Spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
The knock at Elliot's door after Five/Nine is finally explained: police arrested him for hacking Lenny and stealing his dog. Elliot pleaded guilty over Mr. Robot's objections and entered jail. Ray was the warden, Leon another inmate, and the routine Elliot narrated as life at home concealed his confinement. After eighty-six days, he is released early. Darlene collects him, but Elliot suspects the Dark Army may have helped arrange his departure.
Elliot visits his mother in a care home before returning to Darlene's problems. Mobley and Trenton have disappeared, and Cisco insists that his messages were intended to protect her. Elliot asks for a meeting with the Dark Army to learn what Stage Two involves. His sense of separation from Mr. Robot becomes less reliable during the conversation. Darlene listens to a hacked channel and hears the disturbing claim that Stage Two is Elliot's own plan.
Angela copies E Corp material about the Washington Township plant and takes it to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. An official's knowledge of her employment makes the visit feel unsafe, and she leaves without trusting the process. Dom later presses her to cooperate with the FBI. Price and Zhang negotiate over financial help and the plant, each using what the other needs. Elliot returns to his apartment building, where Joanna Wellick is waiting to speak with him.