404 Not Found (Mr. Robot)
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Episode 4
| "404 Not Found" | |
|---|---|
| Mr. Robot episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 4 |
| Directed by | Sam Esmail |
| Written by | Kyle Bradstreet |
| Cinematography by | Tod Campbell |
| Editing by | Justin Krohn |
| Original release date | October 27, 2019 |
| Running time | 49 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"404 Not Found" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 36th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Kyle Bradstreet and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on October 27, 2019.
The series follows Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker with social anxiety disorder, who is recruited by an insurrectionary anarchist known as "Mr. Robot" to join a group of hacktivists called "fsociety". As the series progresses, Elliot finds himself at odds with his real persona and with Mr. Robot's plans. In the episode, Elliot and Tyrell get stranded in the woods while fleeing from the Dark Army.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.348 million household viewers and gained a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising the episode's atmosphere, directing, performances and character development.
A Dark Army agent overhears the conversation between Elliot (Rami Malek) and Tyrell (Martin Wallström) from the white van. As he prepares to ambush them, Tyrell knocks him unconscious with a hammer. After the man dies, they decide to escape in his van. When Elliot fails to show up at Allsafe, Darlene (Carly Chaikin) goes to his apartment, discovering his note and decides to track his location.
Elliot and Tyrell go to a gas station, intending to burn the body. However, while they are inside the station, they discover that the van has disappeared. As there is no service in the area, they are forced to leave through the woods to a nearby town, but they end up getting lost. As Elliot and Tyrell clash over their lifestyles, they realize they have returned to the gas station. Darlene tries to hijack a car, but is confronted by the car's owner, a drunk man named Tobias (Jon Glaser) wearing a Santa Claus costume. Tobias agrees to let her take his car if she drives him home, since he is drunk. Alone on Christmas Eve, Dominique (Grace Gummer) gets into a sex chat group, where she decides to invite a female user to come over.
While driving, Darlene learns more about Tobias. He is a children's hospital volunteer, seemingly depressed from the nature of his volunteer work, and he alludes to an accident involving his wife. As he is carrying both liquor and Percocet, Darlene suspects he intends to commit suicide. As they arrive at his house, they see Tobias' car already parked in the driveway, and realize that Darlene has inadvertently stolen someone else's car. Not wanting to leave him alone, Darlene confronts him on his behavior. Tobias explains that his wife is alive and well, having merely hurt her back while decorating their house together, hence the Percocet; he does not want to commit suicide, Darlene having misinterpreted his statements. When Tobias surmises that Darlene may herself be in need of help, she shares that she is concerned about her brother Elliot's safety, as he is the only family she has left. He listens, and says that he hopes her brother is safe. As the drunken Tobias returns inside and is greeted by his wife, Darlene leaves to search for Elliot, but is forced to pull over on the side of the road when she has a panic attack.
Dominique welcomes the woman (Roberta Colindrez), but gets panicked when they kiss. When she goes to the bathroom, the woman enters wearing a Dark Army mask and starts to drown her. Dominique suddenly wakes up, revealing that the whole episode was a nightmare she had.
When Christmas officially arrives, Elliot and Tyrell have another argument, in which Tyrell accuses Elliot of not caring for him, which he concedes. Elliot prepares to leave Tyrell, feeling he doesn't need him. As Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) talks about loneliness, Elliot returns. He proclaims that he only cares for Darlene's safety, but does not want to abandon Tyrell. They continue walking, finding that the van killed a deer on the road. As they inspect the van, the Dark Army agent shoots at them from inside before killing himself. However, Tyrell has been shot. Refusing Elliot's attempt to take him to a hospital, Tyrell instructs him to set fire to the van and take care of Whiterose. Tyrell then walks off into the woods, until he comes across a shining object in the ground, and the screen fades to white.
Production
Development
The episode was written by executive producer Kyle Bradstreet and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. This was Bradstreet's eighth writing credit, and Esmail's 29th directing credit.[1]