USA Pushes Back Tonight's Mr. Robot Finale To Next Week Due To A Scene "Similar In Nature" To Today's Shootings
Was I super pumped for the Mr. Robot finale? Absolutely. Did I have an entire blog written about “Chekov’s Gun” situation we have with the handgun thats been sitting in the popcorn inside the arcade for a couple weeks now? Yup. But will I gladly wait it out an extra week if that scene is gonna drum up some bad feelings for some viewers after todays shootings? Yes.
To be honest this is probably an overly cautious move on their behalf. But its better to be safe than sorry in these situations. And, just speculation here, but this show is one that has often used some pretty wacky camera angles and does a lot of stuff where it looks like the viewer is actually part of the show. So its not crazy that they could potentially have a scene with that gun where its in a first person shooter type of camera angle. If thats the case, there’s just no way they could air it after everyone saw those videos today. Would be way to creepy, eerie, and insensitive. Its also entirely possible that a “disgruntled employee looking to exact revenge” is what triggered this. If you watch the show you know exactly who I’m talking about. An ex employee acting violently towards members of his old company would certainly hit home with the events of today in Virginia.
And even if its not something directly similar to the videos or circumstances of todays shooting, its still a solid move to push it back a week. Not only of course out of respect for the victims and their family and friends and anyone affected by today’s tragedy, but also from a PR point of view for this TV show. This season has been masterful, and I have full faith that the finale is gonna be a home run as well. To have that overshadowed by unfortunate backlash from viewers who find some violent scenes in poor taste would be a shame. Its the right move out of respect for the people involved in today’s shooting and out of respect for the work they’ve done leading up to this episode.
Its a let down for everyone who was looking forward to tonight but we can all be adults about it and just wait another week to watch our favorite TV show. And if you havent been watching, it gives you an extra week to catch up and enjoy the best show on television at the moment.
