Mr. Robot - eps2.1_k3rnel-pan1c.ksd

After a short pre-credit sequence showing us how fsociety ended up setting up their operation in a rundown arcade, "eps2.1_k3rnel-pan1c.ksd" begins with Elliot (Rami Malek) attempting to get rid of Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) through drugs as multiple members of the group begin turning up dead. After popping enough Adderall to overdose an elephant Elliot's grip on reality isn't initially improved given a hallucination of shadowy figures torturing him on one of the most unusual ways possible. However, beginning a more controlled regimen Elliot finds himself temporarily free... although there are some side effects.

Even in the absence of Mr. Robot, Elliot's madness and disconnection with the world continues to be a major theme. Towards the end of his drug use, however, Elliot does find a way to express himself far better than normal (although no more appropriately) when he explodes at his Christian support group offering serious doubts about God and all organized religion.

Other storylines involve Mobley (Azhar Khan) suspecting that the Dark Army is hunting them, picking off members of the hackers collective one-by-one, and growing suspicious of both the missing Elliot and Darlene (Carly Chaikin), Ray (Craig Robinson), still in need of a programmer, reaching out to Elliot again, Angela (Portia Doubleday) having an unexpected dinner with her boss (Michael Cristofer), and Dominique (Grace Gummer) making a connection in her investigation back to the arcade. While all these lingering threads promise more to come, Elliot's storyline continues to be the strongest piece of the show.