pretty.