Why Mr. Robot wanted to employ a famous gimmick for last night's episode

The Hollywood Reporter

"We realized, 'Wait a minute ... what if we just keep the whole episode in real time, and not only do we go through the realizations of Elliot, but we also go through what Angela has to do to counter all of Elliot's actions?'" says creator Sam Esmail. "That's the genesis of the whole episode, and why we felt it was an instance of the form matching what we wanted to say about the character and their journey — in this case not just Elliot, but also Angela."

ALSO:

• Esmail found a way for the gimmick to enhance the story, rather than overwhelm it
• Mr. Robot proves that this gimmick has run its course