5 questions 'Mr. Robot' must answer in season 2

The season finale left us with many burning questions

“Mr. Robot” built its critically-acclaimed, beloved first season on a complex web of mysteries, shadowy conspiracies and unreliable narration. The finale, which aired 2 September, answered a few questions fans have grappled with for the previous nine episodes. But it left us with even more uncertainty.

Here are the biggest mysteries that need to be addressed in season two:

What’s next for fsociety?

Elliot’s (Rami Malek) hacker collective, fsociety, seemingly completed its objective (a world-altering financial meltdown) in the final episode of season one. Most of Earth’s inhabitants lost their pensions and life savings (along with their debt), and multiple third-world revolutions and general chaos were the result.

So where do Elliot, Darlene (Carly Chaikin) and the rest of the Scooby gang go from here? Darlene may have admonished us all to just enjoy the moment, but series creator Sam Esmail is already thinking ahead to new adventures for fsociety.

He told Access Hollywood, “I think everything is going to be looked at over time. The whole backstory of fsociety, as well as those three days [when the hack occurred, which Elliot can’t remember], is something that I think we’re going to delve into in the next season.” Esmail also confirmed that B.D. Wong’s Dark Army hacker White Rose will return.

Is Tyrell Wellick really gone for good?

Don’t bet on it. Tyrell (Martin Wollström) is one of the most devious, fascinating villains to emerge on television this year. His absence in the finale only adds to the enigma. Why did he help Elliot take down Evil Corp (beyond the simple motive of revenge, Tyrell seems too cunning to let a hundred years of capitalism collapse just for petty retribution). It’s possible Mr. Robot (Christian Slater) aka Elliot killed him, but a more likely scenario is that Tyrell is holed up somewhere, pulling strings and plotting his next move.

Will Christian Slater be back next year?

Mr. Robot’s fate seems less certain than Tyrell’s. A figment of anyone’s imagination is most useful when it seems real, so now that Elliot has figured out his dead dad isn’t actually alive and hanging out at Coney Island, will Mr. Robot continue to appear? Elliot did flush him out in the finale, when he needed help figuring out what had been going on over the last three days. It’s certainly possible that the same situation could pop up next season: Mr. Robot won’t be as constant a presence, but he may surface from time to time as Elliot needs him.

As Slater told the Daily Beast, “Mr. Robot will be the guy that can step in and take action when action is necessary” as the show progresses. That suggests we’ll be seeing him again.

How will Elliot Handle his illness?

Having Mr. Robot as a tool in his back pocket that he can control, rather than a “boss” who tells him what to do, puts Elliot in powerful new position in season two. That is, if he chooses to grasp this opportunity. Now that Elliot knows he’s experiencing serious psychological problems, including delusions, how will he react? Will he try to cure himself, either with a morphine relapse, help from Krista (Gloria Reuben), or some new crutch? Or will he see his misfiring brain chemistry as an advantage?

After all, Mr. Robot is clearly willing to go to lengths that Elliot is not. Having an alter-ego to do your dirty work could be a positive in the underworld of illegal hacking.

Who’s knocking on that door?

The most obvious cliffhanger fans were left pondering at the end of season one came in the form of an unidentified banging on Elliot’s apartment door, just before the credits rolled. Who’s on the other side?

There’s a whole host of possibilities. It could be Tyrell, coming out of hiding and ready to continue their work; it could be Darlene, demanding an explanation Elliot can’t yet give her; it could be Angela (Portia Doubleday), there to confess her defection to Evil Corp (or to go full Benedict Arnold and ensnare him in a trap); it could even be the police.

Scumbag Mike (or Lenny, if you prefer) did promise action at the beginning of the final episode and it didn’t sound like an idle threat.

Think you know the answers to these burning questions, or have more theories about where season two is headed? Sound off in the comments.