Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Elliot recovers in hospital after the fall, with Shayla and Krista concerned about what happened. He conceals the circumstances and uses his hacking skills to interfere with the hospital's records. Back at Allsafe, he rejects Gideon's invitation to dinner and tries to keep Darlene out of his apartment. Mr. Robot approaches him again, apologizes and says that fsociety cannot continue without him. Elliot treats this as permission to start living differently. He asks Shayla to be his girlfriend and changes his mind about the dinner, hoping that spending time with other people will help him leave the hackers behind.
The gathering is interrupted by news that leaked documents connect Colby to the Washington Township toxic waste cover-up. Elliot's father and Angela's mother were among those who died, giving both friends a personal reason to confront E Corp. Tyrell, meanwhile, learns that another candidate will receive the CTO job. He pays a homeless man to endure a beating, then seduces Phillip Price's assistant and secretly installs spyware on his phone. Ollie's blackmailer demands that he infect Allsafe using the CD. Ollie finally admits his infidelity and the threat to Angela, whose personal information is also exposed. Elliot abandons his brief attempt at an ordinary life and returns to fsociety with his own plan.