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Thursday, July 14, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ARTS
TV REVIEW
P4K fest offbeat
By ANAY KATYAL
Summer Senior Arts Editor
This year, Pitchfork celebrates its
titular festival’s 11th year — arguably
enough time for it to be considered
among the sum-
mer’s bonafide
musical events.
In its decade-
long existence,
the festival has
moved from its
cheaper, folksy,
fringer
roots
to
something
that resembles
a more main-
stream,
large-
scale
fixture
—
presumably
with more of
a corporate twist thanks to their
recent takeover by publishing giant
Condé Nast. Some might fear the
oft-touted “beacon of musical coun-
terculture” that is Pitchfork may be
on the verge of selling out to com-
mercialized interests as a result, but
talking to Pitchfork president Chris
Kaskie could convince you that the
publication’s adherence to quality,
consistency and culture has yet to
waver.
“Ultimately, our goal is to be both
a resource and a place to celebrate
discovery,” Kaskie said. “Whether
it’s fill in the gaps or expose and
cover music as it gets noisier year-by-
year, our prerogatives don’t change.”
It’s a credo that has bound Pitch-
fork since its inception 20 years ago,
and defines the festival and the com-
pany’s other initiatives to this day.
The latest iteration of the festi-
val boasts a typical (and welcome)
smorgasbord of artists representing
a wide variety of genres. From ambi-
ent artist Oneohtrix Point Never, to
contemporary soul musician Blood
Orange and indie sweetheart Sufjan
Stevens, the festival deviates a bit
from what audiences might usually
expect from a token summer music
festival. It’s that kind of difference
that Pitchfork prides itself in.
“I don’t think festivals are some-
thing to be homogenized,” Kaskie
said. “I think live music is as impor-
tant as ever. I think you can argue
that discovering is as important as
ever — and as hard as ever — and I
think when you create an event that
is a carbon copy of about, you know,
an innumerable amount of other
(festivals), it’s not very inspiring to
us.”
Though the festival benefits from
greater financial and corporate sup-
port than previous years, the phi-
losophy and culture seem to remain
intact.
“(Being) different is what we offer,
and it really comes down to, you
know, the prioritization of the music
over the party and not the other way
around,” Kaskie said. “We want peo-
ple to walk in and know what Pitch-
fork Festival is [about] regardless of
whether or not they’re aware of any
of the bands there.”
With just three stages littered
across Union Park, all hosting a wide
range of artists, the festival effec-
tively functions as a vehicle for music
discovery and appreciation more
than simply being an opportunity for
mindless debauchery (at least rela-
tive to its competitors).
As Kaskie put it, “...we try to build
a program that is reflective of Pitch-
fork readers specifically, and more
broadly, what we feel music looks
like.”
The latest iteration of the fest looks
to be no different, with the expecta-
tion that somewhere around 50,000
people will overtake Chicago’s Union
Park this weekend. Despite having
its fair share of doubters and naysay-
ers, Pitchfork is ready for yet another
successful summer that embodies
the publication’s offbeat persona.
Can we trust the man
behind ‘Mr. Robot’?
Season premiere
a chaotic look at
protagonist and world
By MATT BARNAUSKAS
Daily TV/New Media Editor
On
Sunday,
USA
Network
released the first half of the two-
part “Mr. Robot” season two
premiere for a
limited time on
several
social
media
sites.
This is a review
of that half.
There
are
few,
if
any,
television
shows
with
the
kind
of
rapport
“Mr.
Robot”
has
with its viewer. The show’s use of
an unreliable narrator in the form
of protagonist Elliot Alderson
(Rami Malek, “Need For Speed”)
engenders
an
uncertainty
in
viewers. However, series creator
— and now sole director — Sam
Esmail (“Comet”) didn’t just settle
for narration, but also actively
asked us to become a part of
the series as Elliot’s lone, albeit
imaginary,
confidant
—
even
going as far to have Elliot call us
“friend.” But as the true depth of
Elliot’s disturbed mental state
reveals itself, we’re forced to
reevaluate everything we’ve seen
and realize we can’t trust Elliot
because, ultimately, Elliot cannot
trust himself.
