Season 3 Episode 1, Nosedive:
I should really have enjoyed this episode but somehow I didn’t. It is centered on a sort of rating system for people that is similar to China’s social credit system, only exaggerated. Almost everything you do, from simple interactions with store clerks, to posts online, will get you ratings, sort of like social media “likes”, that contribute to your overall score. Your score in turn affects things in real life, for example what hotels or restaurants you are able to book. I think there’s something really insidious about this kind system and the fact that there is such a system currently running in China makes it well worth to explore in a fictional setting like Black Mirror. Unfortunately this episode fails at doing that in a satisfying way. The story is about a white middle class woman who is unsatisfied with her already relatively high rating. I think that choice of protagonist limits the perspective unnecessarily. Having some kind of social outcast – perhaps someone who doesn’t want to fit in – as the protagonist would make the episode far more interesting.
Season 3 Episode 2, Playtest:
One aspect of anthologies is that the creators can experiment with different genres while focusing on a single theme. That’s clearly what’s happened with this episode. The creators wanted to make a horror episode and in order for it to fit the theme, they had the horror elements be part of a computer simulation that the protagonist enters via a kind of brain chip. Again the human brain is too complex for such a chip to be available in a world that otherwise looks a lot like ours. However, if you replace the brain chip with some kind of advanced AR or VR glasses then this episode becomes much more realistic. As a piece of horror fiction it feels kind of cliché but is quite entertaining to watch none the less.
Season 3 Episode 3, Shut Up and Dance:
Here we have Black Mirror’s take on ransomware and related phenomena. In case you don’t know, ransomware is a type of virus that locks the files on your computer. When you try to access a file you get a message asking you to pay a ransom and the hackers will unlock your files. The version in this episode is of course exaggerated, so instead of a simple virus that locks the victim’s files, the hackers record both the victim’s screen and their webcam while they are doing immoral and/or illegal things online e.g. cheating on their spouse or buying drugs. Instead of asking for money, the hackers then threaten to show this video to the victim’s family and friends, if they don’t perform certain tasks. These tasks could be anything from something simple like delivering a package, to something more serious like beating a person up. The episode is focused on two victims of this “ransomware” who run around doing one such task after another, like a sort of treasure hunt. But here’s the thing, unlike other episodes, this one is not speculative; not only is this entirely possible, but things like this do actually happen in the real world. There are plenty of real world cases that deal with similar topics as this episode, for example ransomware attacks on hospitals, or nude photos of young women that get stolen by hackers and posted on porn sites. Those stories are far more compelling, and more worthy of being told, than this made up one.
Season 3 Episode 4, San Junipero:
The technology featured in this episode allows people to connect their minds to a computer simulation, sort of like an extremely immersive virtual world. I have said it before and I will say it again, the human brain is far too complex for this to be realistic. That doesn’t really matter however, the fact that it’s a simulation is used as a framing device but most of the story takes places inside it, and from the character’s perspective, their experience is just as real as if it had taken place in the real world. Essentially, you can ignore the tech aspect of this episode and just enjoy it as a piece of media. One interesting thing to note as that all the episodes so far have explored the negative effects of technology, but not this one because unlike the others it has a happy ending.
Season 3 Episode 5, Men Against Fire:
Just like with Playtest, the creators of this episode have stepped away from the typical storyline and setting of other Black Mirror episodes, and instead made a sci-fi action film about soldiers hunting mutants in a borderline post-apocalytic world. *Big Spoiler* the mutants are actually regular humans who the government have deemed ill fit for living in society for whatever reason. The soldiers all have a neural implant that makes them see these “inferior” people as mutants so that they will be more likely to actually kill them without hesitation. Strange enough, people who aren’t in the army don’t have such implants, and can see the mutants for what they really are, but they still consider them to be inferior because of propaganda. I think this episode is not actually about technology, but rather about genocide. The neural implant is simply a tool used by the military for this purpose. However, we all know that genocides can and do happen without technological aid. This is also shown by the fact that all the civilians in this episode support genocide even though they don’t have implants. So, the technology doesn’t have to be realistic for this episode to work. Unfortunately, it’s not very good so it doesn’t work as entertainment either. If you do want to see something with sci-fi soldiers that’s simultaneously a commentary on fascism, I recommend Starship Troopers instead.
One more thing about Men Against Fire that I need to get off my chest. One of the main characters is an example of the gung-ho soldier / lovable asshole archetype that you see in many war movies. This character is normally played by a male actor but for this episode they have cast a woman in this role. Now there’s nothing wrong with having a female soldier but it’s clear to me that this character was written as a man but that the role later shifted to an actress, and I think that’s bullshit. If they wanted a female soldier, they should have written her as a female soldier from the start. Also, despite being a soldier, this character always seems to have flawless hair and makeup, which is just ridiculous.
Season 3 Episode 6, Hated in the Nation:
This is by far the most compelling episode in the entire series. Whereas most other episodes of Black Mirror focus on a few characters and how technology affects them, this one has a much broader perspective. It is about a number of police officers who are investigating a crime. By following these characters as they go about their investigation, the audience is able to see several technologies that simply exist as part of this world, and how society interacts with those technologies. In a way that’s almost incidental, the story becomes a sort of framing device for discussing the intersection of technology, human nature, and society in general. The fact that two of the issues that this future society is facing – the lack of bees to pollinate the plants, and social media hate mobs – are ones that we face right now contribute to making this extremely interesting. The main story itself is also very watchable. It relies on many of the same tropes and story beats as any other police investigation drama so in that respect it’s nothing new, but that just means it’s well made.
