Mr. Robot season 3: Protect Flipper at all costs

Lots of shocking and unexpected things happened in the latest episode of Mr. Robot season 3. But were any of them as important as the fact that Elliot got his dog back?

Several shocking and surprising things happened during the second episode of Mr. Robot  season 3. Darlene is now an FBI informant, and desperate enough to hack her brother’s computer. Elliot’s therapist Krista officially met Mr. Robot, who was a lot more menacing than she expected. Joanna Wellick was brutally murdered by her deadbeat boyfriend, who couldn’t deal with her confession that she wasn’t going to divorce her husband Tyrell.

And, possibly most importantly, Elliot got Flipper back.

For those that don’t remember, Flipper is the tiny, adorable dog who used to belong to Krista’s ex-boyfriend. You know, the one Elliot hacked way back in season 1. The one he blackmailed into breaking up with her after he discovered that “Michael Hansen” was even his real name. Hansen, actually a guy named Lenny Shannon, is also the reason Elliot went to jail in last season. (He had Elliot arrested for hacking him, and also for stealing his dog.)

In a surprise move, Hansen/Lenny returned Flipper to Elliot this week. Sure, his reason was ostensibly something about how the dog was sick and he couldn’t afford the vet bills but also because he is a generally worthless person. (Who honestly never seemed to like the animal much in the first place.) Yet at the end of the day, this twist it is still probably the best thing that’s happened to Elliot in ages.

As the show further explores the fracturing of his psyche and the emergence of Mr. Robot as his own separate personality, maintaining Elliot’s humanity gets more difficult. (Both for the character himself, and for the viewers watching him.) Having Flipper around gives Elliot some (clearly) much-needed companionship and something to love with no strings.. It also helps those of us who ware watching the show remember that he’s still a person. (It’s easy to forget sometimes that he’s more than just the leader of the most successful hacking group in history.)

It’s like the simplest rule of life, right? He likes dogs, so he can’t be all bad. Instant empathy, really.

Throughout the show, we’ve seen how difficult it is for Elliot to connect to others. He struggles to relate to even those that are closest to him, frequently pushing away best friend Angela and literally forgetting the existence of his sister Darlene. Even his relationship with “us” — the series’ viewers who double as his imaginary “friend” — is flawed. After all, he lied to our proverbial faces for the better part of last season.

The introduction of Flipper allowed us to see Elliot care about something, with no strings attached. This feels particularly necessary now, as Elliot’s struggle with depression and loneliness grows increasingly difficult to watch, and his relationship with Mr. Robot becomes more fractured. After all, prior to this recent full split between their personalities, it still felt like Mr. Robot — who not only looked but acted like Elliot’s father — cared about what happened to him. No matter how confusing or weird things got. Now, maybe not so much.

Additionally, the disintegration of the Elliot/Mr. Robot connection has also damaged Elliot’s relationship with Darlene. (He’s staying away from her because he views her as a “trigger” that brings out his dark alter persona.). Factor in Angela’s decision to exploit his split personalities for her own gain and, basically, Elliot’s maybe never been quite this alone before. And he’s probably never needed a furry friend quite so much.

So you better not let anything happen to Flipper, show. Just saying.

Next: Mr. Robot season 3, episode 2 review: eps3.1_undo.gz

Mr. Robot continues Wednesday, Oct. 25 on USA Network.