Unpacking Tyrell's arc: Was his pursuit of power, and his ultimate failure to find it -- as well as his overall unimportance to the show's narrative -- the whole point?

Mr. Robot is on my Mount Rushmore of TV shows, but Tyrell's arc has always confused me. It started out with so much promise in Season 1, only for it to be squandered... Or was it? Was the slow petering out of his arc the whole point?

In Season 2 Tyrell is obviously off-screen for much of the time to fuel the whole "What the hell happened to Tyrell?" mystery that Elliot was going through, effectively putting us (the imaginary friend) in his shoes as well. By Season 3, Tyrell is a pawn of the Dark Army, and we realize that he was their captive for all of Season 2 as well. He eventually gets his coveted CTO position, but it is a hollow position where he is just a shill for Price. Once again, he is subservient.

That subservience is an undercurrent throughout Tyrell's whole arc. He is deferential to Joanna, who *clearly* makes all of the decisions in their relationship, and it is made quite clear with our glimpses into their sex life. And Elliot becomes a messiah-like source of fixation for him as Season 1 progresses.

Tyrell seems to always need some sort of "God" figure to worship -- he likes to glom onto powerful people because his main drive is a desire to feel power, like a "God." Think about when he kills Sharon Knowles... he says he felt "wonder" because in his twisted mind, he is finally experiencing true, aboslute power. For once, he wasn't being controlled... He was in total control.

That word, "control," is probably the main theme of the show. Power and control are essentially synonyms, so by seeking power, Tyrell is seeking control. As a master hacker who can literally change the word with his keyboard, Elliot is a person who wields tremendous power -- he is always seeking to be the "one in control" too. In that way, Tyrell is a funhouse mirror version of Elliot. Both are brilliant and tech-savvy, but incapable of interacting socially on a normal level. But Elliot doesn't care about material possessions and uses his hacks to help others, right wrongs, and ostensibly make the world a better place. Conversely, Tyrell is a status-obsessed weirdo who is only concerned with money and power.

Viewed from 10,000 feet, Tyrell's arc is about a man who tries to climb the social ladder as a pawn of his evil wife. He then gets drawn into a worldwide conspiracy, becomes a pawn of an evil cabal, and dies alone in the woods with no one and nothing. He accomplishes nothing of note... even his brief status as the Most Wanted Man in the World is hollow because Elliot masterminded 5/9, not him. He just wormed his way in at the 11th hour.

I think the moral of Tyrell's arc is that selfishly chasing power and money and status, while hurting people along the way to get what you want, ultimately ends with sadness and unfullfillment. It is a hollow existence.

I'm curious how other people interpreted it!