Elliot Alderson will never be the same again. 

Mr. Robot Season 4 Episode 7 was a different style of episode, entirely taking place in Krista's apartment as revelations about Vera and Elliot came to light. 

Trust Sam Esmail to make an installment set in an apartment one of the most visually stunning works of the year.

Vera was a deluded man who wanted the world to look up to him. It makes sense that he got bored after returning home. 

Some people have to be challenged to care about things. Beyond getting jailed, Vera has never gotten challenged in his adult life. 

That's why he was so enamored by Elliot. His tall tale about the shaman helping him to see the light was ludicrous, but it helped advance several other storylines. 

Vera's obsession with Elliot was unhealthy, but his whole view on the situation changed when Elliot showed him the amount of coin he could get from him if he carried out the latest hack. 

I could stick up a few joints to get the money.

Vera

• Permalink: I could stick up a few joints to get the money.

The number of zeros stunned Vera, Peanut, and Javi. They couldn't think clearly, and that was obviously a strategic ploy on Elliot's part to build trust with them and strike after luring them into a false sense of security. 

Elliot's emotions were understandably heightened, and he was drawing at straws to save Krista's life. Using the gun and finding out it had no bullets was one of the most predictable scenes of the series, but Elliot was a desperate man. 

He knew that the moment he could see a way out of the scenario, he was taking it and not looking back. 

There was more to Mr. Robot's chats with Krista than we got led to believe, and Elliot getting told what to remember was wonderfully executed. 

It's not uncommon for people to mentally block out things in their minds. That's actually more common than you would think. 

A part of me was convinced that we were going to find out that Darlene died several years ago or that she was a mere figment of Elliot's imagination all along. 

Like I've said before, Mr. Robot likes to play with expectations, but the revelation that Elliot's father was sexually assaulting him came out of the blue entirely. 

In hindsight, the clues were there. The first person Elliot took down on Mr. Robot Season 1 Episode 1 was a man who was looking at images of minors on the internet. 

Elliot: Wait, stop, don't touch her.
Mr. Robot: You wanna talk, let's talk.

• Permalink: You wanna talk, let's talk.

If you watch Mr. Robot online, then you know that he hacked the coffee shop owner's wifi to learn that. 

That certainly makes me think that Elliot has been subconsciously trying to make sure that youngsters don't have to go through what he did, even if he couldn't remember it. 

We already knew that Elliot's mother treated her children terribly, so his father taking it one step further was not that shocking, actually. 

Elliot and Darlene grew up in an abusive household, and it's a miracle they're both alive today. 

But Elliot won't to be able to hide those feelings anymore. He was in pain during those final scenes when Vera was chanting that he got through to him. 

Someone else has been awoken inside Elliot, a part of his psyche that we are not familiar with, and that's exciting here in the homestretch. 

Krista murdering Vera bonded her to Elliot, probably for life. Now that all of the cards are on the table, it will be interesting to find out whether they can work together to stop Dark Army. 

Elliot is going to be in dire need of therapy, and Krista will be feeling horrible. Forcing Elliot to remember the day he escaped from his bedroom by jumping out of the window was very painful for Krista. 

Hopefully, Krista and Elliot can dispatch of Peanut and Javi easily since they liked to use their weapons to scare them.

I'm gonna take over New York, and you are gonna be by my side when I do.

Vera

• Permalink: I'm gonna take over New York, and you are gonna be by my side when I do.

Peanut tried to murder Elliot at one point, so it's time for the two underdogs to get their revenge and stop the whole thing. 

What does that revelation mean for Mr. Robot, though? There was a certain finality when Mr. Robot complained that he would only be around for as long as Elliot needed him. 

In reality, he was only there to shield Elliot from the emotional ramifications of his abuse. Now that Elliot is confronting that, where does that personality fit into things?

That's one of the more intriguing questions as we head into the final episodes of the series. 

Did anyone else feel a little short-changed that we didn't learn what became of Darlene and Dom? Hours passed as Elliot spent his Christmas day getting grilled. 

Will we get a whole episode devoted to what became of them? Hopefully. 

"Proxy Authentication Required" was another winning episode of this USA Network drama. 

What did you think of the truth about Elliot's past? Were you surprised Krista killed Vera? 

Hit the comments below. 

Mr. Robot continues Sundays at 10/9c on USA Network. 

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.