Watch it now: ‘Mr. Robot’ S3, ‘You’re the Worst’ S4, ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ S3
Mr. Robot S3
Logline: Super hacker turned vigilante fights corporations to stop the apocalypse.
Verdict: Spoiler alert! Spoiler alert!
Sam Esmail’s Mr. Robot thrusts its principal character Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek) and his alternate personality Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) into a further state of war. The first two seasons of the show explored Elliot’s crisis of personality, concluding in the takedown of a major corporation, crippling the global economy. The last few episodes of S3 have shown Mr. Robot going off the grid towards “Stage 2”, bringing anarchy in the world, stopped only by Elliot. It’s a war of the self. This third season recently had an episode filmed entirely in, by magic or otherwise, a single long-take. A breathtaking episode that weaved cameras and juggled Elliot’s rush to stop catastrophe whilst being pursued in a corporate tower. This week featured a thrilling turn of events that keep up the jet-fuel propelled pace, as a meandering season seems to rocket itself towards an ending that has fans endlessly speculating. It looks like nothing else on TV, and USA Network treats the show as its jewel in the crown. We’ve got no idea where this cinematic treat is headed, but it’s fully in a state of constant re-invention. Very much worth catching up on.
You’re the Worst S4
Logline: Two complete bozos destroy their lives in the name of love.
Verdict: The fourth season of You’re the Worst closed out a story that, whilst hilarious, seemed often out of focus. It largely resolved the principal tussle between the two main characters. Jimmy (Chris Geere) and Gretchen (Aya Cash) started the show in its first three seasons as star-crossed-actually-not lovers before Jimmy ran away after proposing to her. This fourth season was a long and arduous reconciliation that, whilst entertaining, does make the closure of the shows next season seem to make much more sense. We’ve now reset the show back to day one, it appears, so here’s hoping FXX’s odd, underrated darling can return to its swinging tragi-hilarious heights.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend S3
Logline: Ex-lawyer pursues high school bae, engages in musical hijinks.
Verdict: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in its third season has managed to fulfill the promise laid out in its first: a re-examination of the rom-com, injected with musical flurry, and a genuinely mature understanding of mental health. Season three has followed Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) and her descent into beneath rock bottom. The series from Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna isn’t exactly a ratings smash, but The CW keep it as their little critical hit. The show merges musical comedy with Bunch’s attempts to swindle a date from her one-time love Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III) that ended with her being jilted in the previous season. These past few episodes have shown Rebecca stalk Josh like a horror film star, before having a complete nervous breakdown. Covered with complete and total emotional honesty and maturity, Rebecca Bunch attempted suicide. Soap operas and the like use these storylines as disposable emotional fodder, but with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, there’s a hard and brutally honest take on the issues at its heart. We’re now able to watch Rebecca slowly, and painfully, recover after gaining a new diagnosis. This show is probably the bravest thing on network television, and somehow makes us cry as much as it makes us laugh heartily. A true gem and one of the highlights of television in 2017.
