The 2015/2018 Theory or How does Elliot “See Us?”

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Hello Friends.

Yes, I know it has been a few months. Apologies.

I won’t lie, if you are wondering where I have been, I was frustrated by the Season 3 finale and needed to take a break from my semi-obsessive musings about Mr. Robot (going to be a long time before I am entirely over the revisionism around Elliot throwing himself out of the window).

Anyway, here is a problem I have had rolling around in my brain for a long time.

The Mr. Robot’s timeline is in 2015 while we, “the friends,” are here in wild 2018 Elliot Alderson talks to “us” as if we are actually visible to him and always has (even famously asking us for help searching his apartment for the Red Wheelbarrow BBQ menu during Season 2) Events happen in the 2015 world of Mr. Robot that never happened in the 2015 or our world but we are constantly asked to participate in Elliot’s 2015 (see 5/9 hack, see 71 buildings etc.).

So what might all of this mean?

Parallel Worlds?

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Probably my favorite moment of the entire series to date was the discussion between ‘whiterose’ and Dom in China during Season 2. In particular, I was taken with what ‘whiterose’ said at the conclusion of that discussion:

“Have you ever wondered how the world would look if the 5/9 Hack had never happened? In fact, some believe there are alternate realities playing out that very scenario, with other lives we’re leading, and other people that we’ve become. The contemplation moves me very deeply.”

So, what if ‘whiterose’ is referring to Elliot?

What if Elliot can see the alternative reality 2018 through our eyes as we can see his alternate reality 2015 through his?

What if WE are the “alternative reality playing out that very scenario, with ‘other lives we’re leading,’ and other people that we’ve become.”

In other words, what if our 2018 is the parallel to his 2015 and people “like Elliot” for whatever reason are linked back and forth. What if the point isn’t just that, to quote the Beatles, “I am you, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together,” but also literally that we are linked to each other through some kind of wormhole (or literally a connection) between parallel worlds.

Just think about the first episode of Season 3 through this lens, Trump does exist in Elliot’s mind just as ‘whiterose’ exists in ours because Elliot introduced us to him.

This would also explain why Elliot often seems confused by what he is seeing and about where he is (see the phasing during seasons 2 and 3).

I think it is also safe to say this power is only present in Elliot and not in Mr. Robot.

I am not sure I have fully played this theory out, but I know the contemplation, it moves me very deeply.

Or, I could be crazy :)

Josh is the co-host of the Decarceration Nation podcast and is a blogger and freelance writer who writes about criminal justice reform, television, movies, music, politics, race, ethics, and more.