Black Mirror
Wasn't sure if it was worth making a thread about a show most americans probably can't legally watch but if utopia gets a thread then this deserves one too. Black mirror is the work of Charlie Brooker originally of TVGOHOME and recently of the screenwipe series. It is some one the best drama programming to come from Britain in a long long time and if you're missing it you're definitely missing out.
Each of the 6 episode (5 already shown with one to come) has a completely different setup and completely different actors (all unknowns) but each has a near future sci-fi vibe. The theme is technology and media and it's "tv with a message" that also happens to be incredibly compelling viewing.
As the episodes aren't related you can jump in anywhere and I would recommended 15 million merits to begin with. It's by far my favourite and if you don't like it you're basically a crazy person. In an undisclosed possible future everyday is a monotonous grind for basic survival, people cycle on stationary bikes generating power (got my thermodynamic law hackles up but I'm wiling to let it go) and earning merits which are currency. The only light of hope in the bleak greyness is an american idol style show that costs millions of merits to enter but the winners go on to lavish lifestyles.
It's a satire of the entertainment industry, it's a warning about rampant consumerism and best of all it's a vaguely auto-biograhical lesson on the notion of sticking to your principles vs selling out. The performances are great, subtle and heartfelt at times and then ragingly passionate at others.
Watch it!
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/black...
Can an american please tell me if this youtube link works for them?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vsYnaqpI...
season 7 is out
Awful first episode. Rehashed storyline; lazy fan service; far too obvious allegory for the american healthcare system. The ads were an interesting touch, but that's about all this had going for it.
thank you for useful information swiftly applied towards the current household state
Bonus points for Lisa Gilroy in the Lux ad
I thought the second one was a delight.
I hated it even more than the first. Seems like no mainstream show can bring themselves to say 'autistic' or 'neurodivergent' despite leaning heavily into it and all the tropes; on top of that, it was the villain they made autistic, and the poor little neurotypical bully was the victim. Pissed me off no end but can see how if you're unaware of those tropes how that episode could be enjoyable, even if the ending was super dumb
I thought the third one was a delight.
They played a lot looser with reality than most other Black Mirror episodes, but that's not really an issue for me, particularly given the resolution of episode 2.
I find their reliance on Chekhov's Gun a little annoying - with the
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nut allergy thing in episode 2, and then with the coder having his drink on the desk in this episode. Both of these stand out and were a little awkward.
There are ways around this that can be narratively difficult to pull off, such as presenting us with a wider range of small details for us to notice, so we don't know which one will turn out to be the plot point, but there was a decent amount of fat they could have trimmed to try to make this a little less noticeable.
Where in previous seasons, the fan service / references to the idea that Black Mirror is all in the same universe were sort of background, they seem intent on drawing our attention to their easter eggs, eg
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that same coder having a copy of Bandersnatch on his desk, or in episode 2 one of the usernames for that website being I AM WALDO (a username I believe
we've already seen as an easter egg).
They appear to have run out of completely new technological advances to present as creating potential problems - in this case, while the
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virtual film set tech itself is new, they had to rely on the tech they presented in the christmas episode of time running differently in the virtual world.
That's it for this episode, really. I thought they covered a range of interesting topics, the ending was not fully predictable, and it had a huge amount of heart. I get a little upset every time
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a dog is murdered onscreen,
but didn't this time.
One thing I noticed, having seen a dialogue about a similar device in Men In Black, was that the
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main character pointedly was dissatisfied with her life. We see her in an empty home, i.e. no family, and then on top of that, her dissatisfaction with her life is driven home by her interaction with the delivery driver. This was necessary to give us a stronger sense that she may have, for example, decided to stay in that virtual world and live out the rest of her life there, an ending I thought they were potentially shooting for. Had they given us reason to think she had a family or satisfying home life to go back to, it would have been more difficult to present her as having a reasonable dilemma.
As usual, Charlie Brooker continues to decline my creative input and keeps on making content without checking in with me first, which is a little frustrating, but I can live with it.
Episode 4 was the worst Black Mirror episode ever, for me.
