- The episodes opens with the ringing of a hand bell and Bing Crosby singing "Let It Snow." Romero walks with Mobley along Coney Island, and begins to tell him the back story of the site they are approaching... The Arcade. The record of ownership starts in 1924, and retraces a series of terrible tragedies leading up to the present.
- Romero's recount of the Arcade's most recent ownership, Ned Boscham of Fun Society Amusements LLC dying of a single shotgun blast to the face, runs a little opposite the newspaper story and coroner's report found by Elliot in the pilot episode when he researches the Arcade site online. The time frame is accurate, but the coroner's account reported three gun shots to the back.
- Given the choice between finding a renter and burning the place down as requested by his former cellmate, Romero would like to find a paying lessee or buyer. Instead, Mobley uses the opportunity to recruit Romero into FSociety, saying "in a way, this pays everything."
- The episode resumes action in the present, and Elliot finds himself on the phone with Tyrell Wellick.
- Elliot's last conscious moment before this was in attending his church group, starting to fall asleep to the reading of end times scripture. It stands to reason that Mr. Robot seized this opportunity to take over, and place the call to Tyrell, in order to end the debate over "where is Tyrell?"
- The conversation reveals very little about Tyrell's location and what happened the night of the hack. As Elliot says "I want to know what happened," Mr Robot hangs up the call. "It's not safe, not on the phone."
- Mobley arrives at the Romeros house. When he goes to the back yard downstairs, he discovers Leslie's dead body, with a blood pool leading from an apparent gun shot wound to the head. He leaves in a panic.
- Ray has breakfast with his wife, who is absent. He continues very chattily.
- Leon delivers Elliot his Adderall at the basketball court. Elliot wastes no time downing an excessive number of pills in the face of Mr. Robot.
- A man looking rather much like Breaking Bad's "Mr. Heisenberg" accosts Elliot. As he tries to turn and run, he is blocked by a black Suburban and suited thugs, who throw a hood over him and carry him into the vehicle.
- The vehicle arrives in a parking garage next to a chair. The men bring up a red wheelbarrow and start mixing cement inside. They begin to funnel the mixed concrete into Elliot's mouth. The camera reveals the action to be Elliot thrusting his fingers (or should I say Robot's fingers?) down his throat to induce vomitting. But as Robot (who is now brandishing the shovel and Heisenberg hat) taunts him that "I own you," Elliots claws back through his own vomit to re-swallow the pills, and declare "I will not be owned."
- The concrete may be symbolic of activated charcoal, often used as an anti-toxin when a stomach needs pumped at a hospital. However, those measures aren't evident here... as all we see are Elliot & Robot in his room, as the vomiting was induced by "their" fingers.
- Angela enters the office of Philip Price, who wants to change the news interview. She raises a counterargument, so he instructs her "sit." Out of the blue, he sets a dinner date to eat at Fidellio's on Saturday, then finally agrees to the original interview plan.
- Price may have been thinking fast on his feet about the restaurant. His plan, arranging the arrests of two E Corp conspirators complicit in her mom's death, fits well with her long game to turn Colby a "whistle blower" and penalize more of E Corps pawns for their deadly practices.
- The FBI arrive at the murder scene of Leslie Romero. The only evidence of note at the time are three pages (out of thousands?) printed from the FBI Agents roster.
- It is noteworthy that Agent Dom DiPierro's name features right in the focus of these alphabetized names.
- The list is later said to focus on participation in Operation Berenstain, the FBI's covert (illegal) surveillance of millions of Americans under the auspices of investigating the Five/Nine Hack.
- Ray reveals his darker side as he politely discusses the restoration of his website with RT, who was victim of a violent beating. The security issues are beyond RT's skill set: they need someone like Elliot with experience in cybersecurity.
- The season is continuing its illusion that replaces reality's jail settings with the appearance of normal homes & businesses. So while this scene shows to the audience a family home, with son & wife cowering in the kitchen, it is more likely that the family isn't there, and RT is likely in jail under Ray & Lone Star's administration.
- Elliot has been dosing highly with Adderall, and hasn't slept in three days. But he's experiencing maniacal highs, and is convinced that Mr Robot is gone from the scene.
- When Elliot is experiencing his "internal fatal error," he sees various anomolies that are tributes to pop culture: Leon is talking backwards about the Seinfeld episode "The Betrayal" which was played in a backward sequence of events; Three girls in outdated dresses appear in the hall in manner like The Shining; His pupils reflect the swirling color load in the washing machine much like the color pinwheel of the Mac OS shown when the cursor is too busy to respond. He runs out of pills upon his sixth day without sleep.
- Angela is introduced to two colleagues at Fidellio's: Saul Weinberg and Jim Chutney, both of which where in attendance of the E Corps board decision to cover up toxic waste in Washington Township. Even Price must pay cash in advance before service because of the cashless situation following the Five/Nine Hack. At the end of dinner, Price presents Angela with a Data CD containing enough evidence to imprison these men for years. He trusts her to expose their crimes.
- It is unknown how much related to their past crimes over Washington Township, or to their current crimes of insider trading, or both. It sees likely this is a risky move related mostly to make them repay some justice over the past: maybe to placate Angela, or maybe to use her fury against Whiterose, or both to some degree.
- Agent Dom still occupies her sleepless nights with bored diversions and refocusing on the three roster sheets found at Romero's house.
- At the church group, Elliot expects Mr Robot to take back over any time soon. When the chaplain asks him if he wants to share, he launches into a merciless narrative about Religion & God.
- The narrative given is less typical of Elliot, who in public would be too inhibited to say any of this aloud, or at least more considerate if voicing this in confidence to us, his imaginary friend. It is far more typical to the speaking style of Mr. Robot: unfiltered, amoral, confrontational, and laden with anger... more the subconscious style of the Id than the morally-checked styles of the Ego or SuperEgo. Elliot was waiting for Robot to retake control, and it likely happened here sooner than he could realize.
- Agent Dom returns to Mrs. Romero's home for further questions. She gains admittance by offering to roll her joints. When asked to find a glass for water, she happens across the "End of the World Party" flier. This clue leads her to the Arcade.
- Mrs. Romero speculates "Now that I don't owe any more on the place, maybe I can rent it. I need the money." This might be a consequence of the Five/Nine Hack destroying debt, which would be one legacy left by her son Leslie, who was "always doing for her."
- Ray confronts Elliot about the discarded journal, the identity in his head taking over, the illusion of control. He introduces chess as a mental exercise.
- The episode ends with Agent Dom arriving in Coney Island to the site of the Arcade. When she reads the letters across the front "F SOCIETY," she exclaims, "you've got to be f*ing kidding me."
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