[Watch The Siyaah.. Association Algorith
Addison Mauldin
Series creator Charlie Brooker strikes the perfect balance with "Black Mirror." Its social commentary is distant enough to be viewed as a worst-case-scenario dystopian nightmare, yet the core of each narrative chronicles current issues. The result is a sobering and perhaps prophetic reflection of our lives, a somber warning of civilization's growing reliance on technology.
It's not a shocking or thought-provoking revelation to anyone that paparazzi journalism has some ethical problems. Though this episode has a solid lead performance from Zazie Beetz and the good sense not to overextend itself (at 40 minutes long, it's the shortest "Black Mirror" episode), the combination of an obvious message and a twist that's too silly to really be scary makes for a disappointment.
In many ways, "Smithereens" feels like a return to the show's roots. There's little in the way of flashy visuals and it feels like a smaller British show than the Netflix behemoth that "Black Mirror" has become. While that aspect might activate some nostalgia for those who have been watching since the beginning, it also adds a sense of dj vu, as if this is something that we have all seen before.
Post-2016, Brooker's story appears clairvoyant. Swap animated Waldo for an opinionated celebrity, blue skin for orange, the U.K. for the U.S., and "The Waldo Moment" becomes the most oracular story of "Black Mirror," unknowingly predicting the unexpected rise of far-right populism, illustrated by the surprise election of U.S. president, Donald Trump.
In an apt use of social media marketing, as Trump's victory became apparent during elections, the official "Black Mirror" Twitter account acknowledged the prediction, tweeting: "This isn't an episode. This isn't marketing. This is reality."
The trouble is, Mia has a dark secret. Fifteen years earlier, she was the passenger when her then-boyfriend Rob (Andrew Gower) killed a cyclist in a car accident. The pair disposed of the body, fearing criminal conviction. The night Mia witnessed the pizza-delivery collision, Rob had visited her hotel, telling her he planned to leave an anonymous tip for the dead cyclist's wife. In her desperation to prevent Rob from placing their freedom in jeopardy, she kills him, leaving the incriminating memory fresh in her mind. When Shazia scans Mia's brain, the Recaller uncovers her crime. Mia doesn't respond well.
Unfortunately, Mia's leap from reluctant accomplice to multiple murderer feels jagged and unnatural. Mia's frenzied killing is visceral and shocking but doesn't provide much insight. By its conclusion, the message is unclear. Is this technology good or bad? Ethical or unethical?
"Striking Vipers" sees two former friends reconnect after years of not talking while playing a virtual reality fighting game. Danny (Anthony Mackie) and Karl (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) soon begin a relationship in the game where they use avatars of opposite genders to regularly have sex in the digital world. The emotional and physical connection they form doesn't extend to the real world, but nevertheless causes issues with Danny's wife (Nicole Beharie).
"Metalhead" is one of the series' most distinct stories, an adrenaline-pumped 41 minutes illustrating the variation potential of "Black Mirror." The monochrome landscape is befitting of the no-thrills, cat-and-mouse chase between Bella (Maxine Peake) and a weaponized robotic "dog." The sense of inescapable dread is heightened due to the antagonists being inspired by Boston Dynamics' real-life robots.
Though Easter eggs connect "Loch Henry" with "San Junipero" and "Joan Is Awful," it is yet another "Black Mirror" Season 6 episode to forgo the series' usual science fiction trappings. What makes "Loch Henry" still feel like "Black Mirror" in spite of that is its chilling sense of horror and its intelligent social commentary on the modern media landscape.
"Arkangel" builds on a concept of neural implants that allow the broadcast of experience, depicted in numerous episodes. "Arkangel's" premise places the responsibility of the implant in the parents' hands, using it as a monitoring device. Marie (Rosemarie DeWitt) opts to trial the technology on her daughter, Sara (Brenna Harding). As well as a live-feed of Sara's experience streamed to her tablet, Marie uses an accompanying app to filter Sara's experience, like parental controls hardwired to the brain.
Compared with the rest of the "Black Mirror" library, Season 5 was undoubtedly a disappointment and has some of the lowest IMDb ratings in the history of the show. Out of the three installments that arrived in 2019, "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too" at least tries to do something different. Most people will remember it for being the episode that stars Miley Cyrus, although it also features the acting talent of Angourie Rice and Madison Davenport.