Somewhat shook that no one at Netflix HQ or Charlie Brooker production studios had the courage to say 'uh are we not risking leaning into the deranged autistic murderer trope a little too hard this season'
I think you’re shoehorning episode 2 into your distaste for whatever you’re railing against. I didn’t think Verity read as neuroatypical. I just thought of her as a horror movie bad guy. And her story informs her actions and personality
I think you’re shoehorning episode 2 into your distaste for whatever you’re railing against. I didn’t think Verity read as neuroatypical. I just thought of her as a horror movie bad guy. And her story informs her actions and personality
It was repeatedly hammered home that she was socially awkward and didn't fit in, and was into highly geeky interests. She was bullied for those differences. We see her 'stimming' with her necklace (which albeit turned out to be for a different reason), and the main character gets 'creepy' vibes from her.
It's autism-coded, and quite strongly so, even if less overtly than the villain in episode 4.
Episode 1 was one of those "I can actually see this happening" episodes, like Nosedive.
I thought episode 2 was great, right up until the ending, which was just dumb. Great concept, poor execution at the finale.
Episode 3 was very well done, acting was top notch.
Eulogy was... wow. One of the best episodes of the entire series for me
As usual, Charlie Brooker continues to decline my creative input and keeps on making content without checking in with me first, which is a little frustrating, but I can live with it.
As he continues to decline mine. My thoughts on the first three episodes
Episode 1:
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A little close to the one where the woman grew a clone of her dead husband, but I liked the overall concept; it seemed like a technological advancement I could see happening in our lifetime, and some tough commentary on how corporations continue to emphasize growth and profit even when they can't generate it organically. My favorite of the first three episodes.
Episode 2:
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Great buildup, then it fell completely apart. The technology in question is hundreds of years away if it was even possible. The best BM episodes show us an extension of a current technology that if I squint and suspend disbelief a bit, I could see happening, not pure science fiction. Even if you just limited it to a crazy form of AI that could alter electronic records on the fly, that would be sort of plausible - remaking the whole world and affecting people's memory and stuff? Come on.
Even if you accept all of that...the characters in this look to maybe be early 30s in terms of age. You really think Verity would get bored of all the experiences in the universe she could have in just a decade? Even if you accept that....the biggest revenge she could take on her nemesis is "she drank the coworkers almond milk and forgot the name of a restaurant"? Why not something hugely more embarrassing - she's a child predator or something that will really destroy her life?
Episode 3:
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uh...isn't this just San Junipero but they don't stay together? This felt like it couldn't decide if it was a love story or a technology story or a personal discovery story or what. Too slow getting going, too much time where nothing happens, and the ending is really strange given the whole theme. It was ok for me as time filler, but it didn't leave me thinking about anything special.
I’ve seen acclaim for it online. I didn’t care for it.
If you’re going to put a chip in your head, trance out, and go somewhere. The somewhere should be interesting, like a space ship
Thoughts on the last three episodes
Episode 4:
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Didn't really do it for me. Ok the guy gets kind of obsessed with his video game, and somehow the video game creates a sentient life that takes over the world? Something about the pacing of this or the message just didn't resonate for me and the ending just hit suddenly.
Episode 5:
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Best episode of the season for me and in the classic Black Mirror style. The technology was a reasonable stretch from today's possibilities, and the story really hit home - once you reach a certain age, one of the things you legitimately do is reminisce about past loves and romanticize them. Having the guide be the daughter was a nice twist (I expected it was going to be the lost love once she started getting more confrontational). Unlike Hotel Reverie, this was the one that had me welling up a bit.
Episode 6:
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Honestly came in expecting to dislike it - there's no need to go back to the well no matter how popular Callister was. Not even sure it was what I'd call a typical Black Mirror story, but the story itself was engaging and I enjoyed it. Man that Landry/Todd/Bob guy really knows how to play a creepy character.
I love USS Callister and was excited to see it reprised but I thought it fell flat
Eulogy is an all time great Black Mirror episode. If you watched the first couple and didn't enjoy them, I'd recommend watching Eulogy.
I love Black Mirror, but the first episode of the new season is so uncomfortable and "5 minutes a way" I'm not sure I enjoyed it. It seems way too possible this is where we're headed.
I love Black Mirror, but the first episode of the new season is so uncomfortable and "5 minutes a way" I'm not sure I enjoyed it. It seems way too possible this is where we're headed.
More often than I should, I come away from watching an episode just feeling really bad. Something about some of these episodes, and how we don't really feel all that far away from them, can make me feel bad. Begs the question, why do I like this show so much? I'm not sure, but I keep coming back despite the bad feelings I sometimes get from watching some of the creepier episodes.
