[AcGold]

I think it's moved forward significantly, there are themes and references that are telling the story under the surface.

The show has referenced Lolita, the lost files of Mrs. Frankweiler, Time cop, Stargate, Pulp Fiction, the Book by Lovecraft and most importantly back to the future (in nearly every episode). Every one of these references has very common themes and is telling the audience where the show will go.

There's a plot beneath the surface telling a science fiction alternate reality/time travel story. There are dozens of events in the show that tie in together that are unexplained.

S1E4, Angela hands Elliot a key, calls Elliot a monster and glitches out. Just because things aren't panning out linearly or logically doesn't mean it's not progressing, every scene is somehow relating to the central hidden story that relates to time travel and alternate realities.

Don't you notice how difficult it is to discern what is happening, why it's happening, when it's happening and who is actually doing it sometimes? How Angelas behavior is becoming increasingly peculiar? There's more than just the surficial story. Esmail is swinging for the fences on this one and most don't see that yet. I predict it goes full on Interstellar/Lynchian craziness, the show is like a Nolan movie mixed with a David Lynch movie. High level sci-fi concepts mixed with abject surrealism and philosophies. Without careful attention to the small details it's probably a frustrating experience because it's so nonsensical on the surface.