"410 Gone" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American drama thriller television series Mr. Robot. It is the 42nd overall episode of the series and was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. It originally aired on USA Network on December 8, 2019.
The series follows Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker with social anxiety disorder, who is recruited by an insurrectionary anarchist known as "Mr. Robot" to join a group of hacktivists called "fsociety". As the series progresses, Elliot finds himself at odds with his real persona and with Mr. Robot's plans. In the episode, Darlene, Dominique and Elliot prepare to go on the run from the Dark Army.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.452 million household viewers and gained a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, with critics praising the focus on Darlene and Dominique, although some expressed disappointment at the lack of follow-up on Elliot's storyline.
Plot
At a hospital, Dominique (Grace Gummer) awakens from her injuries. As an FBI agent tells her she is being investigated and suspended, a news report states that the leak of files revealed Zhang (BD Wong) as Whiterose. Dominique is told that her family is in a safe house, but she is saddened by deducing they do not want to see her. She returns to her apartment, where is visited by Darlene (Carly Chaikin). Darlene wants to get Dominique to run away with her and Elliot (Rami Malek) as the Dark Army may target them, but a dejected Dominique is not interested. After destroying Dominique's Alexa, she forces her in leaving.
They get to a motel, where Elliot is waiting. Elliot tells Darlene that he will not join them in their escapade, as he plans to go to the Washington Township plant. Darlene gives him a phone with untraceable bank accounts and they hug before he leaves. Elliot gets Leon (Joey Badass) to take Darlene and Dominique to Boston. During a stop, Darlene and Dominique go to a park. There, Darlene transfers a substantial portion of the Deus group's money to everyone with Ecoin accounts, seeing it as justice. Leon then drops them off at the airport, and offers Darlene help if she ever needs it.
At the Logan International Airport, Dominique panics when Irving (Bobby Cannavale) recognizes her at a bookstore. As Dominique panics over their blown cover, Irving states that the Dark Army is not going after her nor Darlene as they are focusing on a new strategy. Irving dismisses his role in Santiago's death and leaves after signing one of his books. Dominique confides this to Darlene, feeling they do not have to run away. Darlene is still adamant on leaving for Budapest, as she wants to be somewhere else but cannot do it alone. Dominique explains that she must look for her family and hugs Darlene before leaving.
At the boarding gate, Darlene prepares to board the flight. As she prepares to hand off her ticket, she panics and goes to the restroom. During this, Dominique has second thoughts and boards the flight. Darlene calms herself and decides to leave the airport and miss her plane. At the plane, Dominique peacefully sleeps.
Production
Development
The episode was written and directed by series creator Sam Esmail. This was Esmail's 21st writing credit, and 35th directing credit.
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "410 Gone" was seen by an estimated 0.452 million household viewers with a 0.1 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 0.1 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. This was a 24% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by an estimated 0.363 million household viewers with a 0.1 in the 18-49 demographics.
Critical reviews
"410 Gone" received generally positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 100% approval rating for the episode, based on 7 reviews.
Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "As it's done multiple times this season, Mr. Robot once more turns its attention to the fundamental need for human connection. But unlike most of those prior outings, here the message is more ambiguous, and less about the 'people who need people are the luckiest people on earth' theme Sam Esmail has been running down so elegantly. Instead, 'Gone' ends up being about how others can sometimes push us into dealing with our own weaknesses in ways we aren't prepared to admit, and it does so using the conventions of a rom-com road trip."