‘Mr. Robot’ Cast Eats Birthday Cake In Graveyards: Sam Esmail Hints At Season 2 Direction At SXSW

Mr. Robot fans have a lot in store for them in Season 2, according to what showrunner Sam Esmail hinted during a SXSW panel about Mr. Robot. Esmail was joined onstage by Christian Slater, who plays Mr. Robot, and Rami Malek, who plays Elliot Alderson.

Combined with what Esmail has said previously, it seems likely that Season 2 of Mr. Robot will explore how the relationship between Mr. Robot and Elliot formed, and the implications that carries when the pressure is dialed up and Elliot has to face off potential trauma.

Esmail said Season 1 of Mr. Robot presented a character driven by anxiety and loneliness, someone who used computers and hacking as tools to channel anger in a constructive way. This stopped Elliot's inner angst from eroding him from the inside. But by the end of Season 1, fans of Mr. Robot saw Elliot buckle from the weight of whatever he was running from.

Despite Slater’s Season 1 apprehension about seemingly being written out, his character is the key to fleshing out the dark side of the moon, or the past, of Elliot's character. Season 2 of Mr. Robot will be “about these two, that internal struggle,” Esmail said. “What does that look like, and how can they reconcile?”

Esmail also let slip that the presence of law enforcement, “which was kinda intentionally not shown during the first season,” will open up a whole new dimension to explore Elliot's character in Season 2.

“Elliot committed a crime in the first season and we’re going see the ramifications of that in the second season,” Esmail said. “I think that drives a lot of what the second season is all about. That's why there’s [been] a introduction of law enforcement.”

Grace Gummer (American Horror Story) was recently cast as a young FBI agent intent on investigating the Evil Corp Hack for Season 2. According to the press release, Gummer’s character will focus on tracking down and hunting the fsociety members to “find answers.”

Things never go well for Elliot, or the people around him, when he’s forced to confront someone head-on, to step outside the shadows and become vulnerable to attack. Tyrell, whose character development juxtaposes Elliot’s, began to tailspin after losing a direct conflict. Like Esmail said a couple weeks ago, season 2 of Mr. Robot "gets really fucking dark. I mean, really dark.”

These are hints showing the possible growth Esmail has in mind for Elliot. For the audience to understand the significance of Elliot’s story, Esmail has to make them care about why this transformation — of a man who can’t keep eye contact rising to the call of action — is extraordinary. Elliot’s past has those answers.

As the panel wrapped up, Esmail said, “I love that all my nerds out there are getting into it . . . because those are the people I grew up with. That probably means more to me than anything else.”