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the world will ever see” (Mr Robot 1.01, 00:46:44). How he responds to the appeals to the authority of transcendent figures throughout this process pro- vides an insight into his own internal struggle and the implications of acting out such convictions in the wider social realm. Whether there is, in fact, any sense of discontinuity between the before and after of the system re-set draws attention to the fundamental weakness of the particular conceptualization of this event. THE SYSTEM RE-SET AS APOCALYPTIC EVENT The opening scene of a television series is important in initiating the thematic core of the drama that will unfold over the course of the show.23 Functionally, it works to quickly bring the viewer up to speed on what is at stake and to hope- fully engage them enough to attract their continuing attention. With Mr Ro- bot, the voiceover device of addressing the audience as an imaginary “friend” immediately connects us to the world of the character and the fact that his communication is necessary yet also a sign of his mental instability. The premise of the drama is then laid out as we open to visuals of a group of businessmen silhouetted against the Manhattan skyline and a reversing rack focus that pulls the group into focus in the foreground (fig. 2): (V. O.) What I am about to tell you is top secret, a conspiracy bigger than all of us. There’s a powerful group of people out there that are secretly running the world. I’m talking about the guys no one knows about, the guys that are invisible, the top 1 % of the top 1 %, the guys that play God without permission. And now I think they’re following me. 23 Mittel 55–85. Fig 2. Mr Robot: 1.01 (00:00:21). Mr Robot: Hacking the Apocalypse | 21www.jrfm.eu 2019, 5/2, 15–30