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Even when he wasn't around, Tyrell felt like an integral part of Mr. Robot because of his relationship with Elliot. His death in the Oct. 27 episode marks the end of their partnership against Whiterose and the Dark Army, but that confounding blue light cliffhanger hints his story isn't over quite yet. In fact, fans have several theories about Tyrell that suggest he'll return in some capacity before the final season ends. Just don't get to thinking he's still alive — series creator Sam Esmail already confirmed that's not the case.
"We know this was [going to be] it for him. We knew he wouldn't be long for this world," he told The Hollywood Reporter after the episode aired, adding that they thought carefully about how Tyrell would go out.
"We needed to construct an episode where we could have those two people finally hash out how they feel about each other," he continued. "We wanted to see them connect — and then, in Tyrell fashion, we wanted to have a surreal tone to the whole episode. That's why we thought having these two guys go through the woods really felt right: a surreal and existential backdrop of the desolate woods and the cold, with nothing else in sight, and nothing to hear, except for an odd sound they can't quite pinpoint … the howl of death. It just felt so appropriate."
But even with such an apt ending, Mr. Robot viewers seem to believe Esmail is being intentionally misleading. Here's how they think Tyrell could come back into play.
He's Working For Whiterose & The Dark Army
Though Tyrell always seemed so devoted to Elliot, Reddit user lamplicker17 theorized that his allegiance is actually to the Dark Army. The user believes the time at the gas station, convenience store, and woods was all part of an elaborate plan in which Tyrell faked his death to make an unsuspecting Elliot even more vulnerable to Whiterose. When you remember all of the terrible things Tyrell has done before, this theory could be possible.
He Was The Third Alter Ego
The only thing that would make such a surreal episode even more surreal is if this journey into the woods wasn't Tyrell and Elliot, but Elliot and his two accompanying personalities. Though Tyrell was physically shot, it could have marked the metaphoric death of Elliot's third identity, because he no longer needs Tyrell to defeat Whiterose. Viewers just learned of this third personality, so it could have been intentionally timed.
The Light Was Whiterose's Machine
It's been long speculated that Whiterose's machine is a time machine, and Kid_Critic7 wondered on Twitter if the blue light was it in action. FueledByMarilyn even thought Elliot could have sent the machine from the future to save Tyrell. If that's the case, there's hope for Angela to return too.
For now, it seems Tyrell has joined his wife Joanna in death. But the character has returned in unsuspected ways before, so he might just have one more life left before Mr. Robot ends.