But as Elliot narrates his “loop”
— the strict daily regimen he
practices in an attempt to contain
the chaotic Mr. Robot (Christian
Slater, “Pump Up the Volume”)
side of his personality — we’re
drawn back into our relationship
with the Elliot that was established
in the first season. Only when we
realize Elliot isn’t addressing us,
but his therapist, Krista (Gloria
Reuben, “Saints and Sinners”),
do we recognize things have
changed between us and Elliot.
The mistrust we’ve been feeling
is a two-way street, as Elliot no
longer fully trusts us with what
he knows. This shrouds events
in even more ambiguity, while
introducing us, the audience, to
a form of mental voyeurism that
challenges our complicity in what
we’re watching. Did Elliot permit
us to witness his session with
Krista, or are we peering into
something that was meant to be
private?
In a modern world of instant and
constant connection, loneliness
pervades throughout “Mr. Robot.”
The series’ distinct visual style
frames its characters in off-center
close-ups, isolating individuals,
even when they’re in a crowded
room. Now, we join the cast in
their solitude as our anchor, Elliot,
keeps us at arm’s length. The
first-half of the premiere keeps
us in the dark and leaves many
questions partially or completely
unanswered — what happened to
Tyrell Wellick, where is the rest
of fsociety, what side is Whiterose
on, etc. These lack of conclusions
force us to look harder, searching
for answers in places we perhaps
shouldn’t explore and reaching
for connections with possibly the
wrong people.
The series breeds paranoia
in the first hour by effectively
removing most elements of trust
in us and Elliot. Only when we
look into Elliot’s mind are we
united
with
our
protagonist
through uncertainty. Dominated
by Mr. Robot, Elliot’s mind is
always at war with itself. Malik
embodies the vulnerability of
Elliot, trying to keep on a mask of
control as what lies underneath
threatens to break through at any
moment. On the other side of the
spectrum is Slater’s Mr. Robot, a
twisted manifestation of Elliot’s
deceased father who represents
the worst things the man can do.
Precariously kept in check by
Elliot’s “loop,” Slater plays Mr.
Robot as a caged animal, snarling
and lashing against his cage, and
the bars are bending. All this is
played out on a battlefield where
the rules are always changing and
never certain. Suspense lingers
whenever Mr. Robot comes into
the frame and reality is called into
question.
Meanwhile, many characters
are caught in the crossfire of
this mental warfare. Darlene
(Carly Chaikin, “Suburgatory”)
desperately continues to wage
a
losing
war
against
“Evil”
Corp, even when Elliot and
most of society have scattered
to the winds. Gideon (Michael
Gill, “House of Cards”), one
of the few beacons of good in
the series’ world, finds himself
under investigation and pleading
for Elliot to do the right thing
while Mr. Robot looms in the
background. As Mr. Robot holds
a knife to his former employer’s
neck, we, and Elliot, can only
hope what we’re seeing isn’t real
as the knife cuts and blood flows.
Every scene in “Mr. Robot” has
the potential to descend into a
nightmare of madness, leaving the
viewer to question — which dream
will come true?
USA
Is this just real life? Is this just fantasy?
PITCHFORK FESTIVAL
Happy New Year! Wait, shit, wrong time of year.
The series
breeds paranoia
in the first hour.
Pitchfork
Music Festival
July 15, 3-10
p.m.; July 16,
12-10 p.m.; July
17, 12-10 p.m.
Union Park;
Chicago, Ill.
$65 single-day pass,
$165 three-day pass
A
Mr. Robot
Season 2
Premiere
Wednesdays
at 10 p.m.
USA
MUSIC FESTIVAL PREVIEW
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