Though "Demon 79" was released as the Season 6 finale, the credits notably call it a "Red Mirror" episode rather than a "Black Mirror" one. Could this be a backdoor pilot for a new anthology series inspired by retro grindhouse horror? It's entertaining enough to make one curious about what showrunner Charlie Brooker can do in this different arena.
This episode's antihero is Nida (Anjana Vassan), a department store worker who accidentally summons a demon (Paapa Essiedu) that demands three human sacrifices to prevent the end of the world. "Ms. Marvel" head writer Bisha K. Ali co-wrote the script with Brooker, lending authentic insight into how Nida's experiences with xenophobia influence her decisions.
The story is as dark as anything "Black Mirror" has produced, both in its visions of fascism and its rapidly escalating violence. And yet there's a lightness and playfulness to the execution of this apocalyptic tale that prevents it from feeling like a total bummer. Essiedu is particularly funny and charming as the demon Gaap, who models his human form after the lead singer of Boney M.
The themes in "National Anthem" are a natural progression from "Screenwipe," the TV show where Brooker took a humorous and biting look at current affairs, news coverage, and television production. It delves deep into the psychological nature of viral videos, the lack of representation in the news, and how the freedom of the internet challenges authority.
In Charlie Brooker's 2015 "Wipe," Brooker admitted he was "particularly weirded out" by the coincidental foretelling of the 2015 Piggate scandal centering around then-Prime Minister David Cameron. Brooker noted the alarming similarities between his story and the real-life response, including "people making wisecracks on Twitter, even using the same hashtags" and the event playing out like a "national sport bringing the nation to a standstill."
Webcam hacking has made the news in recent years. High-profile, credible authorities such as former FBI director James Comey and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg cover their webcams, suggesting the threat significance. "Shut Up and Dance" taps into the fear of this particularly intrusive hack, while deftly withholding a crucial detail of the story to make the impact of its reveal a violent gut-punch. The most disturbing element of this episode is its closeness to present day. It's almost too real.
Kenny (Alex Lawther) is blackmailed by hackers who access his webcam and record him masturbating. After playing along with a depraved "Simon Says" at the order of the hackers, it's revealed in the closing moments that Kenny was watching child pornography at the time of the hack. As well as explaining his blind compliance with the hacker's demands, it echoes Season 1's "White Bear" (covered further down the line) by pushing the boundaries of the ethics of punishment.
Common rhetoric for the pro-surveillance crowd is the "nothing to hide" argument, claiming lawful citizens need not be concerned about their private lives being exposed. Kenny's criminal activity leaves the moral message hanging tentatively in a powerful grey zone at the fade to black. Is hacking immoral if it punishes criminal activity, albeit in an unethical way?
Mirroring "White Christmas," the finale of Season 4 contains multiple stories, each equally compelling and creatively morbid. Black Museum curator Rolo Haynes (Douglas Hodge) describes the "authentic criminological artifacts" of his museum to visitor, Nish (Letitia Wright). The sinister main attraction is the imprisoned, holographic consciousness of convicted murderer Clayton Leigh, captured during his execution. By pulling a lever, Clayton's pain-receptive hologram endured a re-creation of the electric chair, causing him to experience repeated agony.
A glitch in Stripe's MASS implant reveals a chilling truth: These roaches aren't mutants. In fact, they're humans whose appearance has been manipulated by the device in order to convince soldiers to follow orders and shoot on sight. Similar to "Arkangel," this implant filter's soldier's experience, eliminating blood and guts to help them follow orders. Stripe learns he is working on behalf of a eugenics program, which has been running for over a decade to "protect the bloodline." Roaches are members of society deemed inferior.
The story is inspired by the study of the psychology of soldiers forced into combat, known as killology. The area of research was invented by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, who studied firing rates of soldiers in World War II and discovered the hit rate surprisingly low. Many soldiers deliberately aimed above their target, unable to kill another human in even the most dire of circumstances. Disturbingly, in "Men Against Fire" (taken from the title of Marshall's book), the tech is used to sidestep this thread of common humanity.
Perhaps "Crocodile" and "Arkangel" flounder because this show's depiction of an Orwellian, grain-enslaved society was done so well the first time around. Capturing every moment, the grain in "The Entire History of You" allows people to replay memories with all the ease of Apple TV. The vulnerability of the implant is shown through the eyes of Liam (Toby Kebbell), a young lawyer whose growing mistrust of his wife leads him down a paranoid, memory-revisiting tunnel of self-indulgence.
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