Mr. Robot: 409 Conflict (2019)
Season 4, Episode 9
10/10
The showdown we've been waiting for since the pilot
2 December 2019
Going all the way back to the opening lines of the pilot, the characters in this show have had one very clear goal; to take down the top 1% of the top 1% - the ones in control, the ones who play god without permission. That's what the 5/9 hack in season 1 was supposed to do, but Fsociety's agenda was co-opted by the very people they were trying to fight. Since then, the series has focussed more on a scramble to survive The Dark Army and Elliot's internal conflict with Mr. Robot. This season, however, with the reveal of the Deus Group and Elliot's recruitment of Phillip Price, we have finally been presented with hope that our heroes might complete this goal - and this is the episode where it all comes to a head.

One of my favourite dynamics in the show is that between Phillip Price and Whiterose, and we get a lot of them this episode. I just love it when you have two intelligent schemers exchanging snide remarks - Littlefinger and Varys from Game of Thrones come to mind. Their verbal repartee in this episode serves as a microcosm of the Fsociety v Deus Group conflict, and plays to the strengths of both actors. Michael Cristofer is particularly delightful as Price, coasting through nearly the entire episode with a smug sense of satisfaction that drives Whiterose up the walls.

If it hasn't already been made clear by the monumental events that have occurred so far in season 4, this episode should remove any doubt that we are in the endgame of the series. We only have 4 episodes left, and while there is still a lot to address, I feel increasingly sure that the end of this show will leave me completely and utterly satisfied.
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