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Black Mirror is Annoying and Here’s Why
Season 3 Episode 1, Nosedive:
I should really have enjoyed this episode but somehow I didn’t. It is centered on a sort of rating system for people that is similar to China’s social credit system, only exaggerated. Almost everything you do, from simple interactions with store clerks, to posts online, will get you ratings, sort of like social media “likes”, that contribute to your overall score. Your score in turn affects things in real life, for example what hotels or restaurants you are able to book. I think there’s something really insidious about this kind system and the fact that there is such a system currently running in China makes it well worth to explore in a fictional setting like Black Mirror. Unfortunately this episode fails at doing that in a satisfying way. The story is about a white middle class woman who is unsatisfied with her already relatively high rating. I think that choice of protagonist limits the perspective unnecessarily. Having some kind of social outcast – perhaps someone who doesn’t want to fit in – as the protagonist would make the episode far more interesting.
Season 3 Episode 2, Playtest:
One aspect of anthologies is that the creators can experiment with different genres while focusing on a single theme. That’s clearly what’s happened with this episode. The creators wanted to make a horror episode and in order for it to fit the theme, they had the horror elements be part of a computer simulation that the protagonist enters via a kind of brain chip. Again the human brain is too complex for such a chip to be available in a world that otherwise looks a lot like ours. However, if you replace the brain chip with some kind of advanced AR or VR glasses then this episode becomes much more realistic. As a piece of horror fiction it feels kind of cliché but is quite entertaining to watch none the less.
Season 3 Episode 3, Shut Up and Dance:
Here we have Black Mirror’s take on ransomware and related phenomena. In case you don’t know, ransomware is a type of virus that locks the files on your computer. When you try to access a file you get a message asking you to pay a ransom and the hackers will unlock your files. The version in this episode is of course exaggerated, so instead of a simple virus that locks the victim’s files, the hackers record both the victim’s screen and their webcam while they are doing immoral and/or illegal things online e.g. cheating on their spouse or buying drugs. Instead of asking for money, the hackers then threaten to show this video to the victim’s family and friends, if they don’t perform certain tasks. These tasks could be anything from something simple like delivering a package, to something more serious like beating a person up. The episode is focused on two victims of this “ransomware” who run around doing one such task after another, like a sort of treasure hunt. But here’s the thing, unlike other episodes, this one is not speculative; not only is this entirely possible, but things like this do actually happen in the real world. There are plenty of real world cases that deal with similar topics as this episode, for example ransomware attacks on hospitals, or nude photos of young women that get stolen by hackers and posted on porn sites. Those stories are far more compelling, and more worthy of being told, than this made up one.
Season 3 Episode 4, San Junipero:
The technology featured in this episode allows people to connect their minds to a computer simulation, sort of like an extremely immersive virtual world. I have said it before and I will say it again, the human brain is far too complex for this to be realistic. That doesn’t really matter however, the fact that it’s a simulation is used as a framing device but most of the story takes places inside it, and from the character’s perspective, their experience is just as real as if it had taken place in the real world. Essentially, you can ignore the tech aspect of this episode and just enjoy it as a piece of media. One interesting thing to note as that all the episodes so far have explored the negative effects of technology, but not this one because unlike the others it has a happy ending.
Season 3 Episode 5, Men Against Fire:
Just like with Playtest, the creators of this episode have stepped away from the typical storyline and setting of other Black Mirror episodes, and instead made a sci-fi action film about soldiers hunting mutants in a borderline post-apocalytic world. *Big Spoiler* the mutants are actually regular humans who the government have deemed ill fit for living in society for whatever reason. The soldiers all have a neural implant that makes them see these “inferior” people as mutants so that they will be more likely to actually kill them without hesitation. Strange enough, people who aren’t in the army don’t have such implants, and can see the mutants for what they really are, but they still consider them to be inferior because of propaganda. I think this episode is not actually about technology, but rather about genocide. The neural implant is simply a tool used by the military for this purpose. However, we all know that genocides can and do happen without technological aid. This is also shown by the fact that all the civilians in this episode support genocide even though they don’t have implants. So, the technology doesn’t have to be realistic for this episode to work. Unfortunately, it’s not very good so it doesn’t work as entertainment either. If you do want to see something with sci-fi soldiers that’s simultaneously a commentary on fascism, I recommend Starship Troopers instead.
One more thing about Men Against Fire that I need to get off my chest. One of the main characters is an example of the gung-ho soldier / lovable asshole archetype that you see in many war movies. This character is normally played by a male actor but for this episode they have cast a woman in this role. Now there’s nothing wrong with having a female soldier but it’s clear to me that this character was written as a man but that the role later shifted to an actress, and I think that’s bullshit. If they wanted a female soldier, they should have written her as a female soldier from the start. Also, despite being a soldier, this character always seems to have flawless hair and makeup, which is just ridiculous.
Season 3 Episode 6, Hated in the Nation:
This is by far the most compelling episode in the entire series. Whereas most other episodes of Black Mirror focus on a few characters and how technology affects them, this one has a much broader perspective. It is about a number of police officers who are investigating a crime. By following these characters as they go about their investigation, the audience is able to see several technologies that simply exist as part of this world, and how society interacts with those technologies. In a way that’s almost incidental, the story becomes a sort of framing device for discussing the intersection of technology, human nature, and society in general. The fact that two of the issues that this future society is facing – the lack of bees to pollinate the plants, and social media hate mobs – are ones that we face right now contribute to making this extremely interesting. The main story itself is also very watchable. It relies on many of the same tropes and story beats as any other police investigation drama so in that respect it’s nothing new, but that just means it’s well made.
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RenegadeTourist
February 21, 2023
Media commentary, Movie review
annoying, Black Mirror, review, TV show