The newest episode of Mr. Robot was a doozy. The retro sitcom conceit helped bring us deeper into Elliot’s warped subconscious, in which we discover where Tyrell Wellick has been hiding this whole time. Well, being hidden. Whatever.
Episode writer Adam Penn spoke with Vulture to break down exactly how they created that amazing sitcom homage. Penn says that the shows chosen were calibrated to match Elliot’s age and cultural fluency. But the theme song was a little too perfect, even for a writers room as talented as that on Mr. Robot. Turns out, that's because the people that did the Full House theme wrote it.
Bennett Salvay and Jesse Frederick wrote and performed the songs for the TGIF sitcoms (Full House, Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, and Step by Step) on which the episode is partially based, and did the same for this episode.
"We had a few meetings with them in which we discussed the themes to touch upon in the song," Penn tells Vulture. "They then presented us with some variations on lyrics, as well as a demo. Once all of the elements were agreed upon, Bennett and Jesse went off to record the final version which, in my opinion, is perfection."
And we of course wondered how the Mr. Robot team was able to get the real ALF to [spoiler] commit vehicular manslaughter.
“Fortunately for us, Paul Fusco — the original creator of the ALF character — was a fan of the show and was excited to be a part of it,” Penn tells Vulture. “As far as the vehicular manslaughter — I believe it helped that it was depicted in a heightened, unrealistic, sitcom-y way. Plus the fact that the hit and run was not premeditated. ALF clearly had lost control of his vehicle.”
Be sure to note that if you’re going to have a beloved sitcom character murder someone, make sure it’s by accident. Read the rest of the interview here.